Today, at the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we do ourselves up and talk about the make-up Chinese women wear, as well as a beauty ideal that has evolved throughout the different dynasties and eras.

From ancient times, Chinese culture has always favoured beautiful and petite women, with pale skin and bright eyes, very delicate complexions and white teeth.

INTERESTING FACT

widows in ancient Imperial China dyed their teeth

black as a way of giving away their beauty.

Ancient Chinese people associated pale complexion with power, as it seemed mysterious and able to hide “flaws” behind a thick coat of white make up.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.), women’s values were more appreciated than their beauty. In those times, women used to wear very basic clothes.

The main feature of a beautiful woman in the Han Dynasty was her lips. They used to draw different shapes and designs, hearts and flowers on their lips.

As well as colouring, the balm they used had a beautiful scent. They later added other spices and ingredients to these “lip balms”, with bright and colourful results.

During the Tang Dynasty (618 A.D. – 907 A.D.) their eyebrows were more important. They had to be sharp, pointy and dark. Straight hair up on a high bun and dark colours on their lips were also popular.

During this Dynasty, all women had a seven step ritual to achieve perfect make-up:

1) apply a powder base

2) draw a black line on your eye

3) apply a dark colour to your eyebrows

4) apply “gold on your forehead” or “bright gold flowers”

5) hide dimples

6) colour your cheeks

7) apply colour on your lips

In our Thai Spa, you can enjoy all the treatments brought straight from the Asian continent for your wellbeing and beauty. Innovation and tradition, come and visit us.

Today at the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we would like to bring you for a walk around our gardens. Peaceful surroundings full of Asian species where you can enjoy the nature of that distant continent.

A stroll that brings us to Borneo, more specifically to the oldest National Park in Sarawak, Bako National Park, created in 1957. This is a 27-kilometre park about 37 kilometres from Kuching, one of the most popular and visited cities in Malaysia, also known as “Cat City”.

Its extraordinary natural landscape, habitats and wild fauna and flora, attract millions of visitors each year. Its coves, located in isolated spots, and its rocky capes and magnificent vertical cliffs, leading to Southern Sea of China, are always portrayed in postcards.

Bako has a wide range of vegetal species which is one of the main attractions of the park; almost all types of vegetation that can be found in Borneo are in this spectacular park.

The approximately 275 big-nosed monkeys who live there, are a unique species, very rare, on the island of Borneo. They eat shoots and leaves, and they are good climbers and swimmers.

The best time to visit is right after dawn and just before sunset, when the animals are more active.

The park consists of plenty of jungle paths to walk on and hike. For those who are fit and like adventure, there are full-day excursions to the jungle or expeditions to overnight camps. Also, those who prefer something quieter can enjoy a relaxing walk on the forest.

Our walk around the most emblematic park of Asia comes to an end, and we open our eyes and find ourselves again at the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, our luxury hotel in the Mediterranean, where we offer you the relaxation and wellbeing you need. Come and visit us, we look forward to seeing you.

The Asian continent has always made significant cultural and artistic contributions closely linked to its history and beliefs. At the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa you shall be able to enjoy this passion for details of design, in the Móet Chandon & Shushi Bar.

Although the original inspiration of Asian painting comes from China, Japanese painting has become more popular and developed.

Sumi-e or Sumie is an ink wash monochromatic drawing technique broadly used by Japanese people. It was introduced in Japan in the middle of the 14th Century by Zen Buddhist monks.

The peculiarity of this type of art or drawing is that its roots come from Chinese calligraphy, its brush strokes are similar to those used in painting.

The most important thing about Sumie is that not only represents the beauty of the paintings, but it is also a philosophy.

The ink used for this Japanese technique is mainly made of soot and animal glue. Mix the inkstone with water and then grind the instick until smooth.

As we have mentioned before, this is a style of monochromatic painting, depending on how much water it is mixed with, the shade of black varies.

It is said that the best quality ink is the one made of pine soot and young deer horn, although it is also the most expensive and difficult one to obtain.

There is a wide range of Japanese ink types, for this reason, each calligrapher must choose the ink that best suits their writing style to obtain the best result.

