WanderLex

Tag: Outlet Shopping

  • London Calling and Bicester Village awaits

    London Calling and Bicester Village awaits

    London has always been on my mind for various reasons. One is due to the traditional nursery rhyme of a certain London Bridge. Second is the fact that Singapore was formerly a British’s colony and I had to study some part of that History in school. The third was when I realised that Singapore Dollar was 1:3 against the Pound in currency exchange back then – I need to see what is the big deal about this country. I am glad that the visit has taken place much later when the exchange rate was 1:2 instead.

    The short trip was booked kind of last minute after I learn about Finnair’s promotion fares to London. The flights and seamless transit at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport left me with a good impression.

    finnair-from-singapore-to-london

    on-board-finnair

    From London Heathrow Airport to Paddington

    There are various options available but the quickest way from Airport to Paddington Station is via Heathrow Express, which takes only 15 minutes as compared to the Tube or Heathrow Connect Airport Train. One can save up to 65% of the ticket price by purchasing the ticket online 3 months in advance.

    to-heathrow-express-platform

    interior-of-heathrow-express-train

    Don’t you just love their X-men style logo?

    heathrow-express-logo

    Outlet Shopping at Bicester Village

    Upon arriving at Paddington Station, we went straight to the Left Luggage facilities at Platform 12. Thereafter, making our way to Marylebone station to catch a Chiltern Railways’ train from London to Bicester Village. We alight at Bicester North station where there’s a connecting shuttle bus. And that was how it was done during my visit back in 2012.

    Ever since October 2015, the opening of Bicester Village station located adjacent to the popular Outlet Mall offers more convenient for the shoppers.

    marylebone-station-in-london

    marylebone-station-london

    There are plenty of bargain-hunting locals and tourists around this well laid out shopping environment. From the various paper bags the shoppers are holding on, many have gotten what they wanted at Bicester Village. The cash registers in most shops ka-ching in overdrive mode. This is the next best money sucking machine after our very own ERP gantries.

    bicester-village-uk

    bicester-village

    But according to what I read somewhere before, certain brands are now manufacturing products which solely cater to their Outlet shops. That would probably render some tags like ‘Usual Price/ Outlet Price’ as hype since you will never see the full priced product on display at those upscale boutiques.

    Perhaps it would be good to do a bit of product research before visiting Bicester Village?

    yes-no-maybe-at-bicester-village

    Prada Bicester Village is busy and popular as per usual.

    prada-at-bicester-village

    Settled for a nice quick bite at Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts (closed) before wifey continues her shopping spree. Jetlag, what Jetlag?

    jamie-olivers-fabulous-feasts

    jamie-olivers-fabulous-feasts-burger

    This gotta be one of the nicest apple juices I ever had.

    jakes-tree-apple-juice

    Finally, it’s time to head back to London, proper. I ended up with a few Superdry Tee Shirts and wifey, as usual, gotten quite a handful of stuff. – Don’t ask.

    From the picture below, you can see what I meant that most people have gotten something right?

    train-from-bicester-north-to-london

    STAY: Thistle Euston Hotel review

    After collecting our luggage at Paddington Station, we make our way to Thistle Euston Hotel, which is just a short walk away. It will be our base of exploration for the next few days.

    london-tube

    We arrived late in the evening and desperately needing a rest. It may not look like much from the outside but the hotel interior is very welcoming with a nice décor. The polite and efficient reception staffs ensure the check-in to be quick and hassle-free. Nice!

    thistle-euston-hotel

    thistle-euston-hotel-interior

    The decent sized twin room is clean and comes with very comfortable beds. The stay at Thistle Euston Hotel throughout was very pleasing and I will definitely choose to stay here again.

    bedroom-of-thistle-euston-hotel

    bathroom-of-thistle-euston-hotel

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    What are your thoughts about London and Bicester Village? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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  • Prada Paradise, Space Outlet in Florence

    Prada Paradise, Space Outlet in Florence

    The close proximity to luxury brands factory outlets like Prada Space Outlet is another reason why people come to Florence. There’s a saying that Space Outlet gets more visitors than Uffizzi Gallery, wow! The Prada Mecca is located at Montevarchi which’s just a 30 min drive from Florence. But since we didn’t have a rental car, we opted to board a regional train (around 5 Euros one way). Follow by a taxi ride instead of hiring a taxi from Florence for around 120-150 Euros.

    Upon reaching Montevarchi-Terranuova station, there will be taxi drivers outside shouting ‘Prada, Prada’. From what my driver told me, there are only 4 taxis operating in town. So just hop on to any by paying 3 Euros to share the cab with others or 12 Euros for the whole taxi to yourself.

    Taxi to Space Outlet

    The Space Outlet building is so unassuming that we thought the driver brought us to the wrong place. Don’t be fool by the appearance – here’s the worst kept secret to indulging in Prada’s Italian fashion at fraction of its street prices. A little less guilt while filling up the shopping bags with more stuff…heh…

    Prada Outlet Florence

    Space Outlet in Florence

    We were among the first few to arrive, collect our queue numbers from a ticket dispenser and waited. People started streaming in when it’s near the opening hour.

    Outlet Queue Numbers

    Outlet Opening Hours

    Once the door opens, ladies storm the store like commandos, wanting to grab hold of every Prada handbags or Miu Miu ones in sight. Designer handbags are one big magnet for women LOL. We overheard one Asian lady getting 10 handbags of the same design at one go – WOW. As told, the store’s inventory is limited to an unknown quantity per day (or per hour?), which perhaps intensify the competition.

    While wifey prowls the battle zone, I move over to the quieter (perhaps more sane LOL) men’s section.

    Inside the Outlet

    I grabbed a few belts and a pair of shoes, informed the Salesperson my queue ticket numbers and he placed them behind the cashier counters. The belts cost around 80-120 Euros each but I see them retailing at over 220 Euros in Rome’s store. That’s not a bad deal especially after factoring in the 10-12% VAT refund.

    Wifey’s a much happier camper and her shopping cart is obviously more filled up than mine. The wait at the cashier took a while before we paid for our items, showed our passports and filled up the VAT refund forms.

    Prada Space Outlet Shopping

    Shopping at The Mall Firenze outlets

    We proceeded to The Mall outlets next for more bargain hunting. So it’s Modus Operandi – regional train (3 Euros one way) from Montevarchi-Terranuova to Rignano Sull’Arno and then taxi. Unlike Montevarchi, this is a very quiet station with no taxi in sight, so we called a taxi’s numbers we found on the notice board. And reaching The Mall after a 5 min ride. There’s a direct bus if you’re coming straight from Florence.

    The Mall outlets

    Map of the outlets

    The Mall carries brands like Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, Prada (yes, again), Armani, Tods, Gucci etc.

    The outlets directory

    Around the outlets

    I got a comfortable pair of Ferragamo shoes for around 200 Euros and a Bottega Veneta wallet. The wallet is at least S$200 cheaper compared to buying in Singapore. The Prada has got quite a big selection here as well but we didn’t find anything we fancy. There’s even a Global Blue VAT refund office here, meaning we got our VAT savings on the spot – Nice!

    After a long day of outlets shopping, we took the 1-hour SITA bus ride back to Florence for our dinner.

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    What are your thoughts about Space Outlet and The Mall? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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