Shopping

The social heart of Cozumel is the town plaza (only a few blocks away) in San Miguel, the island’s largest town. Clustered in and around the plaza are a wide selection of shops, stores, and boutiques offering handcrafted works of art, jewelry, clothing and many other items.

Many of the stores accept U.S. money, making it even more convenient for visitors to Cozumel. (Also try negotiating with the merchants…it’s a lot of fun!)

Cozumel's most concentrated shopping area centers around San Miguel's zócalo (Plaza del Sol) and extends for about 8 blocks along the waterfront and for several blocks back into the town.

Good buys can be found on Yucatecan hammocks, leather goods, embroidered and lace clothing and table linens, silver jewelry, ceramics and decorative metalwork and carved wood.. You will also find high-quality handicrafts from all over Mexico--but because of the cost of importation to the island, you may find slightly better buys on these on the Mainland.

If you like to shop, you could spend several days working your way through the combination of upscale and funky shops in the downtown tourist district.

Downtown Cozumel has everything from high-toned waterfront jewelry stores like Van Cleef & Arpels to little holes in the wall crammed with hand-painted batik hangings, carved wood crafts and paper mache animals.

But, although San Miguel's downtown waterfront is lovely, you will generally not get the best prices if you shop here. You'll have a far more rewarding shopping experience both in terms of prices and ambience if you avoid what the locals call "the sidewalk shuffle" and head off on your own.