A Day of Shopping at Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue, Mexico
In Playa del Carmen, you can spend the whole day shopping on Fifth Avenue. Also called Quinta Avenida, this pedestrian-only infamous avenue runs parallel to the beach. It is like one giant market featuring various vendors selling tchotchkes, knick-knacks, t-shirts and other artsy treasures to bring home. It’s a popular spot for visitors from various parts of Mexico, as well as international tourists.
Playa del Carmen Shopping
Fifth Avenue runs from Parque los Fundadores to 38th Street, and I shopped the entire strip. Shopping, eating and sipping margaritas is the name of the game here, primarily later in the day after it starts to cool down.
Intersecting 5th Ave. are numbered streets, some lined with businesses. I found a lovely side street off 5th Ave. that I really liked. It was 16th street between 5th avenue and 10th ave. 16th offered much more artistic vendors and artisans compared to the main strip. This was exactly what I was looking for, because I always search for unique items while traveling. I bought a beautiful hand carved Christmas ornament here. There were several artists in this area selling original paintings as well. That’s something I always love to see.
Back on 5th Avenue, there are many big brand chain stores along with the smaller stores and souvenir shops. Old Navy, Victoria Secret, H&M and even a Bath and Body Works, are all in the mix. Wayan is a clothing store chain with twenty five stores. It offers trendy light weight attire perfect for playing at the beach. I saw at least three Wayan stores on 5th Avenue.
Caravan, Favorite Store
However, the store I fell in love with was Caravan. It has two locations on 5th Ave. The larger one is located at 32nd street, while the smaller is at 14th Street. In addition to beautiful clothing from India and Indonesia, items such as purses, scarves, jewelry, sculptures even unique desk items and furniture are all available for purchase.
As I was shopping, I started chatting with a tourist from Spain who spoke excellent English. She said she came back to Caravan, so she could purchase a second Flower of Life/ Seven Chakras Journal. She loved it so much, she thought it would make a great gift for a close friend. I ended up purchasing a beautiful blouse, a flowing wrap dress, as well as a very well made silk scarf. Be sure to stop by the store – you will love it. https://www.facebook.com/caravanplaya/
Additional stores that peaked my interest were Bedouin Life Concept, La Bikineria, Zingara, Mar del Agua, as well as Shalom. If you like to shop, you will enjoy the street. In my opinion, the nicer stores seemed to be more concentrated on the side closest to 38th Street. While you are there, stop for a coffee, a margarita, a beer or a glass of wine, and just people watch! It’s a pretty wild scene. After sunset, the clubs and bars take over, and this part of Playa del Carmen becomes one big party.
