Shopping in Cancun

In Cancun shopping is taken very seriously indeed. The resort boasts some twenty malls and numerous markets that range in grandeur form slick boutiques in Flamingo Plaza to the hotchpotch of curios to be found in El Gran Bazar.

Mexico isn't the first place that springs to mind when thoughts turn to Benetton's spring collection or Gucci handbags, but they've got it all. Cancun's malls are crammed with 'designer' shops stocked with clothing made under license in Mexico. Pedants claim that they can tell the difference(although being churned out by a sweatshop in Manila is no guarantee of quality) and prices are typically a third of those in the UK.

Admittedly the indigenous craft scene lacks vitality, but Cancun has only been on the map for less than half a decade. Besides there's no need to worry as the locals more than compensate for this of dearth of home-made goods by importing them from all over the country. What this means is that you'll be able to buy some of the best crafts that Mexico has to offer, but not necessarily at the best prices. Haggling is the name of the game.

One of the most colourful markets in Cancun, and a good place to hunt for something to take home, is Mercado Ki Huic on Avenida Tulum. Here you'll find the whole gamut of Mexican handicrafts from naïve papier-mâché toys to brightly coloured hand-woven clothing and blankets. Most of Mexico 's hammocks are made on the Yucatan Peninsula. To make sure you get the best look for cotton(characteristically a thin tightly-woven thread) finished with bees' wax. The market also acts as a showcase for mahogany and cedar furniture from nearby colonial city of Mérida.

Despite their best efforts the Spanish conquistadors didn't quite manage to suck Mexico dry of all its precious metals. Consequently today jewellery is big business. Prices are low because labour costs are low(rather than the price of the metal) something which is felt by the goldsmiths of the Yucatan who, despite being the finest in the country, live on meagre wages. When buying silver make sure it's stamped.925, ensuring that it is silver rather than alpaca (which in this case isn't a relative of the llama, but an alloy made from zinc, copper and nickel).