Dubai

Concierge.com's insider take:

The big malls all have mainly the same stores; the distinguishing factor for most people is proximity. You can easily spend the whole day at the Mall of the Emirates, the largest mall outside the U.S. and certainly the only one with a ski slope bang in the center of it. Flagship stores include Harvey Nichols from the U.K. as well as a mammoth Carrefour (a French supermarket). All the expensive designer stores are positioned around a faux Rodeo Drive–style section (Sheikh Zayed Road, 4th Interchange; 971-4409-9000; www.malloftheemirates.com). BurJuman is a local favorite (although the gridlocked traffic in the area tends to deter tourists) where Arabs flock to splash the cash at high-end stores such as Chanel, Hermès, Christian Dior, and traditional perfumer Ajmal, and to browse in the only Saks Fifth Avenue in Dubai (Trade Centre Rd.; 971-4352-0222; www.burjuman.com). Named after a famed 14th-century Arabian seafarer, Ibn Battuta Mall is divided into themed areas of the world that he visited. It's a bit out of the way and the Mall of the Emirates has taken the wind out of its sails, but it's still a less-frantic alternative, even if the stores are of a slightly lower quality than the others mentioned here (Sheikh Zayed Rd., 6th Interchange; 971-4362-1900; www.ibnbattutamall.com). For those looking to wander somewhere upmarket but compact, The Boulevard at Jumeirah Emirates Towers has everything the discerning shopper would look for on Fifth Avenue. You'll find around 50 outlets, including Boutique 1, the Middle East's answer to Bloomingdale's (Sheikh Zayed Rd., between 1st and 2nd Interchanges; 971-4330-0000; www.jumeirahemiratestowers.com). Those camped across the Creek, Deira-side, are catered for by the City Centre Mall (opposite the Duba Creek and Golf Club; 971-4295-4545). The faux-Italian splendor (and we use the word loosely) of Mercato Mall belongs more in Epcot Center than Jumeirah. Adore or abhor it, it houses the Lebanese chocolatier Patchi, Syed Junaid Alam's traditional Arabic fragrances, and Pride of Kashmir (selling handcrafted carpets, shawls, furniture, and furnishings) alongside mundane Western chain stores, but it works well as a gift pit stop (Jumeirah Beach Rd., near Dubai Zoo; 971-4344-4161; www.mercatoshoppingmall.com).