At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we love those places which stimulate interest and emotions. That´s why today we are travelling to one of the most magical places in Japan: Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.

Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine is a Shinto shrine, located on the outskirts of Kyoto, in Fushimi. It is the main sanctuary of the 32,000 that are in Japan in honour of the Kami Inari, god of fertility, rice, agriculture, fox, industry and success for Shintoism.

It is one of the most ancient sanctuaries; it was built in the eighth century. The complex is made up by 5 sanctuaries, which occupy Inariyama´s hillsides. The shrine is surrounded by a 233 metres high hill.

Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine´s main attraction is the 4 kilometres path with thousands of red torii gates, sacred Shinto gates, which make the walk even more special. It is considered one of the most magical places in Japan. Each of these torii has been given by someone as an offering for Kami Inari. In fact, the back of each of them has the name and the date of donation inscribed.

As usual at shrines in honour of Inari, the complex is full of foxes or kitsune, which are considered as Inari´s messenger. They often carry a key in their mouth, symbolizing the place where rice is kept.

The most special time of the year to visit Fushimi Inari is during the Hatsumode, when Japanese are still on New Year´s holidays.

At Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we also have our own rites. If you visit us, don´t miss the chance to participate in our Wishing Fountain Ceremony, every Saturday at 20:00h at the fountain in the Hotel Hall.

Today we invite you all to celebrate a festival with us at Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. China celebrates its famous Moon Festival on September 27. Do you want to know what is all about?

Chinese Moon Festival, known also as Mid-Autumn Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, which is in September or October. At this time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest.

It has a history of over 3,000 years, dating back to the Shang Dynasty. The ancient Chinese prayed gods for a good harvest. Emperors gave offerings and played musical pieces to express gratitude to the moon. The best night to stare at the moon is when the moon is full; this ritual became to take place on the fifteenth night of the month. And from then on, it became a tradition and Chinese people started to stare at the moon on this date every year.

Chinese Moon Festival is one of the most important celebrations of the Chinese calendar.Families and friends meet outdoors to enjoy the light of the moon and eat the famous Chinese mooncakes.

They are a traditional Chinese dessert, which consists of a pastry skin enveloping a sweet. The most common ones are coconut mooncakes and egg yolk mooncakes. Its round shape represents the family gathering, as well as happiness and the complete satisfaction.

Together with this celebration, there are many other cultural customs such as: hanging bright lanterns, burning incense in honour of gods, picking up dandelions leaves and giving them to the family, fire dragon dance and outdoors barbecues.

If you also want to celebrate this day and stare at the full moon, the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa is the ideal place. Its privileged location by theMediterranean will let you enjoy an unforgettable experience.

As you already know, we enjoy an excellent microclimate all year round at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. We resist leaving behind this summer travelling to Indonesia to show you the spectacular Lake Toba.

Lake Toba is located in the heart of Indonesia, in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. The lake is 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and over 450 metres at its deepest point. It is the largest lake of Southeast Asia.

It´s a unique place since it is an old extinct volcano. It was formed after the eruption of this volcano and the flood of its huge crater. The lake is surrounded by an impressive landscape of high mountains covered with trees.

In the centre of Lake Toba´s blue water we find Samosir Island, which is about the size of Singapore. It stands out for its imposing hillsides and for being the place were Batak live. Batak culture is known for being good at woodcutting, weaving and building its decorated stone graves.

Samosir Island has only two cities: Ambarita and Tuk Tuk. The fields are in the interior, where the people living in this area live just by their harvests.

Its fresh and nice weather, far away from the tourist centres, makes Lake Toba a perfect place for relaxing and cooling off.

At our 5 stars resort in the Mediterranean Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa in the absence of a lake, we have 8 spectacular turquoise water pools. What else can we ask for? If you visit us, swim outside from our inner heated pool. We guarantee you a unique Asian experience…

If there is something we are truly fascinated about Asia that will be its culture. That´s why we are taking you from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa to China to find out more about the amazing classical Chinese dance.

