Our Epic Shopping Day in Santiago: Is Price Smart the Costco of the DR?!
We almost missed the bus for our big day trip to Santiago, the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic, but once we were on our way, it turned into a massive, successful shopping haul!
Hardware Hunt and Gourmet Grub
Our first stop was a huge hardware store, easily the best and biggest we’ve seen in a while. While browsing the kitchen appliances, Danielle was eyeing a new crockpot. If you’re tackling projects of your own, check out our DIY & Maintenance Videos for tips and guides! Before getting too deep into the shopping, we stopped for a quick lunch at one of the city’s supermarkets. We refueled with some wraps, a Presidente beer, and admired the massive dessert section.
Grocery Stop 1: National (The DR’s “Whole Foods”)
We landed at a high-end grocery store called National, which Danielle immediately compared to the Whole Foods of the DR due to its prices. Inside, we found some key ingredients for Danielle’s recipes, including her black olives for the famous cheese ball. You can find all of our Cheese Ball Recipes on our website!
Grocery Stop 2: Bravo (The Real Haul)
Next up was Bravo, where the real grocery shopping began. The store was busy, but we quickly loaded up the cart with essentials, including a massive selection of bubbly water, fresh veggies, and ingredients for boat dip and cheese ball. We got a great haul of chicken and beef, which was essential for stocking up the boat’s freezer!
For ideas on how to use those fresh items, check out all of our great Dips and Sauces on our website!
Price Smart: The Costco of the DR
The final stop was the highly anticipated Price Smart, which we’ve dubbed the “Costco of the DR.” It felt exactly like walking into a US Costco—it was huge and had so much stuff. It was a bit of a challenge resisting all the fluffy Christmas blankets and other goodies.
Our best score was a two-pack of cool gel comfort foam memory selection pillows for only $30 (about 1,800 pesos), or $15 a pillow. The next morning, Danielle confirmed they were a hit, calling them “pretty comfortable” and thankfully, “didn’t get a neck” ache! It was a huge relief to replace our old, flat pillows.
Dinner, Discoveries, and Recipes
After the long day of shopping, Danielle got straight to work making a delicious roast with the meat we picked up. You can check out her Roast recipes on our website, along with the meatloaf recipe I had for breakfast:
However, boat life always has surprises. While prepping, we made a couple of gross discoveries: our white rice had bugs (likely eggs) in it, and a forgotten crockpot contained little crawly things that looked like baby spiders. Lesson learned: buy new rice and keep things sealed!
Danielle is currently working on two new recipes—an appetizer and a slow cooker meal. Comment on the YouTube video to let her know which one you want to see first!
Despite the crazy traffic and the unexpected critter finds, the long day in Santiago was a huge success. By going to the box store (Price Smart), we ended up saving money on bulk items like cleaning supplies, rum, and the life-changing new pillows! Now we just need to relax and enjoy the rest of our time in the DR.
Support & Connect With Chris & Danielle
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For more of our favorite comfort food recipes, check out our Cooking Videos.
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