So where can you shop til you drop in fantastic surroundings? Where can you snap up bargains without triggering a warning letter from your bank manager?
Southampton with its massive new shopping centre? Or Brighton with its thriving independents and swanky Lanes area? Booming Reading perhaps? Or the sprawling Bluewater complex by Dartford off the M25.
Nope, I reckon it's Portsmouth.
Okay, you can stop laughing now. I'm being serious. I know the city's image is more Horatio Nelson than Harvey Nicks but times have changed.
Most important the navy has dramatically shrunk in size during the 80s and 90s, freeing up juicy sites for development. Chief among them was HMS Vernon, a disused naval base shut away from prying eyes for centuries.
Vernon is now Shopping Central, a £150m glitzy waterfront shopping and leisure complex called Gunwharf Quays which opened its gates in the spring. It is one of the South's best attractions - and its free to wander around.
The three storey complex has attracted several hundred thousand visitors since opening - it hopes to lure 3m by the end of its first year and an astonishing 6m by 2002/3.
Portsmouth was already one of the UKs top 10 cities for shopping, according to a recent survey - Gunwharf should push into the top half of the table
Modelled on Cape Town's waterfront complex, it enjoys one big advantage over its UK rivals - a spectacular harbourfront setting.
It's heaven for shopaphobes who can wile away an hour nursing a beer at a waterfront cafe watching the bustle of ferries, warships and yachts while the other half hits the shops.
And there are shops a-plenty, 165 outlets mostly selling designer clothing at knockdown prices.
The names include Nike, Gap, Ben Sherman, French Connection, Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren, Ted Baker, Hilfiger, Benneton and Calvin Klein.
There are also shoeshops (Bally, Clarks, Hush Puppies) childrenswear (Baby GAP, GAP Kids, Jo Kids) accessories (Bally, Antler), book and music stores and homeware (Waterford Wedgewood, Villeroy and Boch).
Mrs Castlebinn recently battered her plastic at Gunwharf to the tune of £300 - but she came back with enough clothes to last her a lifetime. Well, several months in her case!
Among the bargains was a pair of blue canvas trousers at £4.99 (reduced from £38 in a sale at Gap), toddler shirts at £9.99 (again from Gap), a cotton skirt from Off Zone half price at £5.99, and jeans at £20 from Nike. She couldn't resist six crystal glasses from Wedgewood.
Gunwharf 's one drawback is many of the clothes are last season's styles -but if you're after quality rather than cutting edge fashion it won't be a problem.
And after all that shopping you can relax with a cup of tea/berr/meal in one of the complex's 18 cafes, restuarants and bars.
They include a tapas bar, the excellent Pizza Express, Burger King, and Starbucks. My personal favourite is The Yellow River Cafe - TV chef Ken Holm's only venture outside London - where a full meal will set you back about £20 per head.
There are also an 11-screen multiplex, a bowling alley and Jongleurs comedy club. If Portsmouth City Council ever gets its act together Gunwharf will be home to the city's millennium tower.
Parking is underground and easy. Pay on return to your car. It's expensive at a £1 for the first hour so better to park for free on the approach to Gunwharf - Millennium Boulevard. Or stop at neighbouring Gosport, where parking if free, and take a five minute cross-harbour ferry to Gunwharf.
Other basics - two cashpoint machines, baby changing, public and disabled toilets, a central square for performances and French markets, and a taxi rank.
Shops open at 10am every day, except Christmas Day. Call 023 9283 6700 for full details or www.gunwharf-quays.com
Getting to Gunwharf is straightforward. Take a train to Portsmouth Harbour, right nextdoor to Gunwharf, or drive in on the M275 and follow the yellow signs. National Express' main stop is a short walk from the complex.
You can combine a daytrip to Gunwharf with a look around Nelson's Victory five minutes walk away. Happy shopping!
Note: Since Gunwharf opened Portsmouth has been blitzed by an advertising campaign by the bosses of a rival designer complex at Whiteley, 15 miles away off the M27 at junction nine. They may drop prices to survive. Worth a look for dedicated bargain hunters.
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