In an unfamiliar city is difficult to navigate. Without special training or a detailed guide. But it’s better, nevertheless, an intelligent guide with knowledge of one or several (in the case of abroad) languages and orienting skills.
A well-known city falls into the category of strangers when it suddenly begins to grow rapidly in breadth and height. And if before you knew everything in it, now both the local and the visitors need to be re-mastered.
Now imagine a tourist who came to Dubai, known as the "shopping paradise", on a package tour. Previously, he (a tourist) clearly knew that, having lounged for a week or two on the beach and overeating with shawarma, he would make all the necessary purchases, including gifts for relatives, at the Deira City Center and calmly leave for home. Today, a thoughtful buyer faces a serious question - where is the best place for shopping in Dubai? How not to miss a profitable offer (the latest collection, super-sale, etc.)? And the answer is not as simple as it seems, because customer requests are very different from each other. And what is good for one, the other - quite the opposite. In addition, do not forget that for some, shopping is worse than any job ... How to make the necessary - enjoyable, and the pleasant - useful (in the household).
We finish the lyrics and begin to understand the huge number of shopping centers that are today in Dubai, in terms of quality ....
Prestige stamps
For those who are interested in high-quality (!) And, let's say, expensive shopping, branded things and the presence of the latest designer collections are interesting, we discover the Big Secret - they are in Dubai. And more. The rest of the citizens (for whom it does not matter), please do not worry.
Such famous shopping centers as the good old BurJuman Center, Emirates Towers Shopping Boulevard and Wafi City, which have always been successful with wealthy buyers, as well as the Mall of the Emirates, which opened in September last year, offer customers everything, and absolutely everything that is today at the height of fashion.
In short, if you're interested in brands like Prada, Chloe, Michel Kors, Jimmy Choe, Chanel, Christian Lacroix, Tod's, Ungaro, Valentino, Gucci, Dolce & Gabana, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and with them, you need to go to one of the above shopping centers and visit the most famous fashion galleries in them: Villa Moda in Emirates Towers Shopping Boulevard, Saks Fifth Avenue in BurJuman Center, Harvey Nicols and Etoile in Mall of the Emirates.
All these shopping centers are mostly designed for the most refined fashionistas. It is clear that along with very expensive shops, they also present department stores and outlets selling average-hand goods. But mainly here - expensive, fashionable and exquisite, especially in galleries. The approach to the buyer is appropriate. In many boutiques, customers will be offered: to sit in a comfortable chair, and drink a cup of coffee (a trifle, but nice!), And they will pick up the entire wardrobe, including shoes and accessories. In short, the level of service is consistent with the amount that the buyer is willing to spend on a bright designer new thing (or new thing). Plus - "gold diamonds", watches, cosmetics - perfumes, plus, plus, plus ...
Keep it simple!
This is the motto of those who consider high-fashion fans to be either boring snobs or upstarts. Left by me in the first chapter citizens, attention! If you are not from Rublevka, this is for you. And, however, decide for yourself. I list shopping centers designed for no less demanding, but still more democratic public. First, of course, the Deira City Center (Deira City Center). Do you know why? The name is easily remembered even by those who practically do not speak English. The “Arabic” names of other centers are more difficult for the Russian ear to perceive and, accordingly, are not held in memory. In addition, Deira City Center is popular among the people and has gathered under its roof a huge number of excellent and inexpensive (which does not prevent them from being fashionable) brands: Promod, Zara, Mango, United Colors of Benetton, Diesel, Kookai, French Connection, Guess , Elle, Esprit and so on, as well as two famous English department stores Woolworth and Debenhams, a wonderful supermarket Carrefour, a network of modern sports (Timberland, Columbia, Sun & Sands) and shoe stores.
Practically the same “set” of outlets awaits you in Al Ghurair City (Al Gureyr City - one of the main “long-livers” of the city, built in 1983 and completely renovated in 2001) and Reef Mall (Reef Mall) in the Deira area; Lamsy Plaza Shopping Center in Karam; the new conceptual shopping center Ibn Batutta Mall (Ibn Batuta Mall), located near Jebel Ali and the shopping center Mercato (Mercato) in Jumeirah.
