Shopping in United Arab Emirates
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Dubai Mall
With around 1200 stores, this is not merely a mall but a small city unto itself, with an Olympic-size ice rink, a huge aquarium, indoor theme parks and 160 food outlets. There’s a strong European label presence here, alongside Galeries Lafayette department store from France, Hamley’s toy store from the UK and the first Bloomingdale’s outside the United States. It’s a ginormous, daylit mall with wide aisles and lots of open spaces, atriums and even a fashion catwalk. The four floors are divided into ‘precincts’ with clusters of product categories: search for high-end designers on Fashion Ave (which has marble floors and silver resting divans), high-street fashions on the…
reviewed
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Global Village
The carnival-like Global Village runs from late November to late February about 13km south of Sheikh Zayed Rd. Think of it as a sort of World Fair for shoppers. Each of the 30-something pavilions showcases a specific nation’s culture and – of course – products. Some favourites: the Afghanistan pavilion for fretwork-bordered stone pendants and beaded-silver earrings; Palestine for traditional cross-stitch kandouras (casual shirt-dresses worn by men and women) and ever-popular cushion covers; Yemen for its authentic khanjars (traditional curved daggers); India for spangly fabrics and slippers; and Kenya for its kitsch bottle-top handbags. Dig the earnest…
reviewed
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Ibn Battuta Mall
The shopping here is only so-so but this mall is still worth a visit for its stunning architecture and design tracing the waystations of 14th-century Arab scholar and traveller Ibn Battuta. It’s divided into six sections, each reflecting a region he visited, including Tunisia, Andalusia and Egypt. The most stunning is the Persia Court, which is crowned by an amazing handpainted dome. The centrepiece of the China Court is a full-size Chinese junk, while in the India Court you can pose with an 8m-high elephant. Surprisingly, there’s nothing kitsch or ‘Disney’ about this place – the craftsmanship and attention to detail are simply stunning. There’s also an exhibit about Ibn…
reviewed
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S*Uce
This is the original store of women-owned S*uce (pronounced ‘sauce’), a pioneer on Dubai’s growing indie fashion boutique scene. Join the style brigade searching for top-tier denim, flirty frocks, sassy accessories, sexy sandals and deluxe tees. Look for such key contemporary designers as Karta, Tsumori Chisato, Vanessa Bruno, Isabella Cappeto, Alice McCall and Philip Lim, as well as local labels such as Essa, Bil Arabi and Sugar Vintage. There’s another branch in Dubai Mall.
reviewed
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Karama Souq
Savvy shoppers and lovers of kitsch (Burj Al Arab paperweight, anyone?) save their souvenir shopping for Karama. It's cheaper than the malls and those keen on under-the-counter designer fakes will welcome the repetitive call of 'copy watches, copy bags, Madam'. (You'll also find counterfeit sports gear and teenage streetwear here.
reviewed
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Toys-R-Us
You won’t believe the size of this warehouse-like toy store. But the best reason to come is to see the Burj al-Arab built entirely of Lego.
reviewed
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The Walk at JBR
‘Nobody walks in LA’, as that old Missing Persons song goes, and the same could be said about Dubai. At least, until the summer of 2008, when The Walk at JBR opened. The city’s first outdoor shopping and dining promenade was built to meet the needs of the 20,000 people living in the Jumeirah Beach Residence development, a cluster of 40 yellow towers wedged between the beach and Dubai Marina. But right from the start, The Walk’s attractive mix of over 300 largely family-friendly restaurants, cafes, shops, supermarkets and boutiques has also drawn scores of tourists and residents from other neighbourhoods. They come to stroll down the 1.7km stretch, watch the world on…
reviewed
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Deira Gold Souq
All that glitters is gold (and occasionally silver) at this colourful market. At any given time over 25 tonnes of gold is on display in jewellery shop windows in Dubai. Even if you’re not in the market for bling, a stroll through the covered arcades of the enormous Gold Souq is a must. Hundreds of stores overflow with every kind of jewellery imaginable – tasteful diamond earrings to over-the-top golden Indian wedding necklaces. It’s the largest gold market in the region, and one of the largest in the world. Bonus: the people-watching. Settle down on a wooden bench beneath the wooden-latticed arcades of the main thoroughfare (Sikkat al-Khail St) and observe touts hawking…
reviewed
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Wafi Mall
Westerners mistakenly bypass palatial Wafi in favour of the behemoth shopping malls, which explains why it’s so quiet. Their loss. It may have once resembled a third-rate airport terminal, but the new wing’s stained-glass pyramids are stunning (come before sunset). Emirati women love Wafi’s fancy French stores like Chanel and Givenchy, but you may well prefer sussing out lesser-known regional boutiques. Also duck into the basement to browse around Souk Khan Murjan, which has stunning decor (check out the stained-glass ceiling and carved pillars) and a good if pricey selection of crafts and goods from around the Arabian world. Alas, it too is practically deserted.
