It’s a difficult question, so why not choose a destination that offers both, says Joanna Booth
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Golf widows get sent to spas, but partners abandoned by shopaholic spouses can frequently be found sitting forlornly outside the changing rooms – and that’s hardly the recipe for success on holiday.
Endear yourself to client couples by recommending European shopping destinations where there’s plenty to do besides bargain hunting.
Milan
To shop: Rome may be the Italian capital, but the capital of fashion is undoubtedly Milan, with a history of textile design and production stretching back centuries. For the highest-of-high-end fashion, there’s the Golden Quadrilateral, four streets to the north of the Duomo. But for designer names with less eye-watering prices, suggest Chic Outlet Shopping’s Fidenza Village, one hour outside the city centre and accessible by train or a Shopping Express deluxe coach. There are savings of up to 60%, and big name brands including Italian designers such as Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Missoni.
Not to shop: Milanese flair isn’t just manifested in fashion; visitors can discover the art of football at the Inter and AC Milan Museum. Chic Outlet Shopping offers a range of shopping packages including transport to the village plus tickets for this and other museums. There’s also a golf experience, with green fees and club rental included at a course near the village, or a ‘bike chef experience’, where, after going shopping, clients cycle along the pretty Po River with a chef who will prepare a gourmet picnic for them.
Book it: Chic Outlet Shopping’s Bike Chef experience includes Shopping Express tickets, private transfers to Antica Corte Pallavicina for the bike chef lunch experience, a €50 gift card, and a 10% savings VIP card to use at Fidenza Village, and costs €350 per couple.
London
To shop: Avoid excess baggage charges by sending shoppers somewhere they don’t need to fly home from – and what city in the UK can compete with London, whether your clients want the latest designer gear, high street finds or vintage and one-off pieces? Oxford Street can be a nightmare, so send them east instead. Westfield Stratford is a vast complex with everything from Boss and Cos to Topshop, all under one roof. Spitalfields Market and nearby Brick Lane have plenty to offer for the vintage and one-off shopper.
Not to shop: Westfield has a 17-screen cinema and a casino, plus it’s right next door to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where visitors can see the 2012 sporting venues and view the city from the top of the Arcelor Mittal Orbit, the 114.5-metre-tall swooping red sculpture designed by Anish Kapoor.
Book it: SuperBreak offers two nights in August at the three-star Holiday Inn Express London Stratford from £184.
Berlin
To shop: Europe’s Christmas markets are a well-loved seasonal shopping phenomenon – think traditional handmade toys and decorations, with the scent of spices and gluhwein in the air. Berlin has numerous markets to choose from; at the Gendarmenmarkt choirs fill the air with carols, at the Potsdamer Platz market visitors can try out the largest mobile toboggan run in Europe, and at Charlottenburg Castle the market is held in and around the fairytale building.
Not to shop: It’s 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and visitors can find out more at the Berlin Wall Memorial and the fascinating Checkpoint Charlie museum, and experience life under communism at the DDR Museum. Lighter-hearted options include the glass-domed Reichstag parliament building, the revolving TV Tower, and the Currywurst Museum, in honour of Germany’s favourite sausage.
Book it: Fred offers two nights with breakfast at the three-star Hotel Altberlin from £269 including flights from London.
Istanbul
To shop: If bargains and bartering are their forte, send clients to the Grand Bazaar. One of the world’s largest and oldest covered markets, it’s made up of 61 streets and over 3,000 shops. There’s a vast array of goods, from traditional Turkish carpets, brass and copperware, to leather products and jewellery. But Istanbul isn’t all about the bazaar, upmarket Nisantasi is the district for designer goods. Try department store Beymen for everything under one roof, and sister store Beymen Blender for diffusion lines. For up-and-coming local designers, look at the boutiques around the Galata Tower.
Not to shop: Famed for its blend of East-meets-West, Istanbul has sights to spare, from the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia to the exquisite Topkapi Palace. For something different, recommend the spooky underground Basilica Cistern, a ferry ride up the Bosphorus or a traditional hammam treatment.
Book it: Osprey Holidays offers four nights with breakfast at the four-star Sultanhan Hotel – just 200 metres from both the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque – from £569 including transfers and flights from Gatwick, departing October 2.
