Personally, I am quite lost in massive malls. I believe shopaholics need to be focused and if you dont have too much time on your hands, they are often not the best place to shop. But that is not so in Dubai, where the malls are quite organised if you know what you are looking for.

Small in size

Burjuman is one of the older malls and smaller in size compared to others. The old Burjuman housed mainly cosmetics and a lot of local brands, but after it has been extended, the choice extends to highend stores like saks Fifth avenue.

one of my favourite stores here is Qxygene. This high-street brand is reasonably priced and very fashionable. It is easy to choose casual clothes for the day and evening, and I can easily spend a couple of hours here.

another interesting store here is Pierre Cardin. This mens store perpetually has a 70 percent discount which makes it very attractive to buy linen pastel suits. you will also find crocodile and eel mens shoes for a song.

For all my cosmetic needs, I make my way to Faces. sake Fifth avenue has a cosmetic floor which is far more private than in any of the other malls. This store also offers little gifts with your purchases to tempt you to make regular visits.

In between shopping, or after you are done, go to the Japanese restaurant yo sushi. It has delicious salmon sashmi handrolls with avocado. The seaweed salad with squid is also one of my favourites.

Old is gold

Wafi is another one of the older malls which has been extended to meet the demands of high street and designer brands. There is a store called Petals near the main entrance where you find stunning crafted pieces for your home. The chandeliers and table lamps are worth the top dollar you pay for them.

While walking towards the new extension you will see several boutiques that sell glamorous bejewelled belts and accessories for the hair. Dubai being a country of bling, the choice is fabulous. The new part of Wafi has two of my favourite stores. one is the roberto Cavalli store, which I feel has a more glamorous collection than in any other part of the world. The other one is Bugatti which houses many brands. The clothes are all segregated colour wise and not by the brand they belong to. The Brazilian shoe brand schutz has sexy evening shoes that are not overly priced.

Goodies is a yummy lebanese restaurant in the mall. not only do they serve great cuisine, but at its entrance you get the most amazing selection of olives. The ones with the red chillies are my favourite.

The mall of the emirates is massive. The food court is buzzing and offers all kinds of cuisines. The‘piece de resistance is the ski slope which is a real crowd puller and you can see hundreds taking ski lessons. even the Dubai mall is so big that you can get lost here. The saving grace is that the ‘designer walk is different from the high-street fashion one, so they can virtually be treated as separate malls.

To pick up amazing european brands which are not readily available elsewhere, head to Villa moda, in the shopping arcade of the emirates Hotel. This is where I was introduced to lara Bohinc belts and bags, before it hit the big stores like selfridges and Harrods in london.