Today, from our Asian luxury resort, we would like to reveal China’s best kept secret …., porcelain.

Historically, Chinese porcelain has always been considered a luxurious item, its enigmatic appearance and infinite decorative options have always made it present in the most privileged places in the world.

Only a few know that the high worth of porcelain hides secrets that have been guarded for centuries between Europe and Asia due to its enigmatic qualities and elaboration process.

Would you like to know more about it?

The first records of Chinese porcelain date back to China 4,000 years ago, and its origin is in the archeological sites of Kaoling, in the province of Kiangsi.

The word porcelain comes from “porcella”, Italian name of the cowry shell, a highly valued white shell mollusc. When Marco Polo returned from his travels, in his memoires he wrote about the beauty of Chinese ceramics, he believed that porcelain came from shells. It was a mystery, so they thought that perhaps it came from pearl shells of the porcelain mollusc, hence its western name.

For centuries, the formula of its elaboration was one of China’s best kept secrets. Nobody in Europe knew how to make the so called “white gold”, and if someone managed to figure it out they would become significantly wealthy, but no western noble managed to achieve such task for more than fifteen centuries.

It was at the beginning of the 18^th Century when the young alchemist Johann Frederick Böttger, prisoner of August II king of Poland, found it in an old castle in Sajonia. After many years of hard work, he discovered what it consisted of, and the process to follow and different enamels of the precious and resistant porcelain.

The secret of the elaboration of Chinese porcelain, lies in adding quartz to clay and feldspar, two essential materials, and cooking it a second time after the pieces have been enamelled, that’s how they melted and stuck firmly to the mud, acquiring the attractive combination of extraordinary FRAGILITY and gleaming STRENGTH.

You cannot miss out on this story…, funnily, the most expensive china vase was found by two grandchildren when cleaning their deceased grandmother’s home in a suburb of London. This beautiful vase is 41 cm tall and it dates back to the Qianlong era from the 18^th Century, it has bright dragon and fish patterns and an interesting hole through which you see another small vase on the inside. The vase was auctioned for 60 million euros, making it.

Chinese porcelain is so highly valued and timeless that many designers include it in their designs. In the picture below, we can see a not very frequent design with white and klein blue floral patterns. The delicacy of porcelain has captivated designers such as Roberto Cavalli.

Do you dare?

Here you can see one of the photos taken by the English magazine “You and your Wedding”, in Asia Gardens, our luxury hotel in Spain.

Last but not least… in China, for centuries and with the arrival of the Sui dynasty, pillows used to be made of porcelain and they were thoroughly decorated. In our 5-star hotel Asia Gardens, we have a wide range of pillows that will surely guarantee the rest of our guests…Would you like to sleep on one of these traditional china pillows?

We look forward to your visit…

The Songkran, or water festival, marks the start of the New Year in Thailand, and today, in our Asia Gardens blog, we would like to share something else with you about this tradition.

Songkran is a Sanskrit word from the Thai language which announces the beginning of the New Solar Year. On April 13^th next, Thailand will welcome the New Year with 2,556 cheerful and refreshing parties going on for 4 days, all around the country. The most relevant and traditional festivities take place in Bangkok (Kao Shan Road), Phuket (Bangla Road) and Chiang Mai, the ‘Northern Rose’.

This is a highly spiritual day. Thai people pray to Buda, the temples and homes are purified with water and elderly people are sprayed with slightly scented water as a sign of respect. Outpouring water symbolises a pure mind, body and spirit, and it is known in the most chic circles as “Thainess”.

In Thailand, water is a purifying element essential to look after our body, mind and spirit. Water represents energy and it evokes purity, clarity and peace.

Let’s try something. Think of the perfect relaxing setting. What do you see?

Relax on a peaceful, turquoise-water beach, bathe in a hot tub, swim on a lake or walk on the sea shore. Let your thoughts flow listening to the water, sit and watch the ocean, listening to it, or go for a walk around gardens surrounded by water….

Now you already know the secret of water in Asia. Every time you want to look after your body and soul, turn to water, turn to Asia. Water is the essence of life, water will replenish your soul and bring you the harmony you seek.

As you are aware of, there is no need travel far to benefit from the purifying effects of water. In Asia Gardens, our Asian luxury resort, we are literally surrounded by water. There are 7 spectacular and endless Asian-style swimming pools made of basalt, granite, slate and special ceramic brought from Asia.  You will have the chance to enjoy the purifying effect of our pools’ water. Three of our pools are heated, 28ºC all year round.

Tempting, isn’t it?

Happy Songkran. We look forward to seeing you…

Did you know that the stripes on the coat of this attractive and elegant animal are unique and inimitable? Just like our 5-star resort…

Today in our Blog, we would like to tell you about the most majestic feline in Asia, the tiger, highly valued in Eastern cultures.

Nowadays, the tiger can only be found in the Asian continent, it became known in the West in the 4^th Century B.C. thanks to Alexander the Great and his campaign to conquer India.

In the East, the tiger represents courage, nobility, power and beauty… and it is very relevant in the mythology of indigenous cultures from India, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Japan among others.

