insideKENT Magazine Issue 80 - November 2018 | Page 83

CHRISTMAS
Shop ‘til you drop
IF THERE EVER WAS A PERFECT PLACE FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING, WE’D HAVE
TO SAY THAT PLACE IS KENT (YES, WE MAY BE SLIGHTLY BIASED). IN KENT, WE HAVE
STORES GALORE THAT ARE FILLED WITH FABULOUS ITEMS THAT ARE UNIQUE AND EXCITING.
WE HAVE CAFÉS WHERE YOU CAN REST YOUR WEARY FEET AND INDULGE IN A GINGERBREAD
LATTE OR A WHIPPED CREAM-TOPPED HOT CHOCOLATE. AND YES, WE HAVE CHRISTMAS
MUSIC PLAYING ALL THE TIME, BUT WHEN YOU’RE ENJOYING EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT
YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING TRIP, YOU’LL EVEN SMILE WHEN YOU HEAR NODDY HOLDER
TELLING YOU IT’S CHRIIIIISTMAAAAS FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME.
Bluewater Shopping Centre
Excited yet? You will be – here are the best
places to buy your Christmas gifts and goodies
in Kent this year.
Bluewater Shopping Centre // Greenhithe
www.bluewater.co.uk
Bluewater has over 300 different and varied
shops to explore, with gifts for everyone on
your list. Whether you want fashion, jewellery,
homeware, chocolate, wine, art, toys, gadgets
or almost anything else, you’ll find it here. It
makes Christmas shopping extra easy since
you only need to visit one place (and getting
there is a breeze too; there are buses that will
bring you straight to the door, and with 13,000
free parking spaces you’ll never have to worry
about not being able to bring all your goodies
home with you).
Plus, you can spend the whole day at
Bluewater since there are over fifty restaurants
and cafés, and late opening means you can
shop until 9pm (it opens at 10am). Armed
with your list of names and 11 hours, you’ll
have time to shop, to rest and refuel, and then
shop again.
County Square Shopping Centre // Ashford
www.countysquareshoppingcentre.com
Visit County Square Shopping Centre in
Ashford this festive season for inspirational
gift ideas from over 50 stores including
Debenhams, M&S, Next, Pandora, Flutterbyes,
The Entertainer and Smiggle. There are
also great cafés to take a break in and your
little ones can even have fun in the free soft
play area.
Bouverie Place Shopping Centre
// Folkestone
www.mybouverieplace.co.uk
Situated in the heart of Folkestone making it
easy to access for many discerning Christmas
shoppers, Bouverie Place is a welcoming,
friendly shopping centre with a plethora of
different stores that will cater for your every
festive wish. The centre often hosts different
events as well, and at Christmas you will find
loads of entertainment for the children and
other non-shoppers while you head off and
buy what you need in comfort and peace.
After you’ve found everything you want, sit
down for a refreshing drink and something
to eat in one of the many on-site cafés.
McArthur Glen Designer Outlet // Ashford
www.mcarthurglen.com
The McArthur Glen Ashford Designer Outlet
is full to the brim with luscious gifts for him,
her, them, and the kids. Getting here is easy,
it’s just off the M20, but also only ten minutes
from Ashford International train station so
everyone has a chance to give shopping here
a go. The whole place looks impressive, with
the shops sitting together under a huge tent
– you can’t miss this shopping centre! There
are over 70 shops here, and if you really can’t
choose you can buy your loved ones a centre
gift card so they can discover the great variety
of shops and boutiques under that magnificent
roof. At Christmas, the McArthur Glen
Designer Outlet becomes a winter
wonderland, so it really is the place to go.
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