New Bond Street comes to downtown Kuwait
Have one word to describe Al Hamra Luxury Centre: SUPER SWANKY (that makes it two, my bad!). If Hillary Swank were to go shopping in Kuwait this would be her kind of place- the Grand Hamra. Too bad the Palestinian owned Grand Stores exited Kuwait else, they sure as hell would have set up shop here. Two lame statements in a row, I know! Anyway, the Grand Hambra, as I like calling it, is truly grand in every sense of the word imagineable: resplendent in the finest quality fittings and marble floorings with stores that gush with an understated elegance; it has well, a certain je ne sais quoi unlike anything I have seen thus far, from Beverly Hills 90210 to Dubai. Just for the sake of argument, we shall pretend as if Hong Kong (the new territories) and Tokyo didn’t exist okay- wouldn’t want to rain down its parade now, would we?! Simply love the smell and look and feel of Al Hamra, and TFK (the fragrance kitchen) is in no small measure responsible for the fragrance a la Al Hamra. Someday, we expect Al Hamra Luxury Centre to have a signature fragrance its own dedicated by none other than TFK.
Everything about Al Hamra is about building it bigger and better. For starters, it is housed in an iconic building: the Hamra tower which is one of a kind and by far the only supertall that exists in the State of Kuwait. Mind it that will all soon change with the all steel and glass NBK (National Bank of Kuwait) headquarters rising from the ashes as it were, like a Phoenix with its erotic take on the human penile shaft - on the plot facing opposite the Al Hamra. Calling it a mall would be a slight to this celebration of haute couture and high living. By far, the only downside is access to valet parking which is pathetic; blink and by Jove you’ve missed it. Which is more than I can say for the parking lot which incidentally is a pay park and is clearly sign posted, thank God for that!
Al Hamra houses top notch luxury stores that includes Hermes, Harry Winston, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Carolina Herrera, Breitling, Hublot, Mouawad, CHopard, Harry’s of London, Ted Baker, Salvator Ferragamo, Vera Wang bridal, Christian Lacroix Kids, The Fragrance Kitchen, Tempur and still counting. Only Asprey, Van Cleef & Arpels and Graff diamonds flagship boutique are conspicious by their absence. I believe Van Cleef & Arpels maintains a stand-alone presence in Salhia though not the rest.
Outside of Salhiya and the Prestige at the Avenues this is the most over the top luxury retailer in town, re-defining what luxury has come to mean for our times. Too bad the Prestige at the Avenues beats it to it, in terms of the retail tenant mix. Frequented mostly, by Kuwaiti tai tais, well heeled and affluent Qataris and Saudis and high rolling expats(yep! hold your breath such a tribe as that exists); the Al Hamra is quickly emerging as watering hole of the rich and famous in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf. The arcade operator (calling it a mall operator would be an affront) has mostly been able to keep the young trash out which is just as well since the young and the restless in Kuwait truly, are a darn nuisance; a blight on the urban 21 st century Kuwaiti landscape.
Food options are varied and range from fine dine to casual dining. I am only able to vouch for Bice (fine dine) ristorante where I went to dinner once, the casual dine Italian place- Eatachment where I had been out lunching and the Magnolia Bakery of New York famed for its red velvet cupcake. Am not too sure, why the Bice had to drop the suffix Mare as in the Bice Mare Ristorante, of Milanese fame.Then, there are the other usual suspects such as, Le Relais Entrecote and the Chocolate Bar which are to be found elsewhere in Kuwait. The top floor of the luxury centre is dedicated to the Grand Cinemas where one can enjoy Hollywood, Bollywood and Cairowood with the convenience of online bookings and an enhanced non segregated movie watching experience- never mind that watching cinema in the VIP screens can set you back USD30. Expensive even for an all leather fully reclining seat experience in this cine diner enclosure. And the bestest part is there is no dedicated fun zone- read trouble zone err,........ bowling pin or simulated gaming zone to bring in the riffraff, as in 360 Kuwait or the Avenues. Having said that, everyone and his brother is eagerly awaiting the observatory deck to be commissoned and opened to members of the public for viewing the Kuwaiti skyline.
