There are almost as many souvenir stands as dive shops in Cozumel. Most have similar items at similar prices. If you're a good bargainer, try the Cozumel Flea Market located just east of the Plaza.
Unicornio, on the Ave. 5 mall just south of the Square, has lots of Mexican Arts & Crafts with fixed prices. In the same area are several other small shops with interesting pieces from Mexico and Guatemala. In some of these you will be able to bargain.
Viva Mexico is a large fixed price store on the waterfront at the corner of Rosado Salas with a good selection of both the tacky souvenirs Mexico is famous for as well as some nicer pewter and ceramic pieces. Clerks here are dressed in traditional attire and perform folk dances on a regular schedule gratis.
Another store with fixed prices and a very good selection is Los Cinco Soles located on Ave. Rafael Melgar at Calle 8 Norte. In addition to the usual tourist souvenirs, this place also sells furniture and art work. The selection of premium tequilas at Los Cinco Soles is impressive but the prices are among the highest on the island.
If you are interested in buying tequila to take home with you, the duty free store at the airport has some of the lowest prices on expensive premium brands. The only problem is that you never know for sure what they will have until you get there and by the time you find out, it is too late to shop anywhere else.
If you don't want to chance the duty free not having your favorite brand or for drinking while you're in Cozumel, try the open air Covi Liquor store just north of the San Francisco Asis Supermarket at the corner of 30th Ave and Calle 2. We find they usually have good prices on all the popular brands and on occasion will have a good price on premium brands as well. The Chedraui and San Francisco Asis Supermarkets usually have a decent selection of popular brands at reasonable prices and you can also check at the smaller SSI grocery store that is on the waterfront at the corner with the airport road. On occasion, they will have a special price on a premium brand or two.
For some of the lowest prices on Talavera pottery and wood made handicrafts, visit Pech Artesanias. It's located nest to a lumber yard on Ave. 30 between Calle 8 and 10.
While you will see black coral sold all over town, the store with what is generally considered the best quality is Roberto's at the corner of Rosado Salas and Ave. 5. You can even watch as Roberto works on his latest creation. Care should be taken if buying from a street vendor as some of what is sold as inexpensive black coral will turn out to be very expensive black plastic.
You can find very nice locally made hammocks in a small house on the corner of Ave. 5 and Calle 4 Norte.
The Punta Langosta shopping center at the cruise ship pier near downtown is primarily home to chain stores and chain restaurants. Typically you'll see the same prices you would find in the same stores anywhere else in the world except for some of the restaurants where prices will be higher than you would find in the U.S.
You'll see a lot of stores with signs advertising "Duty Free" wares or special discounts for cruise ship passengers. Don't believe them. The prices there won't be any better (and in fact, probably higher) than you can find all over town.
If you traveled to Cozumel some years ago and come back now for a visit, one of the most obvious changes in town is the proliferation of high priced jewelry stores in general and diamond stores in particular. The number of diamond and emerald and tanzanite stores on Ave. Rafael Melgar is overwhelming and the high rents they are willing to pay is forcing many long time businesses to relocate.
And question we ask is; “WHY?” Diamonds are not mined on Cozumel. Very little jewelry is actually made on Cozumel. The stores really aren’t “duty free.” What in the world makes anyone think that Cozumel is a great place to buy diamonds, emeralds or other precious stones? And the answer is “cruise ships.” The cruise entertainment director tells passengers on the cruise ships that bargains are to be had at these stores. They are told that the ship has negotiated special discounts with these stores for the ships passengers. Our advice is: Be very, very careful when making a significant jewelry purchase in Cozumel. If you know what you are doing, go ahead and spend away. But if you are relying on advice from people who are telling you that Cozumel is a great place to get a big bargain on diamond jewelry, think twice before you hand over your credit card.
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