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Casa Suzana
  • Welcome to Casa Suzana
  • Accommodations
    • Lower Bedroom
    • Queen Bedroom
    • Twin Bedroom
    • Living Room
    • Dining Area
    • Kitchen
    • Floor Plans
  • Amenities
    • Pool
    • Terrace
    • Garden
    • For Divers
    • Phone & Internet
    • Home Entertainment
    • Decor & Design
    • Thoughtful Touches
    • Off-Street Parking
  • Location
  • Value
  • Rates & Availability
  • Policies
  • Local Information
    • Activities
    • Diving
    • Health
    • Safety
    • Money
    • Shopping
    • Weather & Time
    • Legal
  • Transportation
    • Getting Here
    • Around Cozumel
    • Streets & Addresses
  • Dining
    • Food Terms
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
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    • Special Treats
    • Sunday Brunch
    • Meal Delivery
  • Services
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  • FAQ
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Casa Suzana

Local Information

Shopping in paradise

Haggling

Bargaining over prices is not especially common in Mexico

  • By law, prices for goods must be posted (in pesos)

    • Nothing forbids a merchant from discounting

  • Mexicans almost always pay the posted price anyplace with a cash register

    • Department stores

    • Supermarkets

    • Restaurants

    • Car dealers (Mexicans usually pay "full sticker price" for new cars!)

Places you can (and possibly should) haggle

  • Flea markets

  • Private sales

  • Street vendors

  • Stores where someone calls you in off the street

  • Stores in the Plaza del Sol (the large "flea market" building at the back of the zócalo)

  • Stores in the pedestrian part of 5a Avenida

Be cautious when bargaining in currencies other than pesos

  • Know the exchange rate

  • Find out the price in pesos right away

    • If the vendor has to compute the price in pesos, be especially wary

      • They're used to dealing with tourists paying in dollars

      • They're not following Mexico's consumer law if prices aren't in pesos

Know what things are worth

Not everything is a bargain

  • Mexico does not make Swiss watches or Persian rugs nor have diamond or tanzanite mines

  • Some things are sold in tourist areas simply because there are tourists with money there

  • Check what something would cost you at home

"Duty-free" is essentially a sham

  • The entire state of Quintana Roo is a duty-free zone

  • "Duty-free" shops often sell the same product at higher prices than other local shops

  • You must still pay import duty on anything above your personal allowance when you return home

Be careful about high-ticket items

  • Mexico has very strong consumer protection laws and takes fraud seriously

    • However, you probably can't deal with a problem from 2,000 miles away

  • Returns on retail purchases are not typical

    • Most sales, even at department stores, are final

    • Inspect purchases carefully before completing a purchase

There ARE some great bargains

  • Amber

  • Artwork and handicrafts

  • Handblown glass

  • Leather goods

  • Opals

  • Silver

  • Stone (onyx, for example)

  • Textiles

  • Turquoise

  • Pottery and ceramics of many types and styles

  • Punched tin mirrors, frames, and other items

There are some great merchants

Deja Vu Leather and Silver for shoes and jewelry

    • He has some unique and wonderful items

    • We trust him and think his prices are great

    • I get all of my shoes made there

    • We get silver jewelry custom-made there

    • Yes, it's both handcrafted leather and handcrafted silver. Also excellent hammocks.

    • His English is completely fluent

Los Cinco Soles for jewelry, handicrafts, housewares, and clothing

    • They have high-quality jewelry, including well-known Mexican designers

    • They have high-quality handicrafts from all over Mexico

    • They have good clothing

    • They have nice souvenirs of good quality and low kitschiness

    • Their prices are fair, though some of their products are inherently costly

    • Most employees have good English and there will be someone working who's completely fluent

Sergio's Silver from Taxco for jewelry

    • They've earned a great reputation for quality

    • Taxco is the "silver city" in central Mexico famed for their products for centuries, but Sergio's makes some items locally

    • The silversmiths speak very good English

Zapateria Elsy at the Mercado Municipal for Yucatecan linen clothing

    • Her shop is on 25 Av. about halfway along the building, under an awning

    • I get all my linen guayaberas there

    • She has nice embroidered huipils, ladies' tops, and dresses

    • She's a nice woman who will treat you well and smile when she sees you

    • Her English is no worse than my Spanish

      • Unfortunately, that's not saying much...

      • Communication can take some time

      • Any minor struggles with communication are well worth it, and usually involve a lot of laughing

Copyright©  2023. All rights reserved.. All photos used on this site were created by us. Casa Suzana is our private luxury vacation rental house or vacation villa or vacation house in San Miguel de Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
We know of no other rental villas in Cozumel with similar names such as Casa Susana, Casa Susanna, Casa Suzanna, Casa Susannah, Casa Suzannah, or other spellings. This text is here to help people find the site without knowing the correct spelling of Casa Suzana, especially if they use Casa Susana or Casa Susanna as the spelling.
Keywords: Casa Suzana, Vacation Rental Villa, Vacation Rental House, San Miguel de Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Luxury, Casa Suzanna, Casa Suzanah, Casa Suzannah, Private, Casa Susana, Casa Susanna, Casa Susanah, Casa Susannah
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