Flash photography may not be allowed although filming the luxury centre is well worth the effort. There are minders and security personnel that are liberally sprinkled all over the place which can make visiting the Al Hamra a slightly stiff and somewhat sombre affair. Seems to me between the Prestige at the Avenues, Salhia and Al Hamra- each is going to fuel the other in terms of provisioning of luxury for luxury's sake.
Overall, I'd give it 8.5/10.
Everything about Al Hamra is about building it bigger and better. For starters, it is housed in an iconic building: the Hamra tower which is one of a kind and by far the only supertall that exists in the State of Kuwait. Mind it that will all soon change with the all steel and glass NBK (National Bank of Kuwait) headquarters rising from the ashes as it were, like a Phoenix with its erotic take on the human penile shaft - on the plot facing opposite the Al Hamra. Calling it a mall would be a slight to this celebration of haute couture and high living. By far, the only downside is access to valet parking which is pathetic; blink and by Jove you’ve missed it. Which is more than I can say for the parking lot which incidentally is a pay park and is clearly sign posted, thank God for that!
Al Hamra houses top notch luxury stores that includes Hermes, Harry Winston, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Carolina Herrera, Breitling, Hublot, Mouawad, CHopard, Harry’s of London, Ted Baker, Salvator Ferragamo, Vera Wang bridal, Christian Lacroix Kids, The Fragrance Kitchen, Tempur and still counting. Only Asprey, Van Cleef & Arpels and Graff diamonds flagship boutique are conspicious by their absence. I believe Van Cleef & Arpels maintains a stand-alone presence in Salhia though not the rest.
Outside of Salhiya and the Prestige at the Avenues this is the most over the top luxury retailer in town, re-defining what luxury has come to mean for our times. Too bad the Prestige at the Avenues beats it to it, in terms of the retail tenant mix. Frequented mostly, by Kuwaiti tai tais, well heeled and affluent Qataris and Saudis and high rolling expats(yep! hold your breath such a tribe as that exists); the Al Hamra is quickly emerging as watering hole of the rich and famous in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf. The arcade operator (calling it a mall operator would be an affront) has mostly been able to keep the young trash out which is just as well since the young and the restless in Kuwait truly, are a darn nuisance; a blight on the urban 21 st century Kuwaiti landscape.
Food options are varied and range from fine dine to casual dining. I am only able to vouch for Bice (fine dine) ristorante where I went to dinner once, the casual dine Italian place- Eatachment where I had been out lunching and the Magnolia Bakery of New York famed for its red velvet cupcake. Am not too sure, why the Bice had to drop the suffix Mare as in the Bice Mare Ristorante, of Milanese fame.Then, there are the other usual suspects such as, Le Relais Entrecote and the Chocolate Bar which are to be found elsewhere in Kuwait. The top floor of the luxury centre is dedicated to the Grand Cinemas where one can enjoy Hollywood, Bollywood and Cairowood with the convenience of online bookings and an enhanced non segregated movie watching experience- never mind that watching cinema in the VIP screens can set you back USD30. Expensive even for an all leather fully reclining seat experience in this cine diner enclosure. And the bestest part is there is no dedicated fun zone- read trouble zone err,........ bowling pin or simulated gaming zone to bring in the riffraff, as in 360 Kuwait or the Avenues. Having said that, everyone and his brother is eagerly awaiting the observatory deck to be commissoned and opened to members of the public for viewing the Kuwaiti skyline.
Flash photography may not be allowed although filming the luxury centre is well worth the effort. There are minders and security personnel that are liberally sprinkled all over the place which can make visiting the Al Hamra a slightly stiff and somewhat sombre affair. Seems to me between the Prestige at the Avenues, Salhia and Al Hamra- each is going to fuel the other in terms of provisioning of luxury for luxury's sake.
Overall, I'd give it 8.5/10.
posted by Men Who Do Cleavages at 12:01 pm
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