1/14
Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa
Armani Hotel
Le Meridien
Palazzo Versace
Dubai Mall
Image: Shutterstock
Mall of Emirates
Image: Shutterstock
Mall of Emirates
Global Village
Image: Shutterstock
Spice Souk in Dubai
Image: Shutterstock
Seven Sands
Cocoa Kitchen at Citywalk, Dubai
Image: Shutterstock
The Palace Downtown
Image: Shutterstock
Galeries Lafayette Gourmet
Image: Shutterstock
Papparoti
Coming from Mumbai, where chaos reigns on every street—roads are littered with buildings with peeling paint and people are everywhere—Dubai seems almost too perfect. Whether it’s the quaint row houses with manicured lawns, or the sleek, metallic high-rises or the almost unreal, imposing malls—and even when you witness the weekend rush at the shopping festival and the ‘terrible’ Thursday night traffic, Dubai still seems like an urban utopia. But that’s exactly why one visits the capital of the Emirate of Dubai—to revel in the perfectly engineered cityscape, to make the most of the unabashed luxury—and for us here at Vogue, the shopping sure doesn’t hurt (anything but our wallets, that is). We traversed through the Emirate while attending and retail therapy-ing our way through the 22nd edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival, and here are our top must-visits and must-dos when there.
WHERE TO STAY
Luxury is the key word when it comes to choosing a place to call home in Dubai. Either pick your base based on its proximity to the malls or go for luxury, so you can rest in style, post-shopping.
Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa: The expansive property at JBR is a haven for beach lovers and shopaholics alike, as it has its own private beach and is a short walk away from the JBR restaurant and shopping strip. With more than 504 rooms and suites, and a range of restaurants on offer, it’s perfect for the luxe nomad. Leroyalmeridien-dubai.com
Armani Hotel Dubai: Bringing together Giorgio Armani’s flair for fashion and the expertise of Emaar, the Armani Hotel, located in the world-famous Burj Khalifa. offers understated elegance making for a stylish stay in Dubai. Armanihoteldubai.com
Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre: Situated at Airport Road, a mere 5 minutes away from the international airport, this expansive property puts you smack dab in the middle of the business district—but rooms fitted with massage chairs and jacuzzis, and 18 restaurants and bars ensure you have a great time—whether you’re in town for business or leisure. Lemeridien-dubai.com
Palazzo Versace: Perched on the shoreline of the Dubai creek, Palazzo Versace is reminiscent of a 16th century Italian palace. Each of the 215 rooms at the majestic property boast furniture designed by the iconic Donatella Versace. The hotel is also home to eight restaurants including Enigma, which features a new menu and chef every three months. Palazzoversace.ae
WHAT TO DO
In its 22nd edition now, the DSF is the place to be for pro-shoppers, with malls hosting DSF related events, and most brands going on massive sales and discounts, it’s the perfect reason to visit Dubai—don’t forget to make the most of the local sites while fulfilling your shopping fantasies.
Visit Dubai Mall: Home of the DSF, the Dubai Aquarium and neighbour to the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall is an integral part of the festival experience—with 1,200 stores to browse in, from high-end to high-street, we recommend dedicating more than just a day or two to make the most of the space.
Saunter through the Mall of Emirates: With over 560 outlets to shop from and its very own ski resort and snow park, you are unlikely to leave this modern-day paradise empty handed.
Build snow animals at Ski Dubai: Ski Dubai, an indoor ski resort created within the Mall of Emirates offers a bunch of snow sports (skiing!) and the chance for you to play in the snow, while technically still in the desert. We were particularly partial to the pudgy penguins that made an appearance during our visit there.
Go on world tour at Global Village: Global Village offers a mix of culture and retail therapy on open grounds. Enter each of the country or continent-themed pavilions to pick up local souvenirs from everywhere: France to USA, India to Syria.
Special mentions: While most people prefer a shopping blitzkrieg through the city, for those who’d like a more localised tour, make sure to visit Deira and stop by the traditional Spice Souk for its enchanting colours and flavours, the Gold Souk for its sunglass-inducing shine, and the old-school Textile Souk at Bur Dubai.
WHAT TO EAT
From the best of America’s juiciest burgers, exotic global desserts to traditional Emirati cuisine, Dubai’s not called a melting point of cultures for no reason.
Seven Sands: One of the best locations for traditional Emirati cuisine, situated at the JBR walk, here’s where we had to chance to get up close and personal with traditional Emirati cuisine—think shark sambousas (which apparently inspired the Indian samosa), several rice-based main courses and of course, hummus in all its glory.
The Cocoa Kitchen: We’ll be honest, we do love all things chocolate—so when a cafe promises that each of its dishes will include an element of cocoa, we couldn’t wait to try it. We visited Cocoa Kitchen at Citywalk, Dubai and that hot chocolate is something we won’t be forgetting for a long, long time.
The Palace Downtown: One of the city’s most luxurious hotels, The Palace Downtown’s Ewaan, the all day-dining restaurant has a great view of The Burj Khalifa—and a scrumptious buffet that offers the best of Arabic and Oriental specialities.
Galeries Lafayette Gourmet: If shopping is your cardio, it’s important to stay fuelled up—stop over at Dubai Mall’s Lafayette Gourmet for everything from dim sum to sliders to pizzas.
Special mentions: Since Dubai brings to the Indian traveller the best of global food chains we suggest you get your fill of crowd-favourites like The Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack and Papparoti, located across various malls. We most certainly did.
The post Why Dubai is more than a shopping haven appeared first on VOGUE India.