Classical Chinese dance is along with ballet one of the most complete dances. It is a very tough, expressive and refined type of dance. Although it is relatively new for the rest of the world, this classical dance has a long history of thousands of years.

Classical Chinese dance has a very methodical and tough training system. It includes three main parts: technical skill, “form” and “bearing”. “Form” represents the dance combinations and traditional Chinese movements. And “bearing” or yun is the technique for expressing specific inner feelings; it shows the dancer´s personality.

It has many movements meant to express all kinds of feelings such as happiness, sadness or madness among others. Most movements and techniques of Classical Chinese dance come from marcial arts. The most common movements are gyratory, sloping and circular ones: jumps, spins, splits and other aerial techniques.

Classical Chinese dancer’s appearance is usually very slender and thin and they also have a spectacular flexibility and muscle control.

After the famous Chinese economic reform in 1978, several disciplines such as classical and contemporary ballet and especially athletics were highly inspired by the techniques an movements of classical Chinese dance.

If you also like Asia and everything surrounding it, our Asian paradise by the Mediterranean Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa is the perfect destination. You will love our Chi Kung and Tai Chi classes.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we have spent a lot of time discovering some of the places that make the Asian continent so magic.

Today, once again, we are taking you to Bali, to one of these places that make Asia such a special place: the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple.

Bali is known for having over 10,000 temples, and among all of them, we can state for sure Ulun Danu Bratan is one of the most beautiful ones.

It was built in the 17^th century over the Lake Bratan, the second largest lake of the island, in honour of the water goddess Dewi Danu, who protects the lake.

It is a Buddhist and Hindu temple very worshipped by Balinese people and it is also a pilgrimage place for farmers, which visit it to pray and beg the goddess Dewi Danu for water for their crops.

Ulun Danu Bratan has two structures located on each island: the main temple, made up of 11 levels, and a smaller sanctuary, made up of 3 levels. The entire complex has 9 temples, which include 285 sanctuaries dedicated in memory of the gods of water, the mountains, agriculture and craftwork.

One of its main appeals is its location. Ulun Danu is completely surrounded by water and its buildings are built on little islands.

If you also want to relax at an idyllic oasis by the sea, Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa is your place, a luxury resort in the Mediterranean. We guarantee you will live an unforgettable Asian experience.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we have 8 incredible pools where we can relax, but today we have chosen a different place in the Asian continent to cool ourselves off: the Detian Falls.

Ban Gioc Detian Falls or Detian Falls are a natural border betweenChina and Vietnam. Administratively they belong to China, although they arejust 272 kilometres far from Hanoi. Its stunning beauty has made them become one of Asia´s main tourist destinations.

They emerge from the course of the river that is born in Guangxi, which goes up to the Guichun River, in Vietnam, and comes back to China.

The Detian Waterfall is Asia´s largest waterfall and the fourth largest transnational waterfall in the world, behind Iguazu Falls, Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls. It goes through three tiers, which are said to be over 70 metres high and 200 metres wide. Its main waterfall is Tongling Gorge. Tourists can only access to it through a contiguous cave.

The waterfall ends in a deep pool, which reaches a depth of over 30 metres and offers a perfect view of Detian Falls.

The Detian Falls are one of the most incredible natural wonders you can find in Asia. Due to humidity the environment around the falls has become one of the greenest and lushest ones in the world.

The best time to visit the falls is summer, when the water reaches its highest level and the cascade is larger. Depending on theseason you visit Detian the landscape completely changes. In spring the scenery is much more colourful,while in autumn brownish and reddish tonalities flood the falls.

If you would like to spend some fantastic days, we suggest coming to Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. Dive into the turquoise water of our Asian-style design pools. We are looking forward to seeing you!

If there is something we love about Asia that definitely will be its fantastic landscapes. Today we are travelling from the lush gardens of our luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, to the incredible Sagano Bamboo Forest.

