It was our first trip to the island of Guam so my hubby and I didn't really know what to expect. I did a bit of research online at www.theguamguide.com. I was looking forward to shopping at the Duty-free malls, sightseeing around town and checking out the world's largest K-Mart (according to Wikipedia) which is open 24 hours!
Guam was a four-hour flight from Manila. The weather was hot and humid when we arrived. We checked in at the Hilton Resort and Spa, the view of Tumon Bay from our balcony was breathtaking. For a while I thought I was in Hawaii.
We kicked off our first day by taking a ride on the Guahan Shuttle which was a practical and convenient way to see the sights and to hop on and off from one mall to another for only $25 for 5 days. It beats taking a cab which can become quite pricey (unless you're going back to the hotel from K-Mart at 2:00am in which case a cab ride would be necessary). The only downside is that the shuttle stops at major hotels along Hotel Row to pick up and drop off passengers. We didn't really mind.
The major shopping destinations are: DFS GALLERIA where you can find popular designer brands such as Gucci, Prada, Hermes, Chanel, Burberry, Ferragamo, Tory Burch, Tod's, Louis Vuitton, Dior and so much more. DFS also has a wide array of makeup brands like MAC, Benefit, Urban Decay, Clarins, L'Occitane, Shu Uemura, La Mer, Bobbi Brown and Clinique. http://www.dfsgalleria.com/en/guam/
TUMON SANDS PLAZA is another duty-free mall that offers several luxury brands but is relatively smaller than DFS. http://theguamguide.com/shopping/tumon-sands-plaza
TUMON SANDS PLAZA is another duty-free mall that offers several luxury brands but is relatively smaller than DFS. http://theguamguide.com/shopping/tumon-sands-plaza
Across the street from DFS is THE PLAZA where you can find Gucci, Cole Haan, Anna Sui, Bottega Veneta, Furla, Rimowa to name a few. My personal favorite: Godiva Cafe. http://theplazaguam.com/stores/
We ended our first day at K-MART because it's open 24 hours and there were no lines at the check out counters when we got there before midnight. I loved the selections at K-mart, I wanted to bring the whole store home with me. I took my time going through the massive selection of clothing, toys, kitchen and house ware, linens and grocery items. Needless to say, this was our last stop everyday for the next 4 days!
http://www.kmart.com/
The next day, we decided to go to the GUAM PREMIER OUTLETS. I always go to premium outlets when we're in the US so I was excited to see what the Guam Premier Outlets had to offer. I found some of the best bargains at ROSS, IZOD, Nine West, Naturalizer and Famous Footwear. GPO was smaller than what I expected though.
ROSS may not be for everyone, it takes some time and patience to go through aisles and aisles of merchandise. Some people say the lines alone discourage them. In my case, it was a fun and rewarding shopping experience.
http://www.gpoguam.com/information.html
While you're in the area, you can walk over to COST U LESS beside GPO which is similar to S&R or Costco for grocery shopping at great prices minus the membership fee.
Next stop was MICRONESIA MALL, which is similar to the malls in Manila. The main attraction at Micronesia Mall is MACY'S. I also liked GAP, Payless Supermarket (which rivals the grocery section of K-Mart) and Denny's. http://www.micronesiamall.com/
The next morning, we visited the AGANA Shopping Center. We had to check out the SM Store located here. It was fun to see SM all the way in Guam. They had some US products that I wish they sold here. http://aganacenter.com/
Payless Supermarket was overflowing with my favorite US brands. The selections here were worth the trip to Agana Shopping Center which was the farthest of all the malls we visited.
To sum it all up, Guam is the closest you can get to the US in four hours and the SHOPPING is worth the trip. Anything you buy here will be cheaper compared to Manila retail prices, especially if the items you purchased are marked down and tax-free.
Let me put it this way, the long strip of white sand beaches and crystal clear waters along Tumon Bay are just a bonus after a long day of shopping!
Coming Soon: Guam EATS and Grocery Finds ...
We ended our first day at K-MART because it's open 24 hours and there were no lines at the check out counters when we got there before midnight. I loved the selections at K-mart, I wanted to bring the whole store home with me. I took my time going through the massive selection of clothing, toys, kitchen and house ware, linens and grocery items. Needless to say, this was our last stop everyday for the next 4 days!
http://www.kmart.com/
The next day, we decided to go to the GUAM PREMIER OUTLETS. I always go to premium outlets when we're in the US so I was excited to see what the Guam Premier Outlets had to offer. I found some of the best bargains at ROSS, IZOD, Nine West, Naturalizer and Famous Footwear. GPO was smaller than what I expected though.
ROSS may not be for everyone, it takes some time and patience to go through aisles and aisles of merchandise. Some people say the lines alone discourage them. In my case, it was a fun and rewarding shopping experience.
http://www.gpoguam.com/information.html
While you're in the area, you can walk over to COST U LESS beside GPO which is similar to S&R or Costco for grocery shopping at great prices minus the membership fee.
Next stop was MICRONESIA MALL, which is similar to the malls in Manila. The main attraction at Micronesia Mall is MACY'S. I also liked GAP, Payless Supermarket (which rivals the grocery section of K-Mart) and Denny's. http://www.micronesiamall.com/
The next morning, we visited the AGANA Shopping Center. We had to check out the SM Store located here. It was fun to see SM all the way in Guam. They had some US products that I wish they sold here. http://aganacenter.com/
Payless Supermarket was overflowing with my favorite US brands. The selections here were worth the trip to Agana Shopping Center which was the farthest of all the malls we visited.
To sum it all up, Guam is the closest you can get to the US in four hours and the SHOPPING is worth the trip. Anything you buy here will be cheaper compared to Manila retail prices, especially if the items you purchased are marked down and tax-free.
Let me put it this way, the long strip of white sand beaches and crystal clear waters along Tumon Bay are just a bonus after a long day of shopping!
Coming Soon: Guam EATS and Grocery Finds ...
