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Sunday 08 November 2009 (UAE)
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The Dubai Mall, Downtown Burj Dubai
The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in Dubai, maybe even the world depending on how you measure it, (and until the Mall of Arabia opens) and is located in the Downtown Burj Dubai area on Doha St, off Defense Roundabout. After the usual Dubai construction delays, it only opened 2 years late, in November 2008. Some Dubai residents thought the new mall deserved top spot on their whine list but we think The Dubai Mall is great. If (or when) you visit, have a look at one of the largest fish tanks in the world, buy some books at Kinokuniya BookWorld, walk through the gold souk area, have a look at the indoor waterfall, watch a movie at Reel Cinemas, get an adrenaline fix at Sega Republic, and go for a quiet coffee at The Grove. Or head next door to Souk Al Bahar after your shopping expedition and have a meal overlooking the Burj Dubai Lake while watching the Dubai Fountain. There are information kiosks everywhere in the mall, with helpful attendants to answer your questions (although you'll often get different answers if you ask more than one), and information brochures with maps and a list of shops.
- Dubai Mall tel +971-4-4373200 or toll free 800-DUBAIMALL (800-382246255), email enquiry@thedubaimall.com
- The Dubai Mall developer is Emaar Malls Group LLC, a subsidiary of Emaar Properties which is a Dubai based property developer part-owned by the Dubai Government.
- General Manager of The Dubai Mall is Mr Yousif Al Ali
- Dubai Mall The Address Hotel next door (open 09 September 2009) with extra closet space to store your shopping bags
Dubai Mall opening hours
| Section | Sunday-Wednesday | Thursday-Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Shops, Dubai Aquarium, Dubai Ice Rink, SegaRepublic | 1000-2200 (10am-10pm) | 1000-2400 (10am-12am) |
| Gold Souk | 1000-2200 (10am-10pm) | 1000-2200 (10am-10pm) |
| Food Court | 1000-2200 (10am-10pm) | 1000-2400 (10am-12am) |
| Waitrose | 0800-2400 (8am-12am) | 0800-2400 (8am-12am) |
| Ramadan | Food court closed until 7pm. Sega opens 3pm (12pm Fri/Sat). Most shops, restaurants, activities open 1000 until 0100 (10am-1am) 7 days. Banks are open shorter hours and not on Fridays. |
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Dubai Mall numbers, statistics, facts and figures
- Total area of Dubai Mall is 12 million sq feet (about 1.1 million sq meters)
- Total internal floor area about 5.9 million sq ft
- Total gross leasable area (GLA) about 3.8 million sq ft (the same as 50 football fields)
- 14,000 car parking spaces
- 120-160 restaurants, cafes, and other food and beverage shops with seating capacity for 3000 people (different figures seen in Emaar press releases, most recent is 160 outlets)
- 33,000 animals in the aquarium (less if the sharks aren't fed on time, or the fish and chip shop runs low on supplies)
- 30 million - total number visitors expected in the first year of operation
Dubai Mall special attractions and facilities
- Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo - walk through a tunnel under the sea and see what a sharks belly looks like.
- Dubai Fountain - outside in the Burj Dubai Lake
- Dubai Ice Rink - Olympic sized ice skating rink, with, at one end, the largest flatscreen TV that we've ever seen.
- Dubai Mall Cineplex - 22 movie theatres otherwise known as Reel Cinemas, half open 14 August 2009.
- Fashion Avenue - so The Dubai Mall can become "the fashion capital of the region" and/or "a global fashion hub". Area of 440,000 sq ft is about half the size of the Arabian Plaza shopping center in Mirdiff.
- Glass-bottomed boat tours of the Dubai Mall Aquarium
- Gold Souk with 220 jewellery shops
- KidZania children's entertainment (or "edutainment") section, area of about 80,000 sq ft. A children's city where they can play at being adults (but adults will need to go to SegaWorld to play at being children).
- Medical Center (DMCC) - Emaar Healthcare and Methodist International joint venture, open October 2009. Area 60,000 sq ft with specialist consultants, radiology and laboratory facilities, pharmacy, and a cafe.
- SEGA Republic Dubai - an indoor theme park for children, even those aged over 30, area of about 76,000 sq ft. Open 21 August 2009.
- Swim with the Sharks in Dubai - in the Dubai Aquarium, no diving experience required. Not recommended if you smell fishy.
- The Grove - pleasant outdoor corridor with cafes and shops, and retractable roof to help avoid the summer heat.
- The Waterfall - indoor from top floor to bottom floor
Shops in The Dubai Mall
As of 25 May 2009, about 900 out of a total of 1200 shops have opened. Two anchor department stores are Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdales.
- Banks - some on the lower ground floor
- Bloomingdales - a New York department store, expected to open February 2010
- Candylicious - the largest sweet shop in the world, allegedly, at 10,000 sq feet. Demonstrating that math in Dubai is not what you expect - Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City is 15,000 sq ft, Daffin's Chocolate Kingdom in Sharon (USA) is 14,000 or 20,000 sq ft, Candy's Sweet Treats Candy Shop in Redding (USA) is also reported as the largest candy store in the world (area not found). Candylicious Dubai Mall Opening date 01 October 2009
- Etisalat (open 08 April 2009), 10am-10pm Sat-Wed & 10am-12am Thu/Fri, lower ground floor shop 146-1.
