• Wednesday 01 December 2010

There is nowhere in the world that offers the array of shopping opportunities that New York City does! Here in Ireland with an economic recession hanging over us, consumer confidence at an all time low, overpriced electrical goods and clothes and every euro buying you nearly $1.60 shopping in New York is better than ever! There is no better time to take a City Breaks to the city that never sleeps. The most popular option is a four-day weekend but it's best to arrive prepared. Decide where you want to shop in advance and make sure your hotel is well positioned. The more chic, smaller hotels are found Downtown (below 14th Street) but as you won't be spending much time in it, base yourself in a large, cheaper hotel in Midtown, so you'll be within walking distance of the big department stores on Fifth Avenue. Remember too, cabs are relatively cheap. An average trip from Midtown to Downtown will cost around $10 so you can zoom between shops all over Manhattan for the price of two large Starbucks coffees. Even with the cold wind blowing New York City is transformed into a winter wonderland -- from the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Centre to the Christmas window displays at Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, there are endless Christmas sights to enjoy during the holiday season in New York City. Start your Christmas adventure and book Cheap Flights online. For guys the best place to go for gadgets is the "Apple Store". There are two iPod emporiums in New York, one in Soho (103 Prince Street, 212 226 3126; www.apple.com) and one on Fifth Avenue (767 Fifth Avenue, 212 336 1440) where a giant glass cube covers the elevator that takes you down to the underground store. Save yourself a mint and get that Christmas iPod stateside! Avoid Macy's and Bloomingdale's and head to New York's chicest department store, Barney's (660 Madison Avenue, 212 826 8900). Here the store's own label, which makes excellent classics, is currently on sale. Saks Fifth Avenue is also a good place to head to for mid-season sales – much of its clothing collections are usually 40% off. Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Avenue; 212 753 7300) is second to none for cosmetics. If it's high street you're after there are two chains to make a beeline for, mainly because we don't have them in the Ireland: Banana Republic (a higher-end version of Gap; www.bananarepublic.com) and Club Monaco (Prada look-alike clothes at high-street prices; www.clubmonaco.com). Store locations are dotted around the city. Woodbury Common is a discount shopping "mall" about an hour north of the city (498 Red Apple Court, Central Valley, 845 928 4000; www.premiumoutlets.com), with factory outlets and designer discount stores selling past-season clothes. The "village" consists of 220 stores including MaxMara, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Fendi and Gucci, all selling clothes at clearance prices. New Yorkers don't like to pay full price for anything, no matter how rich they are and fans of the outlet refuse to buy clothes anywhere else. Be prepared to rummage. A good one-stop shop for make-up is Sephora, which has 11 branches over the city and is set up like a supermarket with each aisle devoted to one brand. Stock up on American products such as Bliss Spa, Laura Mercier, Mac and Benefit – the cult product Benetint is half the price it is here! With Christmas literally around the corner we have an offer for 4 nights stay including flights & Accommodation, Ex Dublin. Click Here for Details. Price Fr.€942 Happy shopping!