The Dubai Shopping Festival 2008

If you are up for a spot of retail therapy and are lucky enough to be visiting Dubai then you will be transformed into a land of designer boutiques, wall to wall shopping malls and gold souks. Fashion conscious Arabic women live for their handbags and shoes. Their main pastime is shopping. With their closets heaving with Prada bags and Manolo Blahnik heels, I have never lived anywhere where the women are so obsessed with shoes and accessories. Given that the majority of Emirati women wear the Abaya and Shayla (a black outercoat and headcovering), all that is discernable in order to make a fashion statement is their Jimmy Choos or Fendi Baguette or Hermès Birkin bag. Shoe-aholics should visit the Jimmy Choo store at the Boulevard, Emirates Towers or Harvey Nicholls at The Mall of the Emirates. Bur Juman is another exclusive mall and includes a Fendi and a Hermès store and a Saks Fifth Avenue. Dubai is always awash with designer labels but during the month-long Dubai Shoping Festival stores compete with special promotions and discounts, competitions, prize draws and also offer a celebration of cultural events. The wealthy emirate is one of the most amazing places on earth. Amidst the backdrop of sand, huge shopping malls and modern skyscrapers, there are the most beautiful beaches and friendly faces. Dubai is famous for its low crime rate and its respect shown to women travelers. It is without doubt the safest city I have ever lived. You can safely leave your purse sitting unattended in a shopping cart, and if you happen to forget your bag on the counter when trying on those Jimmy Choos, it will still be there when you get back!