An Upscale Mall with Award-Winning Architectual Design
Written: Feb 28 '05 (Updated Mar 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Breathtaking design, Hard to find stores, Quality items
Cons: Not a family mall, one target market.
The Bottom Line: A very classy mall that sells top-notch designer clothes and accessories.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: The Mall At Millenia |
The Mall at Millenia is owned by The Forbes Co. and Taubman Centers Inc. I read in December 2004 that the Mall at Millenia won an award for their architectural design. In my opinion the award is well deserved because this is truly an amazing design. No expense was spared; the floor is composed of fossilized tiles from 250 million years ago.
The main entrance of the mall is truly breathtaking. There is a huge circle in the middle with 12 large LED screens attached to poles lifting them above the second floor level. The mall is extremely bright and there’s just an unexplainable awe that you feel when you walk in. It feels almost like you’re walking into a futuristic mall.
This is the ritziest and snootiest mall in the area which was designed specifically for the upper class. There are only upscale department stores for this location. The three anchor stores for this mall are Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s.
My first visit to the Mall at Millenia was the weekend that they first opened in October of 2002. I remember it well, who could forget! I tried on some fancy things at Tiffany’s. Tiffany’s, the ritzy jewelry store, you know the one. Sigh.
The Valet parking is only $5 and is located at the main entrance of the mall where the restaurants are. This is a terrific service to use on the weekend because sometimes it’s very difficult to find a parking place. The parking lot is a flat traditional parking lot and although there is a lot of space overall there are very few parking spaces in front of the mall entrance which is where everyone wants to park.
The restaurants alone are worth the trip; they are very upscale and popular. Reservations would definitely be recommended if dining at one of these restaurants on the weekend. Some of the choices are The Cheesecake Factory, Brio Tuscan Grille, McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, and Blue Martini. Most people get dressed nicely to go to these restaurants. You will often find a more mature crowd gathered in their high fashion outfits socializing over lunch during the week. The weekends really pick up and you will see a variety of people in the fancier restaurants.
Food is also available in the food court which is similar to any other mall. Johnny Rockets and California Pizza are in the food court.
The mall is large, and has two floors to shop from. We usually don’t spend more than an hour there at a time mostly because it’s not a family mall. You will find the concierge at the entrance, not strollers and balloons. In fact, I’m not even sure if you can rent strollers there. The children’s selection of clothes is very limited and the only toy store they had, KB Toys, went out of business early last year. They don’t have a little climbing park area or candy machines for the kids like other malls have. The selections in the food court will be frowned upon by most children.
Anther surprising thing is that there is not a movie theater in or around the mall.
The mall has a lot of upscale shops marketed mostly to a female. There are 48 stores listed under Women’s Apparel such as Ann Taylor, A Pea in the Pod, Gucci, Kenneth Cole, Guess, Lactose, Oilily, Tommy Bahama’s, Talbots, and Victoria Secrets. There are 20 choices for shoes. The traditional stores that are familiar to most malls are not here.
There is less of a choice for children’s clothes. The full list includes: Gymboree, Oilily, Kids Gap, Burberry, United Colors of Benetton, and Zara.
The complete list of stores and restaurants can be found on their website at: http://www.mallatmillenia.com/html/default.asp?id=1&category=department&store=
The mall is open Monday - Saturday from 10AM to 9PM. The Sunday hours are 12PM to 7PM. Getting to the mall is quite easy if you will be arriving off of I-4. They placed this snooty mall walking distance from poverty. Looks can be deceiving, use caution and common sense while at this mall as you should anywhere in the city. There is a lot of growth in the area and the traffic is the worst. I find the area absolutely unbearable at rush hour.
The area around the mall has also grown tremendously so what you are unable to find inside the mall you may find around it. We stopped at the mall this weekend after not being by there in a couple months and noticed that new things like a Circuit City had popped up. There is a large selection of restaurants, fast food, and specialty stores nearby.
This is a great mall to go to find some upscale name brand items. The design of the building is absolutely amazing. It has a variety of fabulous upscale restaurants. Sometimes there is entertainment at the mall on the weekends. This is a nice mall for the right person but don't expect to find something for everyone. I usually leave my kids at home when I go to this mall.
4200 Conroy Road
Orlando, 32839
I-4 at Conroy Road (Exit 78)
Phone: 407-363-3555
Website: http://www.mallatmillenia.com/html/
Other Things around Orlando:
Amusements
Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, Orlando Sea World, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
Indoor Entertainment
Orlando Science Museum, The Florida Aquarium
Malls/Shopping Areas
The Florida Mall, Universal CityWalk
State Parks
Lake Louisa State Park
Best Food
Universal Margaritaville at CityWalk, Hard Rock Cafe at Citywalk, NBA City at Citywalk, Seasons 52, New York Pizza Deli, Jungle Jim's, Bajama Breeze
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
xyzwyatt
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Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 542
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