Sunday, November 14, 2010

Mall of Milennia Update

If you are in Orlando on vacation, make sure you leave time for a visit to Mall of Milennia.

A favorite destination for locals and visitors alike, this is an attraction that everyone enjoys.
The anchor stores at Mall of Milennia are a huge Macys, a great Neiman Marcus and a trendy Bloomingdales.
In between, you'll find everything from a wing of luxury retailers including Tiffany, Gucci and Lous Vuitton to upscale home stores Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma to clothing boutiques like Lucky Jeans and IZOD. 
If you crave some caffeine or a snack, there are two Starbucks in the center of the mall on both levels. In the back of the food court (also located in the center of the mall on the second floor), you'll find Panera Bread, where you can get great coffee and coffee drinks as well as a bagel or sweet treat (try the sticky pecan rolls and big cookies) to go with them.
On the other side of the food court from Starbucks, you'll find the Lindt chocolate store. Buy a truffle or a dark chocolate bar to enjoy as you stroll the mall.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

True Religion Outlet! New in Orlando!

The True Religion outlet has arrived in Orlando.  If you are a fan of these uber-flattering jeans, come to the Premium Outlet mall for the latest styles.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Juniors and Jeans at Vanity Fair!

Don't miss the Vanity Fair outlet in Kissimmee.  This HUGE outlet is full of surprises, including the complete line of Lee Jeans for men, women and children, Jansport backpacks and accessories and department store-style junior clothes. 

Looking for lingerie for a steal?  You'll find lots of it here.  Brands include Marilyn Monroe, Delta Burke (great quality shapers, you go girl!) and of course, Vanity Fair.  Teen alert- you can find racks and racks of cotton cuties,Victoria's Secret Pink look-alikes, here too.

Best of all, the Junior Department is awesome.
LOTS of date-worthy jeans and tops and toppers for practically nothing.  The selection changes all the time so stop by often.

Location1567 South Apopka Vineland Road (SR 535) at the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores. LBVFS is an easy to shop, low-stress outlet mall with small versions of many of the big guys- Gap, Reebok, Nike, etc. There is also a cute little food court with a fountain and outdoor seating.






Wednesday, March 3, 2010

True Religion is coming to Premium Outlets!

Desiring those $200 Billy jeans with the flap pockets, but don't want to pay the high mall price?  Starting in early May, you can score a pair at the new True Religion outlet in the Premium outlet mall.

In the meantime, try Neiman Marcus Last Call or the Saks outlet in the Prime outlet mall.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

New at Milennia- Fast Fix Jeweler

At Mall of Milennia, get your broken necklace fixed and a new battery put in your dress watch while you shop.  Buy a watch or bracelet in the mall, take it down there and get the links taken out to wear your  find right away. 

Next to Bloomingdale's on the lower level, you'll find the Fast Fix store.  The staff is courteous and the work is done quickly and expertly.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Don't miss Florida Mall!

Florida Mall is great fun for a day trip.  Here are some highlights, and there are many more!

Adrenalina-  Huge surf shop with "indoor surf experience" (wave tank). If you are lucky, you can watch the resident hot guys surf (think Abercrombie guy on a board).

Build A Bear workshop- Younger children and tween girls love making custom bears and other stuffed animals like bunnies and raccoons. There's a great selection of accessories to personalize the toys, so the result can be unique as a cheerleader soccer bear with a cell phone.

M & M store-  Huge store devoted to the ubiquitous candy. Something for everyone including clothes, toys and race-themed items. Plus an M & M buffet where you pay by the pound.

Sephora- Cult favorite cosmetic, hair and skin care brands including Makeup Forever, Fekkai and Perricone and many more, plus the latest fragrances for men and women. Great assortment of makeup brushes and cases. Always something new. Find great gifts in any price range. Grab something new to slip into your suitcase.

Teavana- High quality loose tea of all kinds plus tea accessories, including teapots and strainers.  Always has cold and hot teas too sample.

Saks Fifth Avenue- Orlando's only Saks.  Great for cosmetics, costume jewelry, womens status accessories and purses.  Don't miss Armani makeup counter by the mall entrance, staffed by talented makeup artists. Pure genius and very low pressure.

Nordstrom coffee shop- between Nordstrom and the mall, a quick serve coffee shop with friendly service, good quality coffee drinks, some cute coffee-themed gifts and snacks.

Nordstrom- Perfume, shoes and accessories departments. All three are located right by the mall entrance, great if your feet are already tired.  Kudos to the Nordstrom buyers manage to find shoes, jewelry and hair accessories that are unique and stylish, yet affordable. You can get a large custom sample of any perfume even the very latest exclusives.

Florida Mall- the best restrooms.

Florida Mall has nice clean bathrooms in:

The M & M store

Nordstrom

Sax Fifth Avenue

Note: The public bathrooms get too much traffic and locals avoid them.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Mall of Milennia restaurant scoop

Having dinner at the Mall of Milennia on a weekend night (including Sunday)?  Beware the long waits for tables. But you can avoid this if one of your party signs up ahead of the time you want to eat.
He'll get custody of the buzzer.  The rest of you can shop.  If the stated wait is 40 minutes (as it was for a booth tonight at Cheesecake Factory), you can safely leave the restaurant for the first 30 minutes... No sense wasting good shopping time.

