In need of some retail therapy? Wherever you are in the world, from Rajasthan to Moscow, Paris to LA, our Globetrotter delivers a tempting array of shopping hotspots to suit all tastes
Looking for a great shopping getaway? Why not start in Los Angeles, with the boutiques of Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. You couldn’t ask for a better selection; the only problem is, with so much on offer, making it from one end of the street to the other is no easy task. To do so you’ll need to find a conveniently located hotel. The best are undoubtedly the classic Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire and the trendy Thompson Beverly Hills. Either offers the perfect place to drop off your goodies before continuing your shopping spree and both are wonderful to come back to at the end of your shopping day.
For in-room service consider heading 57 miles south to Montage Laguna Beach. The über-luxurious resort specialises in bringing in leading figures from the hair, beauty and interiors industries to share their passions as they showcase their products. Recent appearances have included Philip B of Philip B haircare, Larry Cohen of Fili D’oro linens, Yael Alkalay of Red Flower toiletries, and modern alchemist Douglas Little of DL & Co.
For the young shopaholic there is no place like American Girl Place stores, popular among many youngsters in the US. One of the biggest is near the Water Tower in Chicago: the store has shopping, café dining and grooming, while fashionistas in the making can even have their hair styled before being professionally photographed. The two closest hotels are the Park Hyatt Chicago, just across the street, and The Peninsula Chicago, which is in the same block as the American Girl Place. The latter is also the most convenient for Crate & Barrel and the many other irresistible stores along The Magnificent Mile.
In Paris, dedicated couture fans needing somewhere right in the middle of the fashion scene stay at the Four Seasons Hotel George V or the Hotel Plaza Athénée, which provided the backdrop for the last episode of the fashion-fabulous Sex and the City. Another option is Park Hyatt Paris- Vendôme, where there is a dedicated shopping concierge who can direct you to Avenue Montaigne for Dior, Nina Ricci and Ungaro, or Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré for Hermès, Lanvin and Louis Ferraud, as well as the Marché aux Puces (flea market). Fittingly, the 188-room Hyatt is on the site of the Maison de Couture opened in 1890 by Isadore and Jeanne Paquin, who organised Paris’s first fashion shows.
In Rome, all shopping roads lead to the InterContinental de la Ville Roma. Once you have checked in just head down the 138 Spanish Steps and you’ll find Via dei Condotti, home to such top designers as Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, Versace, and many other notable names. Here you are also just minutes from Via del Corso, which houses the flagship Ferrari Store and Swarowski Crystal. The hotel’s personal shopper has private contacts with all the best brands and the most important stores in the area.
To most of us Moscow is a big, rather daunting place for a shopping getaway. To get the most out of the city you’ll need to have inside information, and you can’t get much better than a shopping tour organised by the concierge of the Ritz-Carlton. This most certainly will include a visit to the famous pedestrian street, Tretyakov Drive with its combination of signature boutiques, luxury department stores GUM and TSUM, and small conceptual boutiques such as Cara & Co, Le Form, Garderobe and Podium Concept. And expect to be introduced to the creations of a wealth of leading fashion talent including Igor Chapurin, Denis Simachev, Masha Tsigal and Helen Yarmak.
Regular travellers probably already have a lits of their favourite stores and designers in Bangkok. For the first-timer, it might be a good idea to start with the Jim Thompson stores, named after the legendary silk king who disappeared in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands on 26 March, 1967. There is a Jim Thompson store in the inner courtyard shopping centre of the Four Seasons Bangkok. Meanwhile, throughout southeast Asia, if you want suits and shirts made to measure, the rule of thumb is to ask hotel concierges – they always know ‘just the person’ and their own reputation is on the line if they do not recommend quality.
In India, some of the most exciting bespoke handwork is to be found in Rajasthan. At the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, the concierge can arrange for you to be taken to see gem specialist Sanjay Kasliwal of Gem Palace who will design and custom-make a piece to your specification. You can also have a personalised miniature portrait perfected by Rajesh Ramdev, and be sure to stop at Anokhi Store and Cafe.
The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, is surrounded by a wealth of fashionable shops and stores. There is a walkway from the hotel directly to the Landmark complex, which has such must-visit spots as De Beers, Harvey Nichols and Kiehl’s. At Lane Crawford, there is an exclusive Platinum Suite VIP area where visitors are waited on hand and foot, with required items brought to you. Happy shopping!
MARY GOSTELOW is editor-in-chief of WOW.travel, the online magazine of www.kiwicollection.com