- Galeries Lafayette - a French department store, open May 2009 (delayed from February 2009 planned opening). The Dubai Mall branch is not quite as large as the famous Paris shop, but there are still lots of pots and pans to peruse. Store area is 20,000 sq meters (215,000 sq feet). Lafeyette Gourmet will open in September 2009.
- Hamleys - a UK toy shop, first in the UAE. Uninspiring. The Regent Street shop in London is much more exciting.
- Kinokuniya Book World - a large bookshop on the top floor. Great range of books and magazines, and a good view of the Dubai Fountain. Very difficult to leave without spending money. Kinokuniya was founded in Japan in 1927 but sells more than just Japanese books, and operates Kinokuniya bookstores around the world. The Dubai Kinokuniya has Arabic and English sections of course, and also Chinese, French, German, and Japanese books.
- Organic Foods & Cafe - organic foods supermarket and restaurant on lower ground floor.
- Ping Pong dim sum restaurant - open 09 September 2009, a UK chain, first non-UK outlet, on Lower Ground floor with Dubai Fountain views, tea and non-alcoholic cocktails with your dim sums, open 11am-midnight (closed until Iftar during Ramadan).
- Waitrose Dubai - UK supermarket, the first one in Dubai, just like Spinneys but different. On the lower ground floor.
Leviev, a diamond jewellery company based in Israel, announced in April 2008 that they would be opening a store in The Dubai Mall, and another one in the Atlantis Resort on Jumeirah Palm. Understandably, there was some consternation about an Israeli business operating in Dubai. As of May 2009, it's not clear what the situation is. There's no Leviev store listed on the Dubai Mall website but not all planned shops have opened yet. Leviev jewellery is already available in Dubai apparently, in Levant Jewelers in Madinat Jumeirah (opened March 2008) and the Atlantis Resort.
Dubai Mall eating and drinking
Total number of outlets fluctuates in Emaar press releases: 150 in October 2007, 150 in January 2008, 120 in April 2008, 160 in May 2009. Whatever the number, there are more than you'll find in any other shopping mall, and enough cholesterol suppliers to keep even the hard core hamburger junkies satisfied. Main Food Court is on the top floor, with an outdoor seating area, and the first Taco Bell in the UAE (if you haven't tried it, it's not that exciting). Another food court is on the lower ground floor - feels more spacious and less crowded than the top floor food court. Other snack bars, cafes, and restaurants scattered throughout the shopping mall. For a pleasant place to sit down and eat, visit The Grove, an indoor/outdoor area that's covered up in the hot Dubai summer.
During Ramadan 2009, there aren't any cafes open during the day for dine-in but several outlets are open for takeaways only - Burger King, Charlie's Subs, MacDonald's, Wafi Gourmet, and Le Pain Quotidien.
Parking at The Dubai Mall
- There are three parking areas (P1, P2, P3), each on several levels (LG, G, L1, L2), and signposted from surrounding roads.
- P1 if you want the main entrance to The Dubai Mall but it seems to be the most awkward of the three areas to navigate around (or maybe we're just not used to it).
- P2 if you want the Waitrose supermarket (Lower Ground), or movies / SegaWorld / Kidzania (L2)
- P3 if you want to be near Fashion Avenue or the medical center (once it's open)
- Valet parking available. If you shop at one of the Fashion Avenue shops, you might get free valet parking - ask at the shop (available August 2009, unknown if time-limited).
Dubai Mall history and timeline
- 09 September 2009 - The Address Dubai Mall hotel opens.
- 21 August 2009 - Sega Republic theme park opens.
- 14 August 2009 - Reel Cinemas movie complex opens first theatres.
- 01 May 2009 - Festival @ The Dubai Mall starts - a 30 day promotional event to encourage you to spend more money. Prizes include a Bentley, and money.
- 09 May 2009 - official opening ceremony of The Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountain
- May 2009 - Galeries Lafayette open
- February 2009 - Galeries Lafayette expected opening date (delayed to May 2009)
- 04 November 2008 - third time lucky, The Dubai Mall finally opens.
- 30 October 2008 - second attempted opening date
- 28 August 2008 - first attempted opening date, announced in press release 09 April 2008 (which also said the cinema complex would open later in 2008)
- 19 January 2008 - Emaar announces that the Dubai Mall will open "in late 2008"
- November 2006 - original scheduled opening date
Last update Friday 02-Oct-2009
Related pages
- Burj Dubai - tallest building in the world
- Dubai Fountain
- Dubai Mall Aquarium - the biggest fishbowl in the world?
- Dubai Marina Mall - another Emaar Malls shopping center, about a tenth of the size of The Dubai Mall.
- Mall of the Emirates - a previous largest shopping mall in Dubai, the one with the indoor skifield.
- Reel Cinemas - with 22 movie theatres there should be something to watch for everyone
- SegaRepublic Dubai Mall - indoor theme park
- Shopping malls in Dubai - a list of most of the shopping centres in Dubai
- Souk Al Bahar - another Emaar Mall, a short walk away from The Dubai Mall (just over the pedestrian bridge)
Related websites (open in new window)
- www.thedubaimall.com - The Dubai Mall website. www.dubaimall.com is spam, www.dubaimall.ae and www.thedubaimall.ae return a no website error.
- Dubai directory - add your link free