we find the richest pickings in NewYork

The atmosphere is magical, the customer service is zentai arguably the best in the world and the prices are excellent. This year, I had even more reason to enjoy my annual winter trip to the Big Apple. At the moment, the pound is at a 14-year high and is worth almost exactly two US dollars. This is heavenly news, even for those on a conservative budget.

Furthermore, most items in New York go on sale at much lower prices than they would in the UK - so, effectively, you're saving money even before you take the exchange rate into account. As they lit the fairy lights on a giant tree at Manhattan's Rockefeller Centre this week, the surrounding throng was peppered with British accents. The flight from Heathrow that morning had also been packed with excited British women, comparing notes on what they were going to buy for husbands, partners and children at home. As usual, I felt a surge of excitement as I caught a taxi into Manhattan from the airport. The weather at the moment is unseasonably warm, with not a snowflake in sight and skies clear.

New York women are renowned for being glossy, manicured and expensively dressed (think Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City) and the locals dress up to go shopping, with beautiful coats, hats, boots, and accessories .New Yorkers certainly pull out all the stops to make their city looks festive, with elaborate decorations and lights that make London look a amateur production. The theme this year is red and white, with fairy lights, enormous wreaths and ribbons everywhere. Even the smallest boutiques are making a huge effort. The famous jewellery store, costume zentai , had my favourite window display, with a Narnia-inspired white winter wonderland .The 'Holiday' season is under way, and the sidewalks of New York are bustling with shoppers laden with glossy carier bags from the department stores Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys.The New York Post was predicting that 7.3million foreign visitors would arrive in the city by the end of 2006, and described the depressed dollar as 'turning Fifth Avenue into a virtual flea market for global travellers' .Sterling has gained almost 15 per cent against the U.S. currency this year, with analysts predicting the pound will soon be worth two U.S. dollars for the first time since 1980.

While the CBI and retail analysts in the UK are predicting the worst Christmas for 25 years for the British High Street, they need only study the check-in queues at Heathrow and Gatwick to see where the smart money's going instead.' Brits will always look for a bargain, and if the bargain is in New York on the back of better exchange rates, then they will take it,' says Paul Charles of Virgin Atlantic, which has reported that bookings to New York are up by one fifth on a year ago. Tour operator Kuoni is dealing with a surge in inquiries from shoppers eager to take advantage of the strong pound by doing their Christmas shopping on a U.S. spending spree. Meanwhile, Expedia.co.uk says it has noticed a significant increase in the number of people booking trips to New York in 2006, with a 50 per cent growth in sales compared to this time last year.

Even more good news is that after Thanksgiving a few days ago, the pre-Christmas sales have already started, giving rise to substantial discounts in many shops. Service is always impeccable, with cashiers always going the extra spandex zentai mile to wrap your presents, deliver them to your hotel or even ship them back to the UK if they're heavy (for a small charge).Before I plunged ahead with my shopping spree, I stopped at the concierge desk in my hotel: smart travellers know these are the people to befriend, to take advantage of their enviable contacts and local knowledge .Along with my shopping map of Manhattan, I was handed temporary discount cards for a couple of major stores, and I was ready to hit the shops. Here's what I found.