Deira City Centre

Located in Deira opposite the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Deira City Centre shopping mall has 300 retail outlets spread over 1.2 million square feet.

There is car parking available for 6,000 cars and Citywalk provides access fo 13 restaurants and cafes in a purpose built food hall.There is also an 11-screen cineplex and Magic Planet, a huge indoor leisure complex, which boasts a huge family entertainment centre featuring simulators, video games, theme rides, a bowling alley and a soft adventure playground for younger children.

Stores include a huge Carrefour and ladies’ and men’s fashion shops flourish with household names such as Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Ted Lapidus, French Connection, Valencia Shoes and La Senza. Electrical goods shops such as Plug-Ins ElectroniX and Virgin Megastore are also represented and for home interiors try Debenhams.

Opening times are Saturday to Thursday from 10am to 10pm and Friday 2pm to 10pm.

Call 04-2951010.

Dubai Festival City

Branded as Dubai’s ‘City within a City’, Dubai Festival City is an immense, mixed-use, waterfront development. Stretching across 4 kilometres ol Dubai’s Creek in 15 development zones, it spans 1,600 acres in a harmonious blend of retail, leisure, hospitality, entertainment, office and residential offerings.

Dubai Festival City is in close proximity to Dubai’s International Airport and has the added convenience of being easily accessible from the two major bridges of Dubai, as well as three direct- entry points from the 12-lane Business Bay Bridge which has recently been completed.

Eventually there will be 2.6 million square feet of shopping, dining and entertainment, with over 550 shops and 90 restaurants, many of which will provide al fresco, waterfront dining and a 12-screen cinema complex.

The Festival Marina will provide 150 berthing facilities for yachts and the shimmering boardwalks and palm-lined strips will provide the ideal backdrop for a stroll or a nit ill by the waterfront. Flagship stores include Toys R Us, Next, Plug-Ins ElectroniX, Paris Gallery, Esprit, Marks and Spencer, IKEA, ACE, Diesel, Markati Palazzo and HyperPanda.

Fashion outlets include Springfield, DKNY, Hugo Boss, Pierre Cardin, Lacoste, Raymond Weil, Geox, Liali Jewellery and Al Futtaim Jewellery. The Link will house the Dubai Gold Marketplace which will provide 60 jewellery shops displaying the largest selection of top gold retailers from around the globe.

Opening times are Saturday to Thursday from 10am until 10pm and Friday from 10am until midnight. Call04-2325444.

Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall is the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination and is spread over a total area of 12 million sq ft. The mall features 1,200 retail stores including several flagship stores and Middle East debuts of global brands. The Dubai Mall offers over 160 food and beverage outlets in food courts that have a capacity to seat 3,000.

Department stores include Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale’s. Other major brands include Louis Vuitton, Gucci,Hermes, Burberry, Chloe, Gianfranco Ferre, Karen Millen, Valentino, Jimmy Choo,Manolo Blahnik,La Senza, Agent Provocateur,Hugo Boss, Rodeo Drive, Garrard, Rolex, Raymond Weil, Cartier and Tag Heuer.

Fashion Avenue, a 440,000 sq ft fashion precinct dedicated to haute couture, positions the mall as the fashion capital of the region whilst the Gold Souk is a sprawling gold and jewellery retail showcase featuring over 200 stores.

Leisure attractions include The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, with over 33,000 aquatic animals including sharks and rays, and featuring the largest acrylic viewing panel in the world and a walk-through tunnel. The Olympic-sized Dubai Ice-Rink is another key leisure attraction and a destination for skating enthusiasts.

The Dubai Mall waterfront promenade opens onto The Dubai Fountain, a spectacular water, music spectacle, set on the 30-acre Burj Khalifa Lake, which shoots water jets 150 metres into the air, equivalent to the height of a 50-storey building.Hie fountain is 275 metres long and has five circles of varying sizes, two central arcs and was designed by the creators of the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Dubai Mall has recently opened the region’s first KidZania, an innovative children’s edutainment conccpt; SEGA Republic, a high adrenaline indoor theme park; and the 22-scrccn REEL Cinema with a total capacity of2,800 seats.

