must-have souvenir from Cozumel?
 

Hi...I'll be in Cancun in late May, with a day trip to Cozumel. I've hear Cozumel has amazing shopping, and was wondering what I should make sure to pick up, in terms of jewelery or sculptures, etc. <BR> <BR>thanks...d

I'm never think the shopping is as good as boasted in the Carib. Coozumel had a lot of Tanzanite, onyx and silver. I got several onyx chess sets for five and ten dollars which are a real bargain compared to the states. Heavy though, no fun in the airport. I hope you make better choices than I do. We're currently stuck with a hand carved/painted parrot that we got at an art gallery in Grand Cayman. I don't know what I was thinking.

CJ-- <BR> <BR>Thanks for the laugh...that's EXACTLY what I'm trying to avoid by asking this question...better luck next time :) <BR> <BR>d.

Well,by my name you could see I would have bought the parrot.. Seriously, there is a great store called Cinco Soles, (five Sons) at one end of the waterfront..that has lovely items..The onyx is very heavy and believe it or not fragile..Go off the main street and near the church there are a few markets and buy pure vanilla as gifts.. Many years ago I bought a black coral necklace and an regular coral necklace...now I think illegal.. A cute item I fell upon was a straw lady..that you put over a bottle of liquor..Kaluha I presune.. As for the Tanzanite..please be careful, it's a very soft and fragile stone and very expensive..I have seen my dream tanzanite..it is well over $5,000...for the deep blue/purple color.. Since all the tourists shops are along the Malecon look for the Flea Market also near the church and walk along that street..away from the hordes of shoppers.. If you notice most of the Mexicans wear gold...silver is for tourists..Oh yes, there are beautiful throw rugs..

Personally, I like animalitos (also called alebrijes), animals carved from Copal wood, which is native to the Oaxaca area. You can get iguanas, dragons, and all kinds of mytical creatures in sizes from very small to fairly large. After they are carved, the animals are painted in a hue of different colors. If you want to learn more about them, take a look at www.mexonline.com/animal1.htm.

Your absolutely right...I do have one in another area of the house..I'm an obsessed shopper, of native work..they must be wrapped well though. Many of the hand painted work from Oxaca is gorgeous..I have a large parrot handpainted I had bought in San Cabo Lucas years ago..unfortunately it ws too close to a cage and somebody gnawed on it..

Just got back last weekend from Cozumel. I love it so much we have cancelled or fall Italy trip to go back for 2 weeks. I bought alot of little knick-knack stuff but my favorite item was an onyx fish. It is beautiful. I did buy some silver and I am very pleased with it. Above all take lots of photographs and wander into the back streets of town. It is charming, you get the best deals but you feel more like you are on a Mexican Island than you do when you are near the waterfront (very American and geared toward the cruise ship types). Have a great trip.

Hi, <BR>My favorite shop in Cozumel was Cinco Sole. They have a large selection of nice things attractively displayed. They also give an extra discount if you pay with cash. <BR>Check out the animalitos they are pretty cool. <BR>

Los Cinco Soles (The Five Suns)is probably the best shopping on the island. The same family owns several other upscale shops on the island and on the mainland as well. They will soon be opening in many Mexican airports. Cinco Soles has the best quality and design silver jewelry at good prices - discount for cash. I come home each year with a great necklace, earings or braclet for myself. Another beautiful item is Talavara-ware. Handpainted ceramic dishes in botanical prints. They can be found all over town. Also look for the beautiful (and inexpensive) pewter-ware. Fantastic candle sticks, trays, dishes, servers, etc. that look like silver. Great wedding or housewarming gifts. I always bring back the good vanilla (not the cheap stuff) and find the paper mache clowns to be fun gifts children. The paper mache also is made into beautifully painted fruits, vegetables, napkin rings, serving trays, etc. But the clowns floating on parachutes or balloons are my favorites. Cinco Soles also has an amazing tequilla bar, selling bottles from four to several hundred dollars each. Its the only place I've ever seen such a large variety of tequilla. My last suggestion is to see the little old man and lady who sell hand-made straw baskets, hats and toys near the fountain on the square - on the Dairy Queen corner. The amount of detailed work that goes into each creation is astounding. The prices are shamefully low. Happy shopping!

I also agree with the other posters re Cinco Soles. Last year we bought some wonderful peanut sauce in a jar (actually we bought a couple of jars). It was quite spicy and I used it in a peanut pasta sauce with chicken, etc. Delicious! It's a huge store and they do have a lot of nice things. We've also bought nice looking masks in Cozumel - I've seen them elsewhere in Mexico, but that's where I bought the first ones.