reviewed
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Karama Shopping Centre
A visually unappealing concrete souq, Karama’s bustling backstreet shopping area is crammed with stores selling handicrafts and souvenirs, ‘genuine fake’ watches and knock-off designer clothing. Since much of the latter is produced in Asian countries, sizes are likely to run small. In other words, if you normally wear a size S and now need XL, it’s probably not because you overindulged at those brunches. Prices are low, but bargaining lowers them further – be adamant. Listen for the cries of hucksters hawking pirated copies: ‘Dee-vee-dees! Bloo moovees!’ The municipality seems to look the other way.
reviewed
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Bur Dubai Souq
The breezy renovated Bur Dubai Souq may not be old as the Deira souqs but it can be just as atmospheric. Friday evenings here are especially lively, as it turns into a virtual crawling carnival with expat workers loading up on socks, T-shirts and knock-off Calvins on their day off. Other stores specialise in colourful bales of fancy fabrics, most of them from India and other Asian countries. The surrounding streets – crammed with tailors, sari stores and jewellery shops – may not be as pleasing to the eye but are still intriguing and worth exploring.
reviewed
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Boulevard at Jumeirah Emirates Towers
If you feel like you’re being watched, you are. Emirates Towers is the location of Sheikh Mohammed’s offices, and the secret police are everywhere. Dress appropriately and keep your voice down as you nose around exclusive designer boutiques like Bulgari, Cartier, Zegna, Armani, Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Pucci. Don’t miss the wearable art of Azza Fahmy Jewellery. At day’s end, sip chardonnay at Agency, sing karaoke at Harry Ghatto’s or refuel at the ever-popular Noodle House.
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Fish Market
Shrimp the size of bananas, metre-long kingfish and mountains of blue crabs are among the treasures of the sea being hawked at Dubai’s largest and busiest fish market. The smell can be a bit overpowering but you’ll get used to it after a while and it’s great to watch not just the wiggling wares but the wild haggling between the blue-suited vendors and their customers. Come either early in the morning or in the evening, and wear sneakers or other waterproof shoes. If you’re buying, ask to have the fish cleaned.
reviewed
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BurJuman Centre
BurJuman has one of the highest concentrations of high-end labels and an easy-to-navigate floor plan with wide expanses of shiny marble. Max out your credit card at over 320 top purveyors, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Dolce&Gabbana, Donna Karan, Kenzo, Calvin Klein, Etro, Christian Lacroix, Cartier and Tiffany. There’s a neat food court on the 3rd floor and a tourist office desk on Level 1 in the North Village. The mall is also a stop on the Big Bus Company route. Bonus: free wi-fi.
reviewed
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Al-Ghurair City
If seeing all those flowing robes has made you want your own checked gutra (white head cloth worn by men in the Gulf States), grab yours at this ageing mall. The place to shop for national dress, it offers stylish abbeyas (full-length black robes worn by women) and shaylas (headscarves), quality leather sandals, and dishdashas (men’s shirt-dresses) in chocolate and slate (popular for winter). There are also a couple of dozen fabric stores and a Spinneys supermarket.
