Dubai is well-known across the globe for its incredible architectural and engineering marvels; it has also established itself as a prominent Shopping, food, and entertainment destination. From its Spice souks, cloth markets, dry fruits shops, and Gold souks in Heritage Deira area to some of the world’s best known hi-tech, spacious and air-conditioned malls in downtown district, Dubai has everything a hard core shopper would look out for. Every year Dubai organizes Shopping festivals full of some irresistible offers to entice tourists from various parts of the world thereby establishing itself as Mecca for Shopaholics.
One such world-famous destination is The Dubai Mall, situated in Dubai’s Downtown district; this is one of the World’s largest Shopping Malls housing some 1200 retail outlets of different genres and around 200 food outlets all under one roof giving its visitors endless options to choose from.
I am not a die-hard shopper and was initially reluctant to visit this Mall, thinking it to be like any other big Mall I had already visited in other parts of the world. However once I entered this Mall, I was awestruck by its sheer size, offerings and overall appeal. No doubt why it is considered to be one of the largets shopper’s paradise. It is advisable to carry the handy navigation map with you while browsing through it various sections. There are well-managed information desks and kiosks for visitors for an easy access to various sections of the Mall.
This Mall not only has some of the best shopping labels a die-hard shopper would vouch for, it also has some of the most interesting art installations, sculptures, multiplexes and Discovery Science Centre. One of the two most famous attractions here are The Dubai Aquarium and the Ice Rink, both offers its visitors an incredible fun-filled experience for all age groups.
Dubai Mall has some of the best in retail from clothes, electronics, Lifestyle, kids sections, food and entertainment. Even for a window shoppers like me this Mall has lot to offer. There is a world’s largest Olympic size Dubai Ice Rink, hard to believe in a desert city like this, but it is true… Dubai breaks records of all sorts. This Ice Rink has something to offer from beginners like me to experts who want to simply glide free. There are coaches to teach you finer nuances of skating, or if you want to further hone your skills in skating, this Ice rink has lot of exciting offerings. Special events are organized over the weekends or some important occasions giving you an ample opportunity to have spirited, exciting and seamless glides.
There is another attraction which awaits you is Dubai Aquarium, which is apparently world’s largest aquarium comprising of 10 million liters of water housing over 140 marine species. There are over 33,000 living water species including 400 varieties of sharks and rays. It offers numerous options like underwater walkway offering 270 degrees of sea life, cage snorkeling, shark feeding and diving.
There are some interesting vantage points where you would love to get clicked. One such place is Sea horse fountain which is made of Italian marble in ornate style architecture. One such another interesting area near the main entrance is man-made waterfall which beautifully displays diving sculptures giving this entire area a dramatic ambience and visual delight.
Dubai Mall is an interesting getaway to some of the best known tourist attractions in Dubai’s downtown district. Visit once and experience it first-hand… you will surely love to come here again and again…!