Battle of the malls in Dubai 7 Comments 25 May 2011
BurJuman
Best for: high fashion beside the creek
Khalid Bin al Waleed Road, Bur Dubai, www.burjuman.com (04 352 0222).
Parking
They’ve finally ditched the paid parking, which is a relief, but the spaces are tight and we struggle to get our motor into them.
2/5
Best bites
We don’t rate the breadth of food options at BurJuman. However, café chain Dome does a mean latte, and Zone Lounge is a cute little spot serving traditional Lebanese and Italian food.
2/5
Flagship store
Saks Fifth Avenue is a fashion institution, having been with us for seven years. While it may not be as instantly jaw dropping as Bloomingdale’s, we tend to find its sales superior.
4/5
Top one-off shops
There’s the aforementioned Saks for designer fashion, as well as Marina Rinaldi: high-end clothes for curvy women.
2/5
Extreme attractions
There’s a good Fitness First gym and… erm, that’s it.
1/5
Achilles heel
This mall is great for high-end fashion shopping, but offers little else. On weekdays, navigating the busy Bur Dubai streets can also be a strong deterrent.
-3/5
Insider tip
Hidden high street: We like the New Look and Zara outlets here because they tend to stock a better range of sizes than outlets at other malls (which often feature rails of XS and XXL clothes).
Score/25
8
Deira City Centre click here to view
Best small malls click here to view
-
Posted by: David on 24 Jul ' 11 at 06:59
I think timeoutdubai should expand this list and include online shopping portals like moosavings.com etc. After all, aren't we in the midst of a dot.com boom?
-
Posted by: Misha on 20 Jul ' 11 at 20:29
Wasted time, no really sales here!!
The fashion are 2009 !!!
So terrible, price are expensive !!! -
Posted by: Roland on 30 May ' 11 at 16:27
Hi, you forgot telling about Ibn batutta Mall the unique themed design with the several country styles and of course the educational factor of the informations about Ibn batuttas travels which can keep you busy for some hours. But the average mall-afficionado isn't keen to improve his knowledge. Go shopping!
-
Posted by: Michael Smith on 30 May ' 11 at 16:23
Some good observations but at times a farcical analysis. How often has the analyst been to each Mall at different times? Does the analyst realise for example how much parking there is at Festival Centre. It has to be one of the easiest malls to park at. It isn't all about IKEA. What is the point of these rankings other than I suppose to sell your mgazine. More fool me to read them. One rather unknowledgable person making observations that sadly will be used by the marketing professionals as fact. Give me several Malls over the Mall of Emiirates that most would say is too large. The popularity of Deira City Centre is for good reason. What of compactness and less tirning as a category. .
-
Posted by: Sharon on 30 May ' 11 at 16:18
Nice article, but I think the smaller malls are better for me as a mom with 2 kids. Arabian Centre tops my bill - free activities for the kids, a Daiso, affordable retailers, supermarket and Home Centre. I only go to the Dubai Mall for two shops - Kinokuniya and the Organic Market!
-
Posted by: zen on 30 May ' 11 at 09:25
For Dubai Festival City you mentioned that "parking for IKEA is a nightmare". IKEA is an extension of the mall. But if you park under the mall in the 2 basements [either near Marks or in the middle or near Toys R Us] then parking is available. Also under extreme attractions why did you not mention the cinemas?.
-
Posted by: dharmender on 30 May ' 11 at 05:35
useful info thru insider tip
