I’m not the most spontaneous person so whilst I like shopping, shopping sprees are not usually my thing. Having said that, there are a few places where a shopping spree is hard to resist. Here are my top 5.
#5 Hong Kong, HK
Food, souvenirs, electronics, luxury goods and cheap market items, Hong Kong has something for everyone. Part of the fun here is exploring the different areas as, while food is everywhere, other items will likely be clustered in areas that are specific to the goods.
For souvenirs and market finds, check out the Temple Street Night Markets. This famous bazaar has all manner of trinkets, accessories, toys, clothing, electronics and fakes, fakes, fakes. Make sure you bargain and if there is something that is high on your wish list, feel out prices for similar items elsewhere in order to land on the right agreement for the one you really want.
Nearby, visit the Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple that lends the markets their name.
#4 Troyes, France
It has been a few years since we visited the Designer Outlet in Troyes, France, but I remember it well. Not least to say that some of my wardrobe staples are still living on from that trip.
This beautiful city is about a 2 hour drive from the capital, Paris. And given, it’s a long way from the boutiques of Avenue Montaigne and the Champs-Élysées. Yet is it also a long way from the usual designer Parisienne price tags.
This outlet centre boasts brands such as Armani, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, L’Oriel and Petit Bateau. If you see me in my cream corduroy Boss blazer, you’ll know my secret…
#3 Bicester Village, UK
Of course there are many, many UK favorite shopping spots but once again, the outlet centre draws me in. Once again, if you can draw yourself away from the likes of Selfridges and the constant allure of Oxford Street and Mayfair in general, the Bicester Village is worth the drive. Located a 90 minute drive from London and 25 minutes from Oxford (the city, not the street!).
Perhaps the nicest thing about Bicester Village is that it feels like, well, a village. It certainly does not feel like an ordinary shopping centre with a beautiful open air layout and stunning boutique shop fronts this is the place for big brands at far less than big prices.
Think Chloe, Bottega Venetta, Givenchy, Dior, Manolo Blahnik and Valentino all before your perfect English afternoon tea.
#2 Sydney, Australia
Sydney really does have it all. The harbor, the bridge, the food, the weather and the shopping. Sydney City shopping is centered around the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and nearby Pitt Street Mall which boasts access to a labyrinth of connected shopping centers anchored by Australia’s two biggest departments stores, Myer and David Jones.
Here you can shop everything at once from designer to diva to discounted and for fashion, electronics, home, accessories and everything in between. Think some of the country’s biggest exports such as Zimmerman, Oroton, Camilla, Billabong, Aje and Aesop as well as international brands and local high street labels. There are also some wonderful restaurants, beautiful back streets and if it’s all too much, rise above and head up Centre Point (Sydney) Tower, just for the views.
#1 Dubai Mall, UAE
If Sydney has it all, Dubai steps it up again with everything bigger and better. Take your shopping sprees up a notch at the biggest shopping centre in the world. For luxury designers think Fashion Avenue where all the international brands have full collection boutiques. Jewellery? Look no further than the ground floor stretch between Bloomingdales and Galleries Lafayette where sparkling gems adorn every shining window. Shoes? Level Shoes is the place to be with all the big brands represented and some cutting edge designers always on display. Kids? The second level boasts many children only stores of well known labels plus a giant Hamley’s toy store. High Street? Yes, everything from Abercrombie & Fitch to Zara. Anything else? Of course, electronics, bookstores, home wares, an enormous Apple store, pharmacies, 2 food courts, souvenirs, a supermarket, banks, tailors, 26 cinema screens, an ice rink, an aquarium, a sports district (Zabeel) with electronic go-karting, a Souq (which also boasts a complete dinosaur skeleton display), a couple of hotels and stretches of dining outside overlooking the Dubai Fountains and the Burj Khalifa.
If you’re not lost and exhausted then you haven’t seen everything. Shopping sprees continued.
Good To Know
Shopping is a personal thing. People shop for different reasons, in different ways and for different things. Everyone’s style and method is unique. Just remember that everyone’s budgets are different too and what works for some, what some people can afford others cannot. Please shop within your budget.
Would I Return?
Yes!