The tiger represents the Mother Goddess and is considered one of the most ancient divinities. Another one of its virtues is its healing qualities. Its symbol is often drawn on children’s foreheads to protect them from disease. Throughout centuries, all parts of the tiger’s body were used in traditional Eastern medicine, especially its bones, for its therapeutic and aphrodisiac qualities. Nowadays, who doesn’t know the famous tiger balm?

In China, the tiger is a sacred animal which symbolizes protection. In ancient times, there were groups of warriors who protected the empire, based on the “Five Tigers” or guardians of the cardinal points and the centre. Consequently, it started to be used as protection at homes hanging a five-tiger painting in the most important spot of the house to bring about good luck.

Would you like to live a unique experience with us? If so, do not miss out on our tigers at the Asia Gardens, we have them at our resort to bring in good luck to all guests…

We expect you.

Sushi is one of the most traditional Japanese dishes and one of the most popular worldwide. From our luxury resort we would like to tell you a bit more about this bite of luxury…

You surely think that sushi is a Japanese dish, but the truth is that it comes from China and it dates back the 4^th Century B.C.

The first sushi dish or nare-zushi, came from trying to conserve raw fish. In China, in ancient times it was found out that storing the whole fish in boiled rice prevented the fish from spoiling.

With technological advances in food preservation this tradition started to fade in China, getting started again years later in Japan where it evolved until it become the product we all currently know.

The first records of sushi in Japan date back to 718 and it can be found in a law treaty in which sushi was used as a form of tax payment.

In time, this way of preparing sushi evolved and at the beginning of the 19^th Century, the chef Hanaya Yohei created nigiri-zushi (hand-made sushi) which is the one we know nowadays. Later on, sushi stalls became popular, and sushi restaurants too. Emigration of Japanese people helped spread sushi around the world, and California, in the US, was one of the places where this tradition was first most deeply rooted, hence the famous California Roll.

Like with everything else that becomes popular, new different versions of this dish started to come up, some of them you probably know, like maki, sashimi, roll, niguiri and temaki. There are also many others more limited when it comes to ways of preparing them.

The true key to sushi, besides preparing it with high-quality fish, is the type of rice, koshihikari. It consists of a round, short and sweet grain with a high content of starch.

To really appreciate it at its best, we must remember to eat it at room temperature, in order to avoid the natural intensity of its taste to fade due to cold temperatures.

This is something that the great 85-year-old maestro Jiro Ono surely takes great care of, as he is considered the best sushi chef in the world.

Ono owns a restaurant in the Ginza district, in Tokyo, recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. There are many upscale fashion stores such as Chanel and Dior, located in an office building, and down in the basement a glass door leads us to Sukiyabashi Jiro, his small sushi bar and the first of its kind to have achieved the Michelin 3-star distinction. There is only enough space for 10 lucky guests, and tables must be booked a year in advance. If you happen to be one of the lucky ones, you will see this sushi maestro behind the counter meticulously putting together these wonderful pieces. This is without a doubt, a unique experience at the reach of only a few…

If you are a true sushi gourmet, you have to try the most expensive sushi in the world, considered 5-star food and created by the Filipino chef Angelito Araneta Jr. This chef serves his sushi dish in five fish pieces with a 24-karat gold leaf and 0.20-karat diamond garnish, He also uses Iranian Beluga caviar as main ingredient.

Should you travel to New York, we recommend you to try the Higher Roller Sushi, served in Koi restaurant at the top of upscale sushi restaurants. In order to help you get a better idea, its ingredients include white truffle, vanilla butter and saffron, foie, caviar and lobster.

Of course, in our luxury hotel Asia Gardens, you will enjoy this Asian delight in our spectacular Champagne Bar located in the lobby of the Hotel. The bar specializes in cocktails and, as its name says, an excellent variety of champagne. Come and have a drink of bubbly, this liquid gold drink that comes with the most chic bite. The perfect moment of luxury.

You cannot miss it……WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR VISIT

Our luxury hotel in Spain is… IN!!  ELLE magazine did an amazing shooting at the Asia Gardens covering the most “Asian-chic” trends for this spring 2013.

Is Asia in?

After a period of constant downs in fashion in the US and Europe, Asia has become the new mecca of upscale fashion labels. As seen at the latest fashion shows (winter season 2013/2014), Asia is in. Maestros like Lagerfeld and Estella Wang surprised us with their spectacular Asian-style looks. However, Prada was the first to see the potential of this Asian market, opening stores in China and Japan, immediately followed by Burberry, Hermés, Prorsum, Chanel and Dior.

 This time, ELLE, the most popular fashion and beauty magazine in the world, has photographed the main spring “outfits” at our hotel and its magnificent surroundings.

Don’t you think that the basalt, slate and granite brought straight from Asia add a spectacular touch of colour to this photo?

We also love this picture taken from the inside of one of our luxurious Balinese-colonial style rooms.

And what about our beaches?  Fabulous golden beaches surrounding our 5-star resort. If you visit us, you will enjoy some of the best and longest beaches in Europe with beautiful sand.

In addition, in Benidorm we have the most photographed skyline in Spain. It might interest you to know that our city is second when it comes to skyscrapers, only topped by New York, there are more than 300 15-storey-high buildings.

