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Nayef · Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

I'll be in Guayaquil and Salinas next week and would like to buy a panama hat . Does anyone know where I should go to buy one in either of these towns ? what should I pay for a nicer quality hat ? How does one tell imitations from hand made? Also, anybody know any good seafood restaurants ?

Thanks alot.

Bae · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 3

The original fine quality Panama hats are woven in Montecristi, a small town on the outskirts of the port city of Manta in Manabi. If this is not on your travel agenda, just find a hat store in Guayaquil. Get a local to help you shop, and maybe get the price dropped. A good quality Montecristi will cost you around $50, though the best can run up to $300. This is because it takes a couple monthes to weave just one high quality hat. So considering the labour, the price is not bad. You can also get some nice looking cheaper ones for $20. The difference is in both the quality of the paja taquilla used to weave, and the width of each strand. The finer the quality, the thinner and softer the weave. All are hand made, so really no imitations, just depends on the quality you want. The better hat stores probobly sell the finer hats with a Montecristi label hatband inside.