Pacific Place

Luxury is stamped through every inch of this glittering palace to high-end consumption. Pacific Place was designed from the start to exude classy glamour. And it has remained the gold-standard for luxury shopping in the region, ever since it opened its doors in 1988. Originally two mirror-glassed towers were erected here, in the central strip of Hong Kong Island's hub. Now a third 40-storey high tower has joined them – and between them they house a veritable temple to living the high life.

The first four floors are given over to a luxury shopping mall, home to brands like Versace, Louis Vuitton, Harvey Nichols, Zara, Burberry and Gucci. In fact there are over 130 stores selling their wares here, and not all of them are global brand names. There are many local boutiques, specialist food stores and local Hong Kong brands in evidence too, giving the Pacific Place mall its distinctly East-meets-West atmosphere.

Beauty is taken very seriously at Pacific Place, too – a whole floor is given over to fine cosmetics, refined perfumes and premium skincare products. The same floor also houses the AMC Cinema, famed for its stadium-sized leather seating and wide-ranging programme of local Asian cinema and international blockbusters.

Scattered around the mall are mid-priced windows onto world cuisine, including Italian, Thai and of course, Cantonese. There are also unique dining experiences, like Roka's Japanese shared-cooking tables, or Zelo's relaxed Mediterranean approach to wining-and-dining. And several first-class restaurants are located within Pacific Place's higher levels.

That's because, as well as being a top notch retail and dining experience, Pacific Place provides an abundance of five-star accommodation in its three opulent towers. Not one, but three highly-rated hotels sit directly over the shopping mall – the Conrad Hotel, the JW Marriott and the Island Shangri-La. Aimed at the luxury-minded jet setters, these fabulous hotels also provide somewhere to rest and recuperate – should you find that you've taken the instruction to 'shop until you drop' a little too literally.