reviewed
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Dubai Festival City
Billed as an ‘urban retail resort’, Festival City is so massive that you half expect to see a 787 parked outside. It encompasses a whopping 260,000 sq m and includes 600 stores – 25 of them ‘anchor stores’ – 100 restaurants and cafes, outdoor performance spaces, three enormous hotels and a golf resort. While the man-made canals and abra rides are cute, the real show-stopper is the origami-inspired cubist fountain that doubles as a grand staircase. Wear sensible shoes – you’re gonna need ’em.
reviewed
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Five Green
You may get lost trying to find one of the city’s leading indie boutiques and concept stores, but it’s worth it to meet the cool kids of Dubai’s retail scene. In addition to its art installations, kick-ass international magazines and music by Jazzanova and Soot, Five Green carries cool unisex labels such as Teenage Millionaire, Paul Frank, ENC, Xlarge and Upper Playground. It also stocks Pink Sushi, our fave local designer because of its fantastic bags and skirts made from checked gutras.
reviewed
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Mercato Mall
One of the most attractive malls in Dubai, Mercato blends the grandeur of a European train station with the playfulness of an Italian palazzo. Think soaring murals and an arched glass ceiling. It’s fun to wander among the brick colonnades and the compact size makes shopping here less overwhelming than at other malls. There are a few stylish boutiques like Fleurt, a small Topshop, a Virgin Megastore, and some interesting carpet and curio shops.
reviewed
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50 Degrees
The New York loft-style space is the vision of Japanese designer Manabu Ozawa and the quirky tchotchkes on sale reflect the taste of Dubai-born owners Shahi Hamad and Saadia Zahid. Forget about mass brands: 50 degrees is all about hand-picked jewellery, tableware, scarves, vinyl toys and other inspired lifestyle enhancers. Look for products by Blue Q, Nooka and Pink Sushi, along with Mona Ibrahim’s handmade letter earrings and necklaces.
reviewed
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Paris Gallery
The best branch of the UAE's most popular beauty chain stocks an enormous range of international perfumes and cosmetics, handbags and accessories. There's also a Comfort Zone spa, a Perfume Cocktail Bar where you can have your own perfumes mixed, and a chocolate, coffee shop and juice bar. Sales staff can be pushy but they give discounts, and regular promotions mean there's always something extra dropped into your shopping bag.
reviewed
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Wafi Gourmet
Dubai’s best Arabian deli counter brims with juicy olives, pickles, peppers and cheeses, velvety hummus, muttabal and tabouleh, and crispy Lebanese pastries. This is the place to pack a picnic in the cooler months: assemble a mezze plate and head to the Creek. Any of the packaged foods make great gifts, but particularly good to take home are the dried fruits and baklava, which both keep well for several months.
reviewed
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Central Souq
Also called the Blue Souq, the Central Souq is a beautiful two-part building designed in an appealing, if flashy, Arabic style. The ground floor has mostly modern jewellery, watches and designer clothing, while the little stores upstairs sell pashminas, rugs and curios from such far-flung places as Afghanistan and Rajasthan. If possible, come in the evenings – only tourists shop here during the day.
reviewed
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Luxecouture
Alejandra Tokoph-Cox is a Dubai style-maker who often travels to New York to ferret out the latest design trends and import them to Dubai. Her sleek boutiques stock all the hot labels you see on Lindsay, Cameron and Paris, including NYC, Yumi Kim, Shoshana and Tracy Watts, plus jewellery by Dogeared and Nadri. Alejandra’s growing emporium now also includes branches on The Walk at JBR and in Souq Madinat Jumeirah.
reviewed
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Mall of the Emirates
The most popular mall in Dubai – and the second biggest after Dubai Mall – sprawls with acres of polished white marble. The curiosity of Ski Dubai is a major draw, as are the remarkably good food court and comfortable multiplex with its Gold Class screening room. The downside is that relatively narrow walkways and lack of daylight make it feel a tad claustrophobic at peak periods.
reviewed
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Dubai Flea Market
Flea markets are like urban archaeology: you’ll need plenty of patience and luck when sifting through other people’s trash and detritus, but oh the thrill when finally unearthing a piece of treasure! So trade malls for stalls and look for bargains amid the piles of pre-loved clothing, furniture, toys, home appliances, electronics, art, books and other stuff that’s spilled out of local closets.
reviewed