Mall Tourism In Dubai
The last thing anyone would REALLY want to do is go to a country as a tourist and spend a major part of it traipsing through a Mall.
Yes. THE ubiquitous Mall.
Those huge structures that have virtually redefined the way Indians shop or spend time on weekends. Outings with friends and family, shopping, eating out, cinemas and even a smattering of adventure activities are all centered around Malls.
We don’t have a problem with Malls really – but Malls in India are virtual replicas of eachother – with the same stores, similar food courts and similar modern, albeit complicated architecture (ever tried to find a way out of the topmost floor in a Mall? You have a choice between taking the escalator down all two – three flights, virtually going around in circles as you maneuver your way through strolling couples and running children, or walking a couple of kilometres till you get to an elevator! Less said about the Parking chaos on weekends, the better!!!)
Even in Dubai.
And that was a problem in the beginning – when based on popular advice we sought to visit a few Malls that looked like we had perhaps forgotten to take our flight out of India and were indeed strolling in Ambience or Select CityWalk in Delhi!
We were truly disheartened… Like…what was the point of travelling economy on India’s national airline (with the unfriendliest staff in the Solar System) if all we were to do is amble in “Malls” with the same stores that we have in our B and C tier towns!
But hang on! There is something that is happening in the malls in that country that is truly exciting – even for a tourist who doesn’t intend buying either electronics, clothes, perfumes, or shoes!
By Day 2 of our trip, we’d ventured into some of the new Malls in Dubai, that offer a different experience in terms of architecture and ambience (perhaps because they have been enticing retail buyers for much longer now, have re-invented themselves. And how!)
From the Pyramids of Egypt in the WAFI Mall, to the Ibn Battuta that has been constructed with several “courts” (areas, wings) based on the architecture of the countries visited by the Arab traveller Ibn Battuta, these buildings are not just your run-of-the-mill shopping/eating hangouts anymore!
Take the Ibn Battuta for example. The mall’s six courts reflect the most influential places Battuta travelled to. So they have a Persian Court, a China, Egypt, Tunisia, Andalusia and even an Indian Court with a majestic Maharaja riding his even more majestic Elephant (which is actually a clock) with the opulence Indian kings were famous for.
Not just the architecture, but in the atrium of each of the wings or courts, there exist small museums; glass panels with artifacts of the era when Battuta undertook his travels and the things he brought back to the Arab world.
Snippets of India’s history – the reign of the Sultans, the map of the Sultanate of Delhi, the kind of spices available in India etc – virtual snatches on Indian history are visible for the interested.
Tired as we were walking in Malls, we hardly had the chance to see the whole Ibn Battuta. But we also decided to leave the rest of it for another time. And perhaps another time.
A good travel post MUST give you details. Here they are:
If you are planning to visit Dubai, this site is good to get an update on the Malls worth hopping in to. The way the city is planning its upcoming Malls, we are certain its a matter of time before Mall Tourism gains popularity here! Most malls also have their own websites with online bookings options available for the cinemas as well as other mall activities.
To Mall hoppers in Dubai, a few words of caution:
- Wearing comfortable footwear is a very good idea (even though you will find most Arab women in 5 inch high pencil heels strolling as if in a park and will be tempted – after Day 1 – to saunter out of your hotel in your own… BAD idea!) because the walks around the expansive Malls will definitely kill your feet. Malls in Dubai are HUGE, especially the new ones and it is sometimes a good idea to take the paid shuttle service, especially if you’d just like to ‘see’ the …errrr….mall… and not shop..
- Most Taxi pick-up points and drop-off points in a Mall may be at two opposite ends.
So before you embark on the long journey across hundreds of meters, do ask the enquiry desk about the pick-up points for a cab and plan your voyage accordingly.
And if you have your own car? Well, I don’t know about that but after seeing the levels of parking and the accesses to most of these malls, I’d say a taxi is a good option. Or even the Metro – that actually opens inside the Mall of the Emirates. How’s that for convenience!!!
- Malls have food courts. Which is good. Sometimes. (Only if you have been starving for Indian food for example and have, somehow, missed ALL the Indian restaurants about town!)
Else, the food courts are generally exorbitant and much like their Indian counterparts, are abuzz with a strange din that dissipates the minute you get 2 meters away from the periphery! There is also, in all likelihood a clamour for seats. So grab yours (Its allowed. Its not Europe for Heaven’s sake!)
In food courts too you have to walk a lot and if you are an adventurous foodie, you may end up spending a larger part of your Mall experience in one of them (with cuisines from across the world being on offer together with numerous Salad, Soups, Juices, Ice Creams and what have you’s thrown in!) and long queues to get your order. (Heartening to know somethings DON’T happen ONLY in India!!!)
- The best thing about malls? The loos/restrooms. Good, incredibly clean with all requisite needs for the job thrown in – they’re a treat. And they use water too 🙂
We’d rate The Mall of the Emirates and Atlantis as the best-est restrooms in all of Dubai! (Barring of course, perhaps, would be the toilets in the only 7 Star Hotel of the world, the Burj Al Arab… We’ve left that one for the next trip too )…
But leave aside all the ifs, buts and the troublesome will-make-you-lose-weight-or-end-up-murdering-your-feet negativities, Dubai Malls are grand and offer a unique experience with their imaginatively designed buildings.
Ritu@2017 January 20, 2012
