Five Best: Shopping Hotels

Check in as close to the checkouts as you can

The Oberoi Mumbai

The Oberoi Mumbai

For some serious retail therapy it's hard to beat the Oberoi in Mumbai. The hotel boasts its own arcade with 250 boutiques and also offers a round-the-clock personal shopping service whereby guides accompany guests through the city's bazaars and markets imparting all their valuable local knowledge. For those who prefer to explore alone, the Chor bazaar and Mutton Street are renowned for their wide array of antiques, silver, wooden carvings, leather, sumptuous hand-spun silks and pashminas, while the Zaveri bazaar is the best place for jewellery.

The Oberoi Mumbai, Nariman Point, Mumbai (00 91 22 5632 5757; www.oberoihotels.com). Doubles from $376 (£268) without breakfast

Bulgari Hotel Milan

The super-sleek Bulgari Hotel in Milan opened in May. In the middle of the most prestigious shopping area of Italy's fashion capital, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Gianfranco Ferré, and Versace are all just a stiletto's throw away. The hotel also offers a personal shopping service to guests who need local knowledge. To recover from a hard day's credit card-flexing, you could try a Day Ritual treatment in the adjoining spa.

The Bulgari Hotel, Via Privata Fratelli Gabba, Milan (00 39 02 8058051; www.bulgarihotels.com). Rooms from €616 (£440) and soar to €3,850 (£2,750) for the Bulgari Suite without breakfast

Soho House New York

When Soho House, New York opened last year in the heart of Manhattan's Meatpacking district, it was instantly lauded as the city's hottest hotel. Its fashionable location also means it's well placed for small boutiques and designer shops including Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Diane von Furstenburg. The bathrooms are jammed with Cowshed products, and with drawers full of NARS cosmetics, CDs and games in every room, you can always tick a few names off your Christmas list without leaving the hotel.

Soho House New York, 29-35 9th Avenue, NY 10014 (001 212 627 9800; www.sohohouseny.com). Rooms from $420 (£248) without breakfast

Intercontinental Hong Kong

Hong Kong offers myriad shopping options and the Intercontinental is the ideal hotel from which to exploit them. Teetering on the edge of the water in Kowloon, it has spectacular views over Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island. More importantly, next door you will find the New World Shopping Centre, which is full of designer boutiques and tailors. The ritzy shops of the Island are a quick ferry ride away while the jade and Hollywood Road antiques markets are within walking distance. Continue your shopping into the early hours at the Temple Street night market, which opens at 2pm.

Intercontinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Hong Kong, China (00 852 27211211; www.ichotelsgroup.com) Rooms from HK$3,390 (£235), those with a harbour view start from HK$3,955 (£275)

Mandarin Oriental London

Directly across the road from Harvey Nichols and a short hop from Harrods, not only are the finest stores in Britain close enough to visit in skyscraper heels, but if you acquire too many bags a hotel porter will collect them for you at no extra charge. And once you've bought your Manolo Blahniks and Gucci dress you'll be fit to pose in the Mandarin bar, one of the hippest hangouts in London. If the shopping has taken its toll, head straight for the basement where you'll find one of the best city spas in Britain where you can sample treats such as the holistic body treatment.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA (020-7235 2000; www.mandarinoriental.com). Doubles from £249 with breakfast