Buying Fabric in the Caribbean, or Mexico?
 

I'm going on a cruise in about 6 weeks. Yay!
I will be in Ochos Rios, Jamaica; Costa Maya, and Cozumel, Mexico.
I thought I might get lucky and find a fabric store that I can check out for Batiks, or something similar,
but I'm having a really hard time coming up with anything at all!!

Anyone here familiar with hunting down fabric in either of these places?

Thanks!

I have taken cruises to where you are going ... and had hopes of finding some interesting quilting fabric ...no such luck. I did find a fabric store but it had mostly decorator fabrics.

This is what I found

http://www.carnival.com/Funville/forums/t/203955.aspx

Really? You are going to such pretty exotic locations and you want to go fabric shopping? I have been to two of these ports but I wasn't looking for fabric. Why don't you tour things you won't normally see? Costa Maya had some great tours. The port is very touristy with loads of gift shops, pharmacies (for low cost meds), bars, jewelery shops. My DH and I went snorkling instead at a coral reef and there was swimming with the dolphins at the same location but very spendy. There was also a gorgeous beach to just relax and have a cocktail or two. Cozumel I would book a tour to the Mayan ruins. Take a sketch pad and view the hieroglyphs for quilting motif ideas.

Batiks are made in Indonesia so if you want to go on a Batik fabric buying trip you need to go there.

ask the locals .. someone who works where you are staying .. someone your shopping for something else with just say your looking for batiks or cotton fabrics and they will help you. I found the people in Mexico were warm, charming and helpful. Good luck. I think one can only snorkel so much or suntan so much. I would rather bring a piece of fabric back than a dumb tshirt to be sure :) a real memory. I also went to the ruins, explored ancient buildings and swimming with sea turtles. There is time to do a whole lot I think. Most excursions are only 2 to 3 hours so your on your own for enough hours to eat lunch out, explore a bit and well shop for fabrics if you want to :)

:thumbup::thumbup:

I know there is a fabric store in Playa del Carmen. But that is a ferry ride from Cozumel. I too would rather have a piece of fabric souvenir than a t-shirt (altho Cozumel has some great jewellery shops:) ) You could also take a tour or even a taxi ride round the wild (ocean) side of the island--totally different and beautiful There are several places to stop for a meal or drink and just enjoy the quiet. But be aware that the those beaches are swim at your own risk.

As for the ruins, from Cozumel, you would have to take a ferry to the mainland and then it's a bus ride--probably an hour or so to Tulum or Coba and more like 2 to Chichen Itza. Definitely a whole day trip sort of thing. Oops, just reread your post. If you are stopping at Costa Maya, I think that is just south of Playa del Carmen so you would already be on the mainland. Hmmmm... interesting that you would stop at the mainland port and then go just a few miles up the coast to the Cozumel port.

The fabric in Mexico is NOT really what I would call "quilting fabric".

Was in Cozumel 3 yrs ago, we had a rented van and went looking for fabric, did not find any. Did see a dressmaker but no fabrics to sell. Good Luck.

My brother and sister-in-law brought home a gorgeous batik for me they found in a general/variety store in American Samoa. This place had fabrics, food, cleaning supplies, all sorts of things. Check out shops like that or look in a phone book for a fabric store.