Don't miss Neiman Marcus After Christmas Deals!

Covet the pricey goods at Neiman Marcus?  Right now, there are lots of bargains from 50 to 70% off. Sale ends Thurs. If they don't have your size in an item, they will look for it in the other stores. (Try that at Macy's.)  There is still a good selection of gorgeous Christmas ornaments and decorations left this year, unusual for so late in January.

Also,  Williams Sonoma has a sale table in the back with great china, linens and misc. items.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Florida Mall sales

After Christmas bargains at Florida Mall include:
  • The Calendar store (near the Macy's entrance) -50% off for all calendars.
  • Harry and David has gift box pyramids less than half off.
  • Williams Sonoma has some great Christmas items on sale, including linens and candies.  I scored a two-piece $28 caviar server/chiller for $5.99.  Check out the Emile Henry bowls and plates.
Florida mall deals for women:
  • Sephora will give you sample containers of any foundation or cream in the store.  Don't waste you $$ on things you may not like any longer.
  • The famous Armani foundation is available at Saks Fifth Avenue. Armai also gives out generous samples. If you think all foundation is the same, you'll be so pleased!
  • Banana Republic always has sale items at great prices.  Currently they have boots and jewelry marked down as well as the usual clothes.  If you like their fragrances, they have 3 small bottles for $20.
  • Bed Bath and Beyond has a 70% off sale and they have lots of inventory left.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Fun for Kids in Milennia Mall

A few fun spots for the little one's in Mall of Milennia.
  • The fountain in the front (inside) between Brio and Cheesecake Factory.  This is a long low fountain with a small walkway (a bridge if you are under 5 years old!)  and long bench sides that make great seats.  Let the little ones walk around for a few minutes while you rest.  They'll love it.
  • Dylan's candy store in the lower mall entrance to Bloomingdales.  They have candy by the pound and other treats.  This is the most fun that kids can have for under $5 anywhere.
  • The food court.  Cookie samples at the cookie stand on the front right and lots of chicken samples everywhere.  Get a drink and you are done, you don't even need to eat...  Pre-teens love this.
  • Starbuck's in the center of the mall, one upstairs and one downstairs. If the line's not too long, you can get great homemade-style chocolate milk and hot cocoa.  Not for small kids, but great for older, pre-coffee children.
  • Truffles or candy bars at Lindt next to the food court upstairs. If your kids like chocolate, they will be happy to CHOOSE their favorite bar or truffle. Truffles are under $1. Great white and dark chocolate selections here, too. (Moms- Try the mint-infused dark chocolate bar.) Lindt stores are very child-friendly, especially near the holidays.  Not: Godiva is not.
  • For meals, Panera and the food court (upstairs in the center) are both cafeteria style, so no long waits for service.  If you want to sit down, Cheesecake Factory is nice and noisy, perfect for large parties with kids!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Mall of Milennia tips

Here are some tips to save time and have more fun at Mall of Milennia. It's a great place to shop!  Don't miss it.
Parking
Park in front of Neiman Marcus, as close to the center entrance of the mall as you can get.  That is on the right side of the Neiman lot, when you are facing the mall.  Walk thru Neiman's when they are open. Enjoy the nice jewelry, try some perfume or get makeup samples from Chanel and YSL. If the store closes or you go to one of the restaurants in the center, your car will be right there, accessible from the center mall entrance.
In the back by the food court is another good centrally-locates spot.  Since there is no direct store access there, you can usually find a space close-up.  On the way in or out, you can grab a beverage at Panera or Starbucks.  The kids can eat their fill of free chicken and cookie samples, maybe even sample ice cream or a smoothie.  At Lindt chocolate, they will often give you a free truffle as well.
If Macy's is your sole destination, park in the BACK.  Everyone else parks in the front.

Restrooms
Food court bathrooms are the best- upstairs right in the center of the mall- huge and clean.  Big counters for grooming and a place to change the baby. Finally good mall planning!  If you are too tired to go upstairs (it happens!), go into one of the restaurants.  They always let you use the restrooms.
If you have a little one, in the back of the food court, Panera has a single bathroom with a quiet baby-changing table. Panera also has free ice water cups and nice clear cold water for the little ones.
If you are in Bloomingdales, there is a nice restroom on the first floor in the mens' department.

Coffee
When the lines at both Starbucks are ridiculous, go to Panera in the back of the food court. They have lattes and all that, but the best bet is to get a dark roast for less than 2 dollars put in some half and half so you don't miss any quality shopping time waiting around for a drink...

Makeup Counters

Overall, the makeup artists at Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales are better than at Macys.  They are actually makeup artists and they have a lot more time to spend with you...  Ask to try the limited edition fragrances, which debut at these stores before they are widely available. ALSO, Chanel has foundation samples now, so take a few home to try before you buy. Will save you lots of money!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Hit the outlet malls NOW!

It's a great time to shop at the Orlando Outlet malls.  The holiday crowds are gone and the stores are working hard to get your attention with discounts and deals galore.

Get ready for your trip!

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