In this type of drawings, the most important thing, in addition to the ink, is to what degree the brush has been mixed with water and the use of the brush, as achieving smooth and continuous strokes requires a lot of practice

Sumie is a Zen drawing technique, artistic and beautiful as well as relaxing for those who do it.

If you wish to feel the relaxation that only Asia transmits with its culture, come to the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, a luxury resort where we focus our five senses on meeting your needs.

At the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, our guests, their relaxation and wellbeing is the most sacred thing for us, in Hinduism it is cows that are worshipped as sacred.

The cow is one of the most important animals in Asia, especially in India. They symbolize “mother Earth” and nature, as well as fertility and abundance. Cows are considered mothers because they nurse with milk.

Different names are used to refer to them, depending on the different gods. The most popular and important one is “Kâmadhenu”, which means “wish granter”. Although it is also known as “Lakshmî”, goddess of prosperity and abundance.

It is said and believed, that this animal had the power to grant wishes and was generous to humans, hence it being considered sacred.

According to the legend, upon the rise of men, his bodily tissues started to wear out. Then, god Brahmâ, turn himself into a cow and nursed humans with his milk; being both mother and father. In India, worshipping this animal is so important that killing a cow is considered a very serious sin. However, protecting cows awards religious and social merit.

Cows, in spite of being owned by someone, can walk the streets freely not being bothered by anyone. On the other hand, if a cow were to become an obstacle of everyday life, obstructing traffic or eating grass off a market stall, it can be slapped on its snout as that part of their body is not considered sacred. Hindu tradition has it that it lied in court against Shiva in favour of Vishnu.

If you wish to feel worshipped, adored and looked after, come to visit us to our new 5-star luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and live a 100% Asian experience.

Tomorrow is a special day all over the world, it is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s is a day for all those in love to celebrate and for anyone who would like to express their affection towards their loved ones. At the 5-star luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we also want you to enjoy this day with your partner, friends or family…

Hence our proposals of some Valentine’s traditions, imported from different Asian countries that may give you some ideas for this special day:

–       JAPAN: Their tradition consists of women getting chocolates for men as a gift. Whether it is to a boyfriend, friend or work colleague, only men receive chocolate on this day. There are three types of chocolates:

• “Giri-choko”, courtesy chocolate.
• “Tomo-choko”, friendship chocolate. When a girl gets this chocolate for a boy, it is not necessarily a display of love, it can also be a sign of friendship (although this chocolate can sometimes cause confusion).
• “Honmei-choko”, is the chocolate of true love.

Men do not get chocolates for women on this day, but on 14^th of March, a month later. In Japan this day is also called “White Day”, and men get white chocolate for women.

–       INDIA: Public displays of affection in India are not frequent. Therefore, this day is celebrated by sending each other cards or flowers.

–       THAILAND: It is a tradition to get married on Valentine’s Day. All women want their special day to be romantic and that is why in Thailand they pick this day to celebrate their wedding.

–       KOREA: If in Japan they celebrate Valentine’s Day twice, in Korea they also celebrate “Black Day” on 14^th of April. On this day, those who did not get any presents on Valentine’s gather and eat “Jajangmyeon”, noodles with black bean sauce, hence its name.

At the 5-star luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you may experience your own Asian romance. What we can guarantee is the perfect setting for it. Come and meet us, we look forward to seeing you at the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa.

Today, in our Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, 5-star hotel, blog, we would like to bring you closer to Jaisalmer, the most emblematic and mystical city in India, where there are true treasures and the pure essence of Asian beauty can be felt.

This impressive city is in Rajastan, north of India, and it is located in the Summit of a sandy and yellow rock crowned by a 99-bastion fort, surrounded by the dust of the Thar Desert.

This action movie setting is the kind of place where time freezes, transmitting a special sort of energy.

The stunning and majestic fortress is the main feature that stands out in this humble city. It is located at the top of Trikuta hill, and it is made of stones the colour of the skin of a lion, hence its name, “Golden City”.

Within Jaisalmer there is the palace, located in the heart of the town, hiding an extraordinary 7-floor palace-fortress behind its doors, with corridors and patios.

