Villagio Mall at the west end of Doha is not only the city’s premier shopping destination, with a total retail floor area of 50,000 sq meters, but it is also Doha’s entertainment hub. The mall has an elegant Italian themed interior including a 150 meter canal with gondolas running through it and arched bridges providing crossings. Painted skies representing a different time of day in different parts of the mall adorn the ceiling. According to the mall operators the Italian theme is to transport shoppers to a different realm.

By any standards the shopping here is fabulous and the mix of retailers, from high street brands mixed with emerging brands and exclusive premium brands provide something for everyone, proved by the 42,000 daily footfalls recorded and the range of people who visit it every day. Shoppers have a huge choice from clothing for the whole family to accessories, jewellery and watches, health and beauty products, perfumes, footwear, furniture and home décor, sportswear and goods. Additionally a large selection of books and stationery, a huge choice of music and the latest electronics can also be found here. Once shoppers get in, they have no need to go anywhere else. Everything is catered for. Seasonal and other sales and promotions offer great discounts and introductions to the latest fashions and gizmos. The only difficulty here is about choices and unintentional spending. Even breaks between shopping have been catered for. A food court, up market cafes and restaurants and several fast food places offer varied culinary experiences to suit almost any type of budget.

Villagio offers the Gondolania Theme park with the Gondolania Ice Rink, the home of the Qatar Ice Hockey League and the regional Desert Cup tournament. It is the only Olympic size rink in the city. The Gondolania theme park boasts a Ferris wheel, a carousel, bumper cars, horror street rides, a Go Kart track, a 12 lane bowling alley, billiard tables and the latest arcade games for various ages. A 13 screen IMAX 3D cinema provides great audio-visual excitement as well.

Villagio Mall is undoubtedly the favourite destination of Qataris and visitors not only to shop but as a great place to enjoy the atmosphere and relax and hang out with family and friends.

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Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry. Google+