Dubai is probably one of the most glamorous cities which have defined luxury in its own terms. The magnificent urban landscape with its immaculate skyscrapers and beautiful well-built roads, the architectural delights in its mosques, the red sea of sand in its deserts and the posh luxury of its grandiose hotels –all add to the versatility and extravagance of the dazzling cosmopolitan. All in all, Dubai is pulsating with activity, with numerous tourists from different parts of the world –with different culture, religion and nationality—sightseeing and exploring the desert city. And in none of the places is this more pronounced than the exquisite shopping malls in Dubai that have blinded tourists with their glitz. Dubai has revolutionized people’s experience in shopping malls by embellishing the simple idea of shopping into entertainment. Shopping malls are not just a place where one goes to buy products. Now, tourists go to shopping malls for everything—starting from roaming around without hindrance, for hang-outs with friends, to eat, to watch movies, to play video games, smoke shisha and relax in utter contentment. The concept of shopping malls now is not merely confined to the conventional realms of exchange of goods and services. Other types of entertainment and comfort features have blended in to ‘shopping’ and in the process a complete amusement bonanza has been produced amid the delights of regular tourists. The Dubai shopping malls have not only been extravagant in terms of its architectural beauty, dazzling exterior and pristine interior, but also innovative in terms of offers in versatile amusement sectors for men, women and children alike. Three such malls are described below.
1. Dubai Festival city:
Festival City mall, despite not being as large as other malls like Dubai mall, is an unrivalled favorite among UAE residents. Located near the airport, the theme of this mall is imbibed with sophistication. There is a gorgeous outdoor canal and walkway inside the mall dotted with restaurants and cafes –there are more than 100 of them– giving the tourists a magnificent view of the canal while moistening the taste buds. The mall is equipped with more than 600 shops. The residents of the Intercontinental hotel nearby can park their elegant yachts in the Marina. The journey in the mall could be complete with a visit in the bar at the top of the hotel where the Dubai skyline and the Dubai Creek blend in a panoramic view.
2. Dubai Mall:
This is the biggest mall in the world at the moment and it is highly likely that an ordinary tourist would feel like he or she is lost in the sheer expanse of the mall. It is like being stranded in a vast ocean with no one to guide although there are guides all over the mall to point one in the right direction. The mall is equipped with more than a thousand shops. There is children theme park called KidZania where children get a taste of adulthood by handling replica money and doing mock professions. Games arcade like Sega Republic and the largest fountain in the world are two of its many attractions.
3. Mall of the Emirates:
This mall is just a short taxi ride away from the one and only Burj Al Arab, the first seven-star hotel in the world. This mall features an artificial indoor snow haven has been created against the backdrop of a hot tropical climate. The giant ski slope is so long that its ramp is visible from miles around the mall. One can enjoy skiing, tobogganing, snow boarding, ice skating or simply fiddling in the snow 365 days a year. There are shops in the mall that sell snow gadgets like skis, snow boards, skaters and other related accessories.