Centro Comercial El Retiro

Centro Comercial El Retiro is the most design-led of the Zona Rosa malls, at Calle 82 #11-75 in the Chapinero district of Bogotá, Colombia. It sits directly opposite Centro Comercial Andino and is connected to it by walkway, so the two are often visited together. The mall is built around a courtyard and focuses on Colombian labels and design rather than mass retail. Its stores include Colombian jewellery and fashion names, among them the Mercedes Salazar jewellery store, and the multi-floor Andrés D.C. is a well-known complex combining shopping and dining. Goods are authentic and sold through the brands' own stores, with quality generally high and the proportion of tourist trinkets very low, though the emphasis is on design pieces rather than inexpensive souvenirs. Prices are fixed, and bargaining is not practised in mall stores. Typical purchases range from about COP 80,000 for accessories to COP 3,000,000 or more for jewellery and designer garments. Card payment is standard and cash is accepted. Tourists should ask individual stores whether a value-added tax refund is available for foreign visitors and keep the invoice and goods for the airport procedure. The atmosphere is quiet and upscale compared with larger family malls, busiest on Friday and Saturday evenings. Eating options are a strength: a cluster of upscale restaurants and cafes lies inside and around the courtyard, and the Zona Rosa outside has many more. The layout is compact, so the must-visit corners are the courtyard restaurants, the Colombian jewellery boutiques and the design stores. Hours are roughly 10:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday and 12:00 to 18:00 on Sunday and public holidays. The neighbourhood is one of the more secure shopping areas of the city, though normal city precautions still apply.