From our resort, we would like to thank our friends at ELLE, with whom we have enjoyed ourselves and learnt about so many ways of looking irresistible this spring-summer season as we walk around the gardens and pools of the Asia Gardens.

What about you?… Would you like to come and show us your best “Asian-chic” look?

We look forward to seeing you…

Today, in our Asia Gardens blog, we cannot wait to tell you about one of the most spectacular items in Japanese traditional culture: The Kimono.

As lovers of Asian luxury and culture, in our luxury hotel in Alicante, we could not but include an item as precious as this. When you walk through our lobby we recommend you stop for a few minutes to admire it, it is unique…

Due to the importance of this traditional art, the London art and design museum “Victoria and Albert Museum’’, pays tribute to this luxurious craft in an impressive exhibition…

The kimono carefully wraps around the body in an almost architectural way. It is held at the back by a thick belt called obi. There are many different types and they are tied up in different ways depending on how formal the event is; for instance, if we were to attend a traditional Japanese wedding we would have to wear a Maru Obi, which has designs on both sides and it is the most formal of them all.

 The accessories that go with the kimono are the geta (wooden mules) or zori (flat sandals made of cotton and leather) and the tabi, traditional socks, with a separation between the big toe and other toes in order to fit in the sandals. There are also hair accessories, the Kanzashi, hair-clip ornaments, made of different materials like pearl, ebony, ivory… giving the final touch to the outfit.

There were a series of codes when it came to colours, some of them were banned for everyone except the Emperor or his family members. Each rank could wear a series of specific colours, the highest rank wore purple, the lighter the shade the lower the rank.

Currently, most Japanese people use western-style clothes, the kimono is considered a luxurious garment and it is only used in special celebrations, weddings and traditional festivals. The kimono is one the main symbols of Japanese culture, and it represents the soul and spirit of the life in Japan and that is why it is kept for the most exclusive events.

There is a wide range of kimonos, worn according to the event they are for and the corresponding status, for instance a dressy kimono, Furisode, for an important celebration, its main feature is sleeves that go all the way down to the ankles, made of silk and worn by single women of age. There are also special kimonos for festivals and traditional Japanese parties, like the Yukata made of cotton. A few days ago, in our blog we told you about the tea ceremony, for this event the kimono Iromuji is the one that must be worn. This is a single-coloured kimono that may include same-shade ornaments, and may be worn by married and unmarried women of all ages.

Japanese weddings are also a special event in which kimonos take the leading role. The most traditional kimono is worn by the bride, the Shiromuku, this is a white bridal kimono, shiro means white and moku means pure, it is worn with a half-moon shaped headpiece which indicates the dedication and infinite loyalty of the wife. Over the robe, the Uchikake is placed as a cape without an obi, a long-sleeve kimono with bright-coloured crane, pine tres, water and flowers embroidery patterns. The groom on the other hand, always wears black and his suit is much simpler.

Would you like to have a Japanese-style wedding? Our 5-star resort in Alicante is the perfect place for a memorable celebration.

Asia Gardens awaits you…

SAYONARA

From our Asia Gardens Hotel Blog, we are constantly researching new trends in order to keep you up to date about any news regarding luxury.

Today, we would like to tell you about Alvarno, a label close to our hearts here at the Asia Gardens and also one of the main current labels when it comes to international fashion. This unique label has a Spanish soul and French spirit, and it is precisely this combination which makes it so successful.

Álvaro Castejón and Arnaud Maillard are the designers behind Alvarno, the perfect duo Madrid-Paris, guided by the Brightness of Madrid and the Spirit of Paris.

Both designers come from prestigious designs schools, Álvaro studied in New York and Arnaud trained in Paris, his hometown. The designer duo has trained with fashion guru Karl Lagerfeld. Álvaro also worked alongside other renowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Alexander Moqueen.

For the Spring-Summer Season 2013, they take their inspiration from ”The Amazones of the future” and they bring us a surprising collection using innovative fabrics with geometrical shapes. As described by themselves, these women are ready to fight the Fashion Attitude, finishing up with original outfits.

For the accessories, in this occasion, they worked with the label LUBY LAB where the model and businesswoman Laura Ponte is Creative Director. Exciting and original designs, including sophisticated belts and metallic bracelets which protect and give shape to the Alvarno woman…

The exquisite and feminine methacrylate breastplates designed by Alvarno, have been created with the collaboration of VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS, resulting in a combination of a high tech design and delicate textures.

Alvarno has also worked side by side with Manolo Blahnik for the Autumn-Winter Season 2013/2014. The prestigious and world renowned shoe designer is famous for his much-adored creations. Couture maestros such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Oscar de la Renta have already included his famous stilettos, but this will be the first time that a pair of Manolos is used by a Spanish designer.

From our 5-star resort in Alicante, we hope you have enjoyed, for a few moments, this magnificent fashion proposal and that you continue to share our passion for all that is luxurious…

We shall look forward to welcome you, as always, in our very own Asian paradise, a place on the shores of the Mediterranean where you will find inspiration…

Asia Gardens