Top shopping in Dubai’s malls
If you’re looking for an excuse to flex your plastic, forget Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive. It’s time to look east, to the illustrious shopping malls of Dubai. This Emirati city amalgamates some of the world’s most luxuriant brands in one metropolitan area, inside elegant, custom-build complexes. Inside, everything from diamond-encrusted designer watches to slash-price outlet deals jostle for the attention of the empowered consumers that strut across the gleaming marble floors. As if this weren’t enough, there are gourmet restaurants, full-throttle amusement parks and even a ski slope housed inside these beguiling centres of consumerism. And if you’ve shopped ‘til you dropped in the States, it’s time to don a comfy pair of shoes, get invigorated by the ample air conditioning, and prepare to do it even bigger and better in the marvelous Dubai malls.
Ibn Battuta Mall
All situated on one level, walking through this incredible themed mall is like exploring a bygone desert palace, or a grander version of the casino boutiques of Las Vegas. Colorful mosaics decorate its arching walls, palm trees drape gracefully above wandering shoppers, and lavish chandeliers float above, providing a gentle glow at variance with the fluorescent strip lights we tend to consider typical of a mall setting. Courts are themed around different architectural styles from around the world, with a deep red China court, a mosaic-strewn Persian court, and an Egypt court, replete with statues and hieroglyphics. For all its frieze work and marble flooring, there are some state of the art attractions to be found here, including an IMAX cinema and over 275 retailers, so don’t leave it off your itinerary just because it’s smaller than other options.
Burjuman Centre
One of the city’s oldest, this mall is a high-end hotspot, with rows of glass-fronted designer stores to rival any South of France resort, and its own metro station for ease of access from anywhere in the city. For designer clothing, perfume, bags, seek out these opulent surrounding for an afternoon of shopping that’s quite simply a cut above. It’s also a great spot just to splurge on a haute coffee or gourmet lunch and people watch.
Mall of the Emirates
So much shopping, so little time… but with its very own hotel, the Mall of the Emirates negates the need to even travel across the city with your bags! This multi-faceted shopping mall is a destination in itself, with a giant indoor ski slope, cinemas, and over 560 outlets in total. Perfect for families, you can leave the little ones at the educational Peek a Boo, or take older kids to the Magic Planet entertainment center when they get bored of boutiques.