The Sagano Bamboo Forest is located at the foot of the Arashiyama Mountains, on the outskirts of Kyoto. It is considered one of the most spectacular green spots in Japan.

It is a beautiful bamboo forest that has over 50 different bamboo varieties. Some of its species reach up to 20 metres in height. One of the highlights of this stunning location is the special noise the wind makes when going through the bamboo stalks. Japanese people have voted this special noise as one of the “100 Soundscapes of Japan”.

In the past, this place was only allowed for high Japanese aristocracy. Its mysterious paths were one of royal family´s favourite entertainment places.

The Sagano Bamboo Forest is a very calm place, perfect for a relaxing walk. It´s full of paths where people can enjoy the silence and that natural beauty Japanese people love.

It is one of the favourite destinations for photography lovers. The best time to visit this bamboo grove is during autumn preferably in the morning when the light plays an important role making marvelous shadow tricks.

Besides enjoying an unforgettable walk and landscape, everybody visiting Sagano Bamboo Forest will be able to check some Zen temples such as the Tenryuji Temple, or get a nice bamboo souvenir.

If you are an Asian nature and landscapes lover, you will love Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa ´s tropical gardens. Don´t miss the chance to take a look at our Macrobonsai, which was planted over 175 years ago.

Summer continues at Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and we keep travelling around the Asian continent to discover you new spots. That´s why today we are taking you from our temple of relax to another famous one in China: the Temple of Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven is located in the southeastern part of central Beijing, at Tiantan Park. Covering an area of 2,700,000 square metres, it is one of the largest sacred places in China.

We need to know that the Emperor of China was referred to as the “Son of Heaven“, an intermediary between the Earth and Heaven. Therefore, the Temple of Heaven is so important in the history of China.

Its construction ended in 1420. It was built to show that authority of the Emperor through ceremonies dedicated to Heaven. For five centuries, until 1911, Ming and Qing dynasties made sacred ceremonies every year in spring praying for a good harvest, and to thank for the fruits obtained in autumn.

The most important ceremony was the one that took place during winter solstice, the one that was performed to pray for a goodharvest. The day before this ceremony, the Emperor, after three days of celebrations, went to the Temple of Heaven accompanied by his court to meditate in the Imperial Vault of Heaven. At night, he slept in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, and the next day, he performed the sacred ceremony in the Circular Mound Altar. Both the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circular Mound Altar were separated from each other by a stone path of 350 metres long.

The entire complex of the Temple of Heaven is full of symbolism. Its architecture focuses on the idea of Earth being square and Heaven being round. That´s why its temples and altars are round, with blue tiles symbolizing Heaven, and placed on square basis. Tiantan Park represents a square shape crowned by a semicircle.

If you are a lover of Asian rituals, visit us at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you will be able to take part in our free activities such as yoga or meditation, that are perfect for relaxing and a moment of peace.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we love Asian treats. That´s why today we are talking about one of the mostpopular beauty treatments among Asian women: pearl powder.

Pearl powder is made from freshwater pearls used for skin care. It is known for its anti-aging properties.

Its benefits have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years. According to history, Empress Cixi, the last Chinese empress, used pearl powder and floral waters to keep her skin white. This treatment is currently applied in the main Asian beauty salons.

According to different scientist studies based on its effects and properties, pearl powder has a composition of natural substances, which has healing and beauty effects on skin.

Pearl powder contains over 18 amino acids and 12 bioactive minerals, providing the skin excellent cell regeneration and a protective power against external attacks.

It can be applied on all types of skin, even on sensitive skins. Peal powder is a 100% compatible compound with any kind of substances, so it can be added to other creams or lotions.

Some Asian women take pearl powder orally, while other ones use it as an external treatment for the skin. The most common mixture combines pearl powder, acacia honey, egg yolk and warm water. Leave the mixture on for 15-20 minutes, theresults are stunning

If you visit the 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, don´t miss the chance to try our facial treatment. Magic, tradition and wisdom are the cornerstones of all our Thai Spa treatments.