After looking through some of the local shops, and dealing with the many people who went to great…read morelengths to get our attention, it was refreshing to step into Viva Mexico. We were all looking to take home gifts and this shop satisfied our needs on many levels. Pottery, vanilla, glassware, toys, they seemed to have it all. The ladies working there were all friendly and thankfully, their English was better than my Spanish! I had my gifts all planned out until I went upstairs, and then everything was turned up-side-down (in a great way). I found my niece upstairs, hanging out with Cristian who is the man in charge of the tequila tasting. By the way, just say yes, because he doesn't take no for an answer!! We tried chocolate tequila, vanilla tequila, pomegranate, apricot... oh the list goes on. I came home with some chocolate, and my niece tried the regular (oh so yummy, sweet tasting, sippin' tequila). If you are looking for some quality gifts, no hassle, and great tequila, this is the spot for you!!

The selection of pottery and other goods native to Mexico was nice; however, the customer service…read morewas severely lacking and the pricing was confusing. Items were marked in pesos and shop attendants quoted one price in US dollars, but at the register, not even close. My friend was purchasing a piece of pottery and was overcharged. She questioned the cashier and showed the pottery piece. As she was turning the piece over to show the price tag, the piece slipped from her hand and broke. They made her pay for it. Very unfriendly and we certainly wished we had never set foot in the place.

Wow! Such a nice, unique surprise on an island that has a bit of a "cruise ship" feel. Ola Bonita…read moreis so different and unique it kind of shocked me. It's an interesting combination of art gallery meets beachwear meets organic/eco-friendly shop. They have locally made, handcrafted beachwear and artwork. I really liked the handmade beach mats, and they have super unique airbrush hats that can be custom painted (great gifts for family). It's really hard to describe with a yelp review, but it will definitely leave an impression on you no matter what!

I'm not sure what this place was like 7 years ago, but we visited today and it was amazing. No one…read moreis hassling you to buy anything, it's basically like going into a normal store and you get to take your time looking around and sampling Mexican chocolate and candies. We bought a lot of things here (even my husband who hates shopping) because we were able to peruse a lot of quality goods (much of them handmade).

This is my go to place if I want to get a souvenir in Cancun! They have many varieties of items you…read morecan get as a souvenir! Service is great as well if you have questions. I got a shirt and they have small items of drinks and food if you need anything. Plus my favorite part are their shirt designs as they have a variety.

I accidentely found KaoKao on a web site and it looked interesting, after all, it is chocolate. I…read moresigned us up for the two hour "tour" and Chocolate making. The shop is located in a neighborhood and not a tourist area in a small storefront. Nancy led our experience and gave us an interesting talk on chocolate and its history. It was really interesting. We then actually ground some "nibs" and made our own chocolate for hot chocolate. It was a lit of fun and we ended up taking our little medallion of chocolate home with us to try on some winter evening. Nancy also gave us samples of different types of flavored chocolate. They were just small pieces but by the time we were finished I think we had about 20 different chocolates. The tour is inexpensive and a lot of fun. As an added comment, we were on a cruise and the cab fare was about the same as a ride into the tourist area. This is not in a tourist area so you'll see where people actually live. Nancy will call a cab for you for the trip back to the ship or to the tourist area. Again, this was a lot of fun.

Every time I go to Cozumel I like to buy their chocolates. I did not do any research prior and…read moredidn't know where to go. We asked our driver to take us to best chocolate shop in town and he took us to Kaokao. We were really please. We were greeted by the nicest ladies who walked us inside the shop. They also gave tours here but we were there strictly just to purchase. The lady behind the counter did offer us some samples. I had a lot of questions and the nice staff was able to answer all of them. She also knew all the ingredients in them and helped me choose what was best for me. I ended up getting some dark chocolate, milk chocolate, coffee espresso beans, and some other goodies. The shop was really cute and they had all things chocolate and more. They even had toys and souvenirs. But their star are their chocolates which are high-quality and made from the finest ingredients. They even had interesting chocolate flavor combinations. The shop should also be clean, well-maintained, and air conditioned. Pricing was also reasonable. I highly recommend if you are in Cozumel and want to stop in a good chocolate shop.

This place is a classic example of a tourist trap. If you take a cruise excursion from Cozumel to…read moreTulum, your tour bus is likely to stop here on the way to Tulum. That was how I ended up here. The place is big enough to handle a busload of tourists. There is a wide variety of souvenirs.

