Dubai is seriously good, despite all my friends saying that it is seriously good. I do not generally believe them by default. But when I saw their expressions and their shopping loot, I had to give in. I have never been to the Middle East but am planning to do so. I heard that the Dubai Shopping Festival is currently drawing a high number of tourists. Being a compulsive shopper that I am, who knows I may be the person sitting happily on the next flight. I already have my eye on a Dubai tour package and that day is not far when I will be excitedly rummaging over all of the city’s delicious malls.

From what I read and heard, the Dubai Mall is amongst the best shopping destinations in the city. In terms of total area, it is the largest mall on the planet. It is big enough to easily accommodate over 1200 shops (that means if you visit 10 shops per day, it will take you 120 visits to check them all). The Dubai Mall is attached to Burj Khalifa which is the tallest landmark in the world and certainly a top attraction of Dubai.

Next up on my wish list is the Mall of the Emirates. Though it is fairly old (it opened gates in 2005), it still counts among the largest malls in the world. Apart from good retail stores and eateries, it also has special attractions like the Indoor Skiing.

There is this Ibn Batuta Mall as well which is old and reputed. It gains from the diverse mix of brands it offers. Besides, unlike Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates which can overwhelm you with their size, this mall is large enough to keep you busy but small enough to keep you in control of your geography. My friends told me that though they visited Dubai Mall for its glitz and reputation, they did most of their shopping from Ibn Batuta.

With your Dubai tour package, you also need to go to the Gold souks. My friends are fools, I tell you. They skipped this gold market citing that time was short. I told them I’m not going to buy that theory. I am sure the men cooked up good excuses to ignore that place for fear that the women will spent away all the time (and the money) over those enticing gold ornaments and coins.

Wafi Mall, Fish Market, Karama Shopping Centre, New Naif Market and Dubai Festival City are some of the other popular shopping hubs. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. Plenty of other shops and stores await their turn too.