Hi,

I can't help with the price of gold, but last October bought a silver chain and a small silver & mother of pearl pendant which set me back about £19. The exchange rate at the time was pretty poor; other times I've been there somethhing like that would have worked out much cheaper.

You do need to be careful of being ripped off though. I'm not sure if this happens all that frequently but have come across a couple who were sold fake stuff as real. Just make sure you check the stamps on the jewellery.

There's a handful of shops around some hotels, within walking distance from the Phenicia. Walk out of the main driveway of the hotel, turn right, over the bridge over the Wadi and walk down this road (it's the main road into town from your hotel). You'll come to a turning on the right with signposts for some hotels and Cascades restaurant (if these aren't there just ask someone which way to Cascades). There's a couple of jewellers down this road and if you turn right at the bottom there's another in the row of shops there. (This is where I sometimes buy stuff). They've been there for quite a while so I guess these are fairly reliable. It might be worth checking out the prices and quality and comparing these will some other shops in town and making your decision after you've seen a few places. I've found that shops in Yasmine Hammamet in general tend to be a bit more expensive than those in 'main' Hammamet.

A.