Shop ‘til you drop

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Bicester Village comprises 95 boutique outlets.

As part of the promotional campaign leading up to the launch of the new service, Etihad is offering competitively priced fares with return coral zone flights starting from AED 1330 ($362), pearl zone from AED 7330 ($1996), and diamond zone from AED 9330 ($2540).

Etihad passengers can take 40kg of checked baggage when travelling in diamond, 30kg in pearl, but only 20kg in coral zone. Diamond and pearl zone passengers can carry two pieces of hand baggage with a combined weight of up to 12 kg and Etihad Guest gold and silver members are entitled to an additional 15kg and 10kg respectively.

Emirates Airline also flies to Milan and Rome daily, but from July 1 will also operate five times weekly to Venice. This service will become daily from September.

Germany

Germany is not normally considered a shopping hotspot, but Marco Heinrich, destination development manager, Europe and the Americas for Emirates Holidays notes that Hamburg and Dusseldorf are worth a visit.

In Dusseldorf, a visit to Königsallee (nicknamed "Kö" by the locals) is a must. This boulevard is noted for its specialty shops spanning antiques, chocolates and art. The shopping streets between the colonnades and Neuer Wall street are lined with luxurious arcades, while the main shopping areas such as Mönckebergstrasse cater to even the most discerning tastes. Neuer Wall drips with upmarket brands and the Hanseatic shopping arcade offers boutiques and specialist stores with products ranging from interior design to lingerie. Hamburg also boasts 12 shopping malls.

Packages:

• Etihad Airways' three-night packages to Milan are priced from AED 2440 ($610) per person.

• Tempo Holidays offers a ‘Taste of Florence' Gold Package with an optional outlet shopping tour. The basic package price including three nights' accommodation and sightseeing tours of Florence Siena and San Gimignano starts from $1727 per person. The six-hour outlet tour costs from $45.

• Emirates Holidays offers top-end packages to several European shopping cities that include business class flights from Dubai and five-star accommodation. Prices for three-night packages to Rome start from AED 11,123 ($3029) per person; to Venice from AED 11,687 ($3182) per person; and to Hamburg and Dusseldorf AED 14,154 ($3854) per person.

Australia

Gold Coast

Surfers Paradise is a leading retail precinct where shops open until 9pm every night. Tree-lined boulevards shade international names like Cartier, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vitton, Fendi, Bally Hermes, Paris and Salvatore Ferragamo. Duty free outlets are also abundant and travellers can claim back 10% GST when leaving the country.

Broadbeach is home to Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, which is connected by monorail to Conrad Jupiters casino, while Main Beach is famous for its one-off, trendy local boutiques and the Marina Mirage featuring international and top Australian designer label clothing complemented by a string of award-winning restaurants all overlooking the beautiful Broadwater.

Harbour Town is Australia's first purpose-built brand direct/factory outlet shopping centre with 120 stores featuring top brands such as Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Esprit, DKNY and Calvin Klein at prices 60% below the retail cost. The mall has recently been extended to include a new Tourism Lounge where visitors are welcome to relax, freshen up, enjoy refreshments, safely store purchases and access services including information, tour bookings, Internet and even an international prayer room.

Sydney

For mall shopping recommend Westfield Bondi Junction (WBJ) featuring Australian designer fashion brands and top-end department store David Jones. City centre shopping is found around Pitt Street and George Street with smaller niche malls including QVB and The Strand. For boutiques galore suggest Oxford Street, dubbed ‘The Style Mile' by the locals, while weekend shopping at The Rocks market should satisfy shoppers' hunger for local arts and crafts and souvenirs.

Packages: Etihad Holidays offers three-night packages to Sydney from AED 2990 ($814) per person. An upgrade to Pearl Zone is priced AED 4515 ($1229) per person one way.

Dubai

Ibn Battuta Hotel Dubai

When it opens in December next year, the Ibn Battuta Hotel Dubai, operated by Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will capitalise on the increasing popularity of shopping and dining holidays and breaks, says the company's general manager & regional manager, Dubai, Thomas Tapken.

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