New Villas And New-And-Improved Outlet Shopping Malls That Will Elevate Your Year-End Holiday

Where: London

Tax-free shopping in London just got even better. Luxury outlet mall Bicester (say ‘bister’) Village has just opened over 30 new boutiques, which brings its total count of stores to over 160. Fashionistas, rejoice at these new additions: Acne Studios, Joseph, Christopher Kane and a Charlotte Olympia pop-up join the fray. Fitness buffs will delight at the addition of the likes of Under Armour and The North Face. With prices averaging 60 per cent lesser than retail prices, it’s probably a good idea to skip shopping at Regent Street and hop on a train from London’s Marylebone station, which gets you to the sprawling shopping haven in under an hour.

For more info, go to https://www.bicestervillage.com.

Where: Myanmar

So you want to come across as an intrepid traveller but don’t want to give up your hipster comforts. Book that ticket to Yangon (SilkAir recently took over Scoot’s flights there), and check yourself in at Hotel G Yangon, touted as the first design hotel in the emerging Myanmar city. Its hipster chic interiors look siimilar to those at its outpost here at Middle Road, but with the added buzz of the largest Myanmar city’s entertainment district right outside the hotel doors, where edgy galleries and eateries are mushrooming. And how do you know you’ve landed in a locale where the cool cats approve? DJs from Myanmar and around Asia take over the decks at the hotel’s Babett restaurant as you sip on that pint of craft beer or a bespoke concoction from the mixologist.

From $83 a night. http://www.hotelgyangon.com.