If you live south of the city then venturing to Dundrum is customary amongst many suburban dwellers looking to have the ultimate, comprehensive shopping experience all under one roof counter to the city centre's sporadic and hectic layout.
When I lived in Rathmines I used to love jumping on the Luas and getting off at the Balally stop to go to the shopping centre and the cinema complex 'Movies @ Dundrum' (located within the shopping centre). Certainly the preferred cinema amongst suburban residents south of the city, Dundrum's modern muliplex caters to both young and old with huge, comfortable seats, sizable compartments for your extra large diet coke and big screens with large capacity seating that means you are always almost certain of a seat without having to pre-book even when a new release is the hot topic of the weekend. Prices are slightly cheaper before 1pm until early evening, the peak period of evening time costing €7.90 for a student and €9.90 for an adult. Of late, 3D is all the rage and for one euro more you can enjoy the most popular films in the unique backdrop of three dimension. The cinema sells 3D glasses for 50c but does encourage you to bring your own on the rare occasion that they may be out of stock. Gracious staff and a whole plethora of food and drink available to buy that you can gorge on during a rumpus blockbuster makes this a very enjoyable Friday night or Sunday afternoon outing - the widespread enjoyment of the experience befitting for any time in the week.
Owing to the supermarkets in Rathmines being too 'express' to enable a comprehensive shop (Centra and Tesco were not big enough to stock every pernickety thing you could possibly want nor be substantial enough to rely on for all the ingredients you require for a dinner party for example. They were only dependable for buying the basics.) I often jumped on the Luas and went to the gigantic Tesco Dundrum which provides the conventional shopper with an ample variety of groceries, kitchen and bathroom ware, electrical appliances, retains a comprehensive newsagents and tobacconists as well as alcohol and party paraphernalia. The store is huge with up to forty aisles all stocked with a colossal assortment of diverse goods to hopefully pander to your every need. This store can really pride itself on possessing a plentiful amount of stock. On one shopping trip I was able to buy all the toiletries I required for my last term at university, a memory card reader and a hammer. Such a versatile range of goods under one roof can only be a good thing, helped along commendably by kind and patient staff.
Other favourites that I visit when on an afternoon trip to Dundrum include Monsoon, Pennys, Office and BT2. As well as clothes outlets Dundrum prides itself on an abundance of decent food outlets such as Yo! Sushi, BB's Coffee & Muffins, Café Mao and Milanos amongst others. However what it lacks is a TopShop. I see this as a genuine setback. I was and still am sincerely frustrated that such a premier store that is otherwise seminal to any high street is absent forcing the shopper back into town. On occasion if I am looking for something to wear to a party for example I will often discard the idea of going to Dundrum and instead head straight into town owing to the fact that I cannot afford to not visit TopShop for fear I may miss out on an exciting garment. This pays tribute to how influential TopShop is to any younger hipster's (such as myself) shopping experience as well as how much the shopping centre in Dundrum could be losing out overall if people are deterred from visiting for this reason. read more