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Five blocks north of the plaza is the Forum Shops, an air-conditioned, marble-floored mini mall on Avenida Rafael Melgar at Calle 8 Norte. Inside you'll find shops selling quality beachwear, jewelry, perfume, silver, glass, tequila and cigars. Ride the escalator to the second floor, where you can peer through glass windows and observe jewelers at work.
Next door is Los Cinco Soles, a big, rambling store that sells a huge selection of crafts, art and clothing imported from all over Mexico. From furniture, ceramics, wood carvings and masks to textiles, hand-blown glass and obsidian figurines, prices on craft items are relatively reasonable. Clothing and jewelry prices, on the other hand, are high. For the budget-minded there's also an endless selection of affordable knickknacks.
Souvenir T-shirt shoppers flock to the Cozumel outpost of Florida's Ron Jon Surf Shop (at the corner of Avenida Rafael Melgar and Calle 4 Norte), where logo T-shirts, caps and souvenirs fly off the shelves.
The north side of the plaza (the pedestrian-only section of Benito Juárez) is chock-a-block with souvenir shops and stalls, most selling identical merchandise (think blankets, sombreros, T-shirts and jewelry). While good quality is hard to come by, a little bargaining should yield low prices. There are gift shops and galleries in the white-trimmed, bright yellow Plaza del Sol building, on the east side of the plaza.
Galería Azul, on Avenida 15 Norte between calles 8 and 10 Norte (about 7 blocks northeast of the main plaza), is owned by an artist who specializes in unique blown-glass pieces incorporating intricate undersea-themed designs. It's open Mon.-Fri. 11-7.
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Puro Mar, at the corner of Avenida 5 Sur and Calle 3 Sur (not far from the main plaza), sells top-quality swim trunks, bikinis, flip-flops, kiteboarding gear and other beachy stuff at tourist-inflated prices.
At the Punta Langosta Pier (Avenida Rafael Melgar, just south of Calle 7 Sur), cruise ship passengers disembark and walk directly into the Punta Langosta mall, an open-air building with shops, jewelry stores, clothing boutiques and food places on two levels. Los Cinco Soles has a small satellite location here. Starbucks fans can get their fix at the thatch-roofed franchise fronting the mall. Another open-air mall is at the southernmost cruise ship pier, Puerta Maya (about 5 miles south of San Miguel).
The MEGA grocery store, on Avenida Rafael Melgar just south of downtown San Miguel, is a big supermarket that stocks a variety of fresh produce, meats, seafood, cheeses and other staples.
Are you looking for fun things to do with friends? Chedraui Cozumel Centro, a block inland from the waterfront between calles 15 and 17 Sur, has a Chedraui grocery store, several shops and Cinépolis Cozumel, which shows first-run Hollywood fare and Spanish-language features.
AAA/Photo submitted by Maria White
Mercado Municipal, at the corner of Avenida 25 Sur and Calle Dr. Adolfo Rosado Salas, is the island's largest traditional Mexican market. All kinds of fruits and vegetables are for sale, along with fresh and dried chiles, freshly squeezed fruit and carrot juices, honey and jamaica (dried hibiscus blossoms) sold by the kilo. When boiled in water and allowed to steep for at least several hours, strained into a pitcher along with sugar and lime juice and then served over ice, the blossoms make a refreshing tea. Pescaderías (fish markets) sell freshly caught fish like grouper (mero) and snapper (huachinango) as well as shrimp, octopus and conch.