I went to this cute souvenir shop near the place we were staying in Akumal (they have another…read morelocation in Cancun that is just as cute). I purchased 2 pieces of art that I love and it was fun to look at all the other vibrant and electric items and displays. The tshirts at re unique and not over the top expensive. I'd recommended this a must stop of something cute to take home.

I did my research for a place to shop near Akumal Bay that sells real Mexican handmade art and…read moregifts....so I learned about Mexicarte and we headed straight over. Luckily, this little gem is very easily accessible and not hard to find (due to the pink exterior paint!). I hate those shops where the employees are hunting you down, basically forcing you to buy mass-produced items at ridiculous costs. We wanted a place where we could feel good about our purchases. Mexicarte sells all handmade items by artists throughout Mexico. It's almost like a fair-trade store. You leave feeling good about the money you just spent, and can come back home bearing gifts with a story behind them. Mexicarte has the prettiest, brightest, and most unique gifts in every corner of the store. We actually had to come back a few times because we kept comparing all the other shops to this one, and just wanted to spend our money here. From day of the dead items, skulls, crosses, to handbags, jewelry, wall art, clay art, you name it. Everything is handcrafted with such care and detail, you can see the love the artists put into it. Everything is priced very fair. You can find gifts for any budget, we brought back a couple little turtle figurines for about $1.50 USD for example...and great quality! I love how helpful the employees are, and can provide the backstory to all the items they sell. They let you roam around freely, and don't pressure you into buying anything. Parking? Not so sure. We stayed at Akumal Beach Resort, it took us 10 minutes to walk up the beach here. You will see the Akumal Dive Shop, walk through to the back of the Dive Shop and you will see Akumal Plaza. It's a bright pink stand-alone building. You can't miss it. Happy shopping! :)

This department store is a good bet for many purchases you might need to make while in Cancun. We…read morecame here a few times looking for stuff we'd forgot to pack or needed (electronics, clothing, make-up, and more). It is located in the La Isla Shopping Village in the Zona Hotelera, so it's convenient for most tourists. In addition to all the stuff you'd expect to find in a department store, they have a "Tax Free" kiosk that will help you file for the return of any Mexican taxes you pay on goods you've bought while in Cancun (and not just stuff you bought in Liverpool, but anywhere--as long as you have the receipt, credit card, passport and your flight info with you). This makes it worth its weight in gold (or at least, in Pesos...). The attendant, Martin, was very helpful and we visited him so many times that got to be on a first-name basis with him (if you go there, say "Hi!" from me).

This is a good place to get cologne and perfume. You should know your prices, as like any shopping…read moreexperience, the best way to understand the deal you are getting or making, is to be a well-informed consumer.

Open air mall with high end shopping, stylish mall that's nicely done with water features and…read moreplant. Security on every corner and each store has some opening the door for you. Service is too notch and although everything was super expensive, it was nice just walking around looking. We did eat a Ryoshi while we were there and that was delicious!!!! I Highly recommend!

The Island! This shopping mall is super classy. It's got…read moreall the brands that luxury people look for- Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Channel, Tiffany's. This place feels super safe- when I went, I was pretty much shadowed by security forces wearing armored vests with walkie-talkies. This is actually kinda the entrance to even fancier places, a ferris wheel, and high-end residences. The mall doesn't seem to have any public restrooms. There is no food court, just a smattering of high end places that are kinda tucked here and there throughout the mall. Parking looks challenging. I'd rather take the bus here. When I went, it appeared that they were expanding the footprint of this shopping mall.

Amazing place and honest people Very friendly good costumer…read moreservice My sevenires were unique

While in Plaza Playacar looking for souvenirs for ourselves and our friends/family back in the…read moreStates, I was drawn to Artesanias "Solymar." In fact, I even had to go back to grab a couple items I saw that I couldn't come home without! ++ They have the BEST ceramics and pottery that I saw on my entire trip. It was beautiful and so incredibly detailed! ++ The staff was very friendly. I spoke with the owner about his merchandise and he was so kind! ++ There's ALL sorts of shirts, shot glasses, ceramics, sombreros, etc... You name it and they have it! ++ Prices are pretty reasonable for the quality of product you get. Plus, if you have cash, you can negotiate a bit. I would highly recommend checking out Artesanias "Solymar" for your souvenir needs. If I find myself back in the area, I will def be back!