SIAM PARAGON

From a sporty yellow Ferrari to a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes straight from the set of Sex and the City, Siam Paragon is a shopping mall without rival in Southeast Asia when it comes to luxury goods.

This shopping and entertainment complex is an upmarket, five-storey colossus with 500,000 square metres of retail space. The gleaming, modern mall opened in December 2005 at a cost of US $375 million, and is home to more than 250 famed international and local luxury brands.

It's easy to get lost in Siam Paragon's spacious marbled hallways. Five vast floors make it a consumer 'heaven' with boutiques and flagship stores of the world's top-notch designer names like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Versace, Burberry and Hermes. Floors are divided into Luxury Living, Fashion Venue, Lifestyle & Leisure, Living & Technology, IT & Paragon Passage, and Explorium & Global Entertainment.

And that's not even counting the world-class aquarium, Siam Ocean World on the basement floor, or the stylish restaurants, Gourmet Market and Food Hall on the ground level. At the base of each escalator are information directories, but it is advisable to get your hands on a map from the information desk on the ground level before you start your shopping excursion or exploration.