The only exception to the general rule was perhaps the recent opening of the unique fashion gallery Bin Hendi Avenue in the territory of Deira City Center, in which such brands as Brioni, GF Ferre, Zilli, Paul & Shark, Hugo Boss, Artioli are presented and Baldassarini, well-known brands of jewelry and watches, which allows you to safely transfer Bin Hendi Avenue to the first chapter and adds prestige to the Deira City Center
Little by little ...
If you are lazy and curious, and you have enough time to explore the surrounding space (let me assume that you are not a tourist, but a resident of the UAE), then it is worthwhile to pay attention to the modest centers that appeared on the city map long before the shopping giants such as Mall of the Emirates. To begin with, there are several glorious galleries in the Jumeirah area: Palm Strip (near the Dubai Marine Beach Resort), Jumeirah Center, Jumeirah Plaza, Town Center and The Village. In these small and cozy malls, you can stumble upon completely unfamiliar shops, almost "home" shops, an original selection of goods and, for sure, you will be pleasantly pleased with the prices. In addition, given the fact that the Dubai elite resides in Jumeirah, there are brand-name stores with regular sales, where the rest of the collections from large malls are transported and sold at least half the initial price.
In the areas of Bar-Dubai and Karama, there are also several shopping centers, which are almost forgotten, but this does not cease to please buyers. These are the Dune Center at Al Diyafa Road, Al Rais Center and Karama Center. Here you can buy products from India, and inexpensive fabrics, and perfumes, and electronics.
In addition, if, for example, you have made up your mind to buy a fur coat or sheepskin coat in the UAE, then you cannot avoid a visit to Al-Nasr (or Baniyas) Square. It is here that there are two specialized shopping centers - Abraj Center and Al Oweis Center, where representatives of the Greek diaspora, supplying fur products to the whole Middle East, and a bunch of similar shops and shops “settled”. Although, who in the Middle East needs fur coats? That's right, Muscovites (for beauty) and Siberians (to escape from frost)! Therefore, the specialized Planeta Mexa gallery was opened on Al Maktoum Road, where bona fide representatives of Dubai travel agencies drive tourists in whole groups. In an organized way!
The whole detachment is not keeping up, I am walking alone ...
You are a loner and enjoy independent and relaxed shopping. You hate shopping "organized by the crowd." You are always original and try to bring from each trip something unusual as a gift to relatives and friends. Hooray! Now in search of oriental exoticism (read - Aladdin’s lamps, an airplane carpet, real pashmina, a hookah, Little Flour shoes and other things that a modern person needs), you don’t need to go to the “old city” and wander through its narrow streets in the heat. At your service is the wonderful shopping complex Souq Madinat Jumeirah, built in the best traditions of the old oriental bazaars and offering such a variety of products that your eyes widen.
Here, indeed, the atmosphere of the traditional Arab market has been recreated. It smells of spices, freshly brewed coffee, Indian and Arabian incense. Here you can buy everything - from ethnic clothes and shoes made of natural silk or pure wool to real Persian carpets, mother of pearl inlaid with rosewood furniture, copper and brass utensils, jewelry made of silver and semiprecious stones. It would be a desire to bargain hoarsely, knocking down the price, and spend your hard-earned money, since there’s something for it.
Another Dubai chip. Holders of several brands began to build their own freestanding malls. For example, the Centropoint group entered, which owns the stores Home Center, LifeStyle, Splash, Baby Shop, Ecco, Bata and others. Near the BurJuman Center, not so long ago, a two-story center Centropoint appeared in which the goods of all the brands listed are presented. In large shopping malls, Centropoint looks like a "department store in a department store", and regular customers are presented with a special card with a system of cumulative discounts.
My short excursion came to an end. Our regular readers can reproach me with the fact that not everyone got an equal amount of attention, and the story was not particularly detailed. I will make a reservation that this article was created not for advertising individual malls and brands for the sake of, but exclusively for saving readership funds (by taxi) and time for! Try to explore all the offers of Dubai shopping centers for a short vacation period. It is unthinkable! And so, knowing exactly where and what exactly is headed, you can save your nerves and minimize time and material costs.
I would like someone to read this my “mini-shopping guide” and thank me in my heart. For the effort. Then I'll write something like that to you. In the very near future. When Dubailand will be built in the UAE with its City of Arabia and the megalopolis Mall of Arabia. In the meantime, goodbye! See you in Dubai malls, which in summer work in super mode, selling all goods with discounts from 25 to 70%. Until the first of September. So, you still have time!