The detail in the structure and the astounding interior of the palace combine wonderfully with the luxurious decoration. Fine silk, curtains, murals and sculptures, as well as top quality furniture to top up such architectural beauty.

Jainas temples are abundant in this city, as Jainism is the most popular and practiced religion. The architectural style of the temples perfectly reflects Hindu art.

These temples date back to the 12^th and 16^th Centuries, and are dedicated to two gods, Rikhabdevji and Sambhavnathji. All columns and walls are covered in mythological art of Jainims religion and lotus flowers.

But without a doubt, the most impressive and amazing thing of this trip is 6 kilometres away from Jaisalmer, the cenotaphs of Bada Bagh, which means great garden.

This place pays tribute to ancient maharajahs from Jaisalmer, and is one of the magical spots of this land, called “Sunset Point”. Here, at sunset, a garden magically appears in the middle of the immense desert making this place magical and spectacular. Not many tourists are acquainted with it, and those who have are left with an overwhelming feeling.

At the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you will be able to enjoy our wonderful sunsets and watch our gardens and the same time. You will have an Asian experience in our temple of relaxation and wellbeing. Come visit us and enjoy a luxurious stay!

As I already mentioned a few months back, at our luxury 5-star hotel Asia Gardens & Thai Spa, you will sleep in the best Asian cotton sheets. But today, it is a different type of Asian fabric that inspires us, silk.

Silk is a natural protein fibre produced by certain insect larvae, although nowadays, it is industrially made using only “Bombyx Mori” larvae.

Silk fabric was first made in China, there is evidence of silk being used dating back in the year 1.300 b.C.

The Chinese empress Xi Ling-Shi, and all her Chinese imperial family, used dresses exclusively made with this fabric. However, in time its production expanded and traders quickly realised the value of its texture and shine.

This increase in the demand for silk turning it into an internationally traded luxury product.

The first market silk was exported to was Egypt, and it later expanded to Asia and Europe creating the famous “Silk Route”, named by a German geographer in 1877.

Silk was a luxury product which symbolized popularity and power. The mystery behind its making also made it attractive, as it was only known to Chinese masters. The final product was an exquisitely refined material.

This precious thread is obtained breeding a particular type of silkworm. Depending on their quality the thickness of the resulting fibres varies, and the fibres are then wound into a ball.

Each silkworm produces approximately 1,500 metres of fibre, known as “raw silk fibre”. The leftovers are called “floss silk” and are often used combined with other basic fibres.

If you like luxury, we invite you to come to the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and start your own Asian route of relaxation and wellbeing.

Although at the luxury 5-star hotel Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you can enjoy pleasant Mediterranean weather all year round, we know that in other places you cannot wait for the good weather to arrive.

In many Asian countries, people still work and live according to the ancient calendar which has 24 seasons dividing the changes in weather.

Within these 24 seasons, the spring is the first one. It starts in February, and in Japanese is called “Risshun” which means the arrival of spring.

The day before the beginning of Risshun they celebrate the “Setsubun”, a festival which marks the seasonal division. In ancient times, Setsubun took place 4 times a year marking the arrival of the main 4 seasons we all know, but nowadays it only takes place once a year to leave the harsh winter behind and welcome the spring.

On Setsubun the “Mame-Maki” is celebrated, a Chinese tradition meaning throwing soya grains. According to this tradition, the soya grains must be toasted and are thrown to scare demons away. This tradition is carried out inside the houses as people shout “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!” which means something like out demons, get in good fortune.

It is also held in most temples, although in a more impressive way as famous and important people are invited. They throw the toasted soya at the attendees only as a symbol of good luck, as demons do not come near temples.

If hit by soya grains, as well as being lucky, they shall be blessed with health and happiness, and throughout the year, they shall have to eat as many soya grains as their age.

Another tradition on this Setsubun day is to eat “Eho-maki” which means lucky direction roll. Eho-maki is a type of thick sushi, rolled in dry algae (“nori”), and filled with carrot, eel, cucumber, and Japanese omelette among other ingredients. It must be eaten without breaking it and facing in the right direction, different every year, in order to preserve good luck.

At the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you shall enjoy a pleasant atmosphere full of good fortune, and a great temperature all year round. You will forget all about cold winters for a few days. Come visit us!