WHERE: South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, I-405 (San Diego Freeway) at Bristol Street; San Joaquin Corridor (Route 73) at Bear Street; open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sundays; (800) 782-8888; www.southcoastplaza.com.

GETTING THERE: South Coast Plaza is right off the I-405 freeway, about an hour from LAX, 40 minutes from Anaheim and Disneyland. There are shuttles and limousines available; call the concierge at (714) 435 2034 to find out more and make reservations.

WHY GO: South Coast Plaza, with 280 stores, 30 restaurants, 4 spas and a cluster of surrounding malls, is one of the largest shopping complexes in the country. Name a retailer and it's there, or across the street. If you're a serious shopper, you can spend days there and not see it all. There's even a hotel: The Westin South Coast Plaza, 686 Anton, (714) 540-2500); www.starwoodhotels.com. In addition to such anchors as Sears, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, there are boutiques and specialty shops by the dozens. The mall is divided into two segments joined by pedestrian bridges: The high-end designer stores are clustered in sections D through T in the main mall, while sections A through C, to the west, house more bargain-priced stores (i.e. Ann Taylor is in D-T but the more economically priced Ann Taylor Loft is in A-C).

WHERE TO EAT: There are dozens of options, but we keep going back to Maggiano's Little Italy, a "Godfather"-style southern Italian restaurant in the parking lot near Sears with a lively bar, Frank Sinatra on the sound system, reliably good food and friendly, swift service. Pinot Provence, in the Westin South Coast Plaza, offers French provincial cuisine in an elegant but rustic environment. At Metro Pointe, one of the nearby complexes, at 901 S. Coast Drive, Karl Strauss Brewery and Restaurant offers fresh-brewed beer, a relaxing atmosphere, sports on TV and good casual food (they actually do a spicy 'ahi poke that's delicious!).

FOR NONSHOPPERS: If there's a shopophobe in your party, South Coast Plaza is surrounded by museums, theaters, gardens and more.

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.