Well, to start with, looking at the forms of Mercato Shopping Mall within Dubai, all we can think is that this attraction mainly aims the locals and the American tourists living in Dubai. Mercato Shopping Mall has many similar features to the hotel in Las Vegas, which was made to look like a miniature Venice in Italy. However, we can be sure that Mercato Shopping Mall has all the luxury inside, one could possibly crave.
Dubai is really the land of the extreme and it is not without base that the city is also called the “Las Vegas” of the Middle East. There are several great examples to testify this statement is true, but one of the best examples is definitely the Mercato Shopping Mall that looks like a cross between a Tuscan renaissance mansion and a Venetian palace and in real, it looks greatly surreal in the middle of the Dubai desert. Most importantly, this architectural wonder is a shopping mall as well! After this introduction, we hope that we gave already enough motivation for you to visit Mercato Shopping Mall. Now, let us look at what we find inside.
This shopping mall was born due to the first waves of tourists arriving to Dubai, looking for more and more places to shop. We all know almost all people love shopping, so Dubai thought why not give them the chance. Before the Mercato Shopping Mall, there were not many shopping centres in the downtown, except in the Bur Dubai and Deira districts. Jumeirah did not have any large shopping area worth mentioning. Therefore, this is how the idea of Mercato Shopping Mall came. Dubai decided to take the iconic looks of the Mediterranean Italy as the icon to represent, as much as Italy is representing the world of fashion and elegance all over the world.
Mercato means marketplace in Italian and a shopping centre of all size and kind. This large and unique looking shopping mall opened in 2002. For those locals, who did not have chance to visit Europe, it is a rarity for them with forms and shapes not known in the Arabic Muslim style of Architecture.
Therefore, to start from the beginning, there is a complex of buildings which together look like a LEGO of an Italian little town, pieced together a little bit strangely over here. There are the buildings, the towers, the Renaissance style, but in real Mercato Shopping Mall looks exactly, how it should look like, a Dubai shopping mall with theatrical scenery, which in this case contains a little bit of Italian effect on its overall look. It looks cute huge. In the centre, there is a cinema complex and also a large playing area for children with nursing, There are some fine restaurants within the mall, so it is really nice to try some Italian dishes over here, in “little Italy”.
There is more to Mercato Mall than its outside though. Once you go inside, you will see that the whole complex is larger than you have expected it to be. The whole inside of the Mercato Shopping Mall looks like taking a walk on the covered shopping street of Milan or taking a walk in Parma or Florence. The whole inside looks great and it’s no wonders, as the total cost of building of Mercato Mall is somewhere above 120 million Emirati Dirhams which is a lot of money of course. The influence of Mercato Shopping Mall is clearly the huge Venice Palace Hotel in Las Vegas that looks like a miniature Venice with the lagoons and shopping streets. Although the builders of Mercato Shopping Mall did not go as far as designing even lagoons inside, the result is beautiful. You can spend a whole day in the Mercato Shopping Mall by just looking around and enjoying this athmosphere which is quite unusul in the Middle East. The total interior of the Mercato Mall is of course Air Conditioned. Besides, you can behave just like being on the streets of any Italian old town. There are “piazzas” or squares where people can sit down and enjoy a coffee and there are plenty of stores where you can enjoy shopping.
Talking about shops Mercato Shopping Mall houses quite many good labels such as Bershka, Armani, GAP, Mango, Massimo Dutti, Promod, Next, Nicole Farhi, Topshop, Gant, Nautica or Diesel, just to mention a few of the biggest names over here. Most of these stores sell both men and women’s apparel that seems a very practical solution when shopping. The shopping mall also has a great variety of children’s and baby boutiques, has plenty of toy stores and maternity wear stores as well. Among the accessory and jewellery boutiques, we can highlight Damas, Rivoli Watches, Pandora and Pure Gold Jewellers, each one being the top selling Dubai jewellery brands and among specialty stores, we can spot Apple, Etisalat, HSBC Bank, post office, pharmacy, money exchange and others. There are also several kiosks within the mall offering fast food, cosmetics or electronics. Mercato Shopping Mall also has a very nice variety of cafes and restaurants; there is Starbucks, Mc Donald’s and Pizza Hut as well, for the fans of cafe and fast food.
As for the entertainment, there is a Fun City, especially for the fun of the children full of toys and playing areas with nanny service and the complex has a Cinema City, for watching some of the most popular movies in Dubai. Overall, Mercato Shopping Mall has something on offer for everyone apart from its unique, great outlook that makes the place really an attraction on the first place.
Mercato Shopping Mall is in the luxury and ultra modern Jumeirah district, which is the main land of hundreds of construction works as well. Apart from being a modern luxury shopping centre, the main attraction of Mercato Shopping Mall, is definitely its Italian renaissance look. Based on the outlook of mainly Florence, the Mercato Shopping Mall has some of the most beautiful buildings included in its complex. Interestingly, the main hall of the shopping mall strongly reminds of the Milan Central Railway Station.
The extra services of Mercato Mall include some touristic services, such as sightseeing tours in Jumeirah and some extra offers for hotels as well. Once you are in Jumeirah, it will give you a nice diversity to go and look around the Mercato Shopping Mall.
Mercato Shopping Mall is located along the Jumeirah Road yet it is a little bit far from the Palm Jumeirah – Souk Madinat site yet it enjoys the closeness of the Dubai Zoo and the huge Public Beach of Jumeirah, so it is easy to find. We suggest you to take a taxi to get to Mercato Shopping Mall and you can enjoy a great swim before, or afterwards! The mall is open from 10 am to 10 pm.
