Mall of the Emirates and Ski Dubai

I thought a post about one of Dubai’s many malls would be appropriate in honor of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).  Umm, except that it’s already over.  Where does the time go?  DSF lasts for a month beginning in January, and this year ended on February 5th.

Leave it up to Dubai to create a tourist/”cultural” attraction out of shopping and spending money.  It’s quite clever, really.  This is not just a bunch of sales, (like the month-long “rebajas” in Spain) but has evolved to include entertainment, kids activities, give-aways and fireworks.  Remember those outdoor christmas lights I was missing?  Well, there’s no shortage of lit up shopping bags that line the streets during DSF.

I’m always fascinated by how interested people are in Dubai’s malls.  My post on Dubai Mall consistently gets the most traffic of any post.  Mall of the Emirates is not as flashy or grand as Dubai Mall and not nearly as enormous.  That’s not to suggest that it’s a shrinking violet, however.  It still has plenty of stores to choose from, many cafes and restaurants, a movie theater, kid entertainment venues, 2 five-star hotels, and its defining feature, Ski Dubai.  Here are a few photos: (by the way – I took these in the morning.  At night it’s jam-packed with people)

there are plenty of designer stores to choose from

There are lots of dining options ranging from chains like PF Changs and California Pizza Kitchen, small cafes, and fast food.

“pancakes” at More Cafe

In addition to all the stores you may be familiar with like Borders Books, H&M, Carrefour, Debenham’s, Gymboree, Crate and Barrel, American Eagle Outfitters, Nine West, Zara, etc, there are also plenty of places carrying more regional items, catering to tourists and locals.

friendly tailors who make dishdashas (kandoras)

the ubiquitous Arabic coffee pot

This store always features interesting dresses that are changed regularly.

In a city that loves bling and branding, it seems appropriate that the pink fabric on the dress on the left features a bold print of D&Gs (for Dolce and Gabbana)

Every time I see all this fabric, I think about how fun it would be to have something made. But when would I ever wear it?

Mall of the Emirates is best known for housing Ski Dubai – an indoor ski resort.  It’s difficult (for me, anyway) to take good pictures of this place, even when I was inside it!  Here are a few to give you an idea of what it’s like:

yes, it’s -3C inside

snowball fight with my sons standing on the other side of the glass

tourists admiring the slopes

This was taken on a day we took the boys to the snow park. The big ski slope wasn’t open that day for some reason, but this gives you an idea of how high up it goes. All levels of difficulty are featured including a black run.

My kids flying down one of the slides. I thought the mandatory helmets for children was a little over-the-top until I went down myself. All of slides were quite fast!

“Ski lodge” complete with cozy restaurant. Don’t you just want to warm your hands by the fire? Just kidding, it’s fake, like the snow.

By the way, if you’re curious about how they make the snow like I was, here’s a convenient little graphic that explains how it’s done.

exterior view of Ski Dubai

neighborhood surrounding the mall – Al Barsha

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