For the convenience of visitors, the mall offers over 14,000 car parking spaces.

Opening times are Sunday to Wednesday from 10am until 10pm and Thursday to Saturday from 10am until midnight.

Call800-Dubui-Mall (800-382246255).

Dubai Outlet Mall

Dubai Outlet Mall is the only ‘outlet’concept mail in the Middle East and hosts famous retail groups and brands such as Paris Gallery, Gucci, Mark Jacobs, Dior, A. McQueen, Stellla McCartney, Prada, Missoni, DKNY, Mango, Massimo Dutti, Rodeo Drive, Gap, Banana Republic, Diesel, Bally, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Adidas, Puma, Nike, Tchibo and THE One. In total there are over 800 premium and top brands in 240 individual and multi-branded stores.You can snap up discounts of between 30% and 90% on the majority of products available in the 240 stores on offer, 365 days of the year.

Outlet Mall also offers a comprehensive and delicious food and beverage selection including Hatam, Stone Fire Pizza Kitchen, Starbucks, Deja vu Cafe, French Bakery, KFC, McDonald’s, Automatic, Subway and Burger King to name a few. The mall is home to the first ever Chuck E. Cheese’s family entertainment venue in the UAE offering a one-of-a-kind total entertainment experience that includes great food, the coolest games and rides, an ice-rink, a bowling alley and other unique attractions.

The focus is on delivering a superior customer experience and customer service staff can assist in 15 different languages. There is also the first mall Taxi Lounge in Dubai where customers can wait in luxury and comfort for a taxi and die only separate Father & Baby Room and Mother & Baby Room in malls in Dubai to pamper your kids.

There is a free shuttle bus to and from most of the main hotels in Dubai and a weekend market.

Dubai Oudet Mall is open from 10am until 10pm from Sunday to Wednesday and from 10am until midnight from Thursday to Saturday.

Call  04-4234666

Lamcy Plaza

Established in 1997, Lamcy Plaza is centrally located next to the American Hospital in Oud Metha near to Sheikh Zayed Road. The mall covers 400,000 square feet and with over 150 retail outlets can cater for just about every shopping requirement. Whilst the adults get on with more important matters, children can be left under the supervision of highly qualified staff at Lou Lou Al Dugongs, a popular play-and-discover centre for children.

Lamcy Hypermarket is a one-stop destination providing an extensive range of products including foodstuffs, clothing and electrical goods. Yet again fashion is well represented by retailers such as Rossini, Pierre Cardin, Athletes Foot, 9 West and Paris Gallery.

There are a total of 17 restaurants and cafes capable of seating 700 people in the Food Court which caters for all types of cuisine from a quick bite to a leisurely meal.

Open everyday from 9atn to 11.30pm. Call 04-3359999.

Mall of the Emirates

Located at interchange 4 on Sheikh Zayed Road, Mall of the Emirates is instantly recognisable because of the huge spherical enclosed ski centre. The mall has an area equivalent to the size of 73 football pitches and with more than 466 retail outlets and 65 restaurants there is something for even the most discerning of shoppers.

Retail outlets include Harvey Nichols, Debenhatns, Mango, Zara, Louis Vuitton, OshKosh B’Gosh and the French supermarket Carrefour. The two-storey Magic Planet play area is the largest supervised family entertainment centre in Dubai and is packed with rides and amusements to keep the children happy.

Mall of the Emirates is undergoing a huge expansion programme which is due to be completed by the end of 2010. The project, costing nearly Dhs 500 million, will see the addition of increased facilities for shopping, dining and parking, a direct link for Dubai Metro commuters and increased parking spaces to accommodate 750 vehicles.

One of the highlights of the centre must be Ski Dubai, a huge indoor ski slope with a four-man chair lift where visitors can ski all year round with guaranteed snow. Add to this a Kempinski hotel, superb restaurants and a 14 screen Cinestar cinema complex and you are spoilt for choice.

Open everyday from 10am to 10pm. Call 04-3414747.