At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we are nature lovers. Did you heard about the spectacular Kawachi Fuji Garden in Japan?

Kawachi Fuji Garden is located in Kitakyushu, between Tokyo and Shanghai. The gardens take up a large area, which is home to many different plants and bushes, but the main attraction are their beautiful wisteria flowers, which join together to form the Wisteria Tunnel.

Over 150 Wisteria flowering plants spanning 20 different species make up the Wisteria Tunnel, a huge tunnel formed by 3 big grilles of different colours and shapes. Wisteria flowers roll up making different shapes: a section of wisteria flowers with double petals, a section with wisteria flowers organized as bushes and a last stretch with yellow and white flowers.

Every year, from late April to mid May the flowers look their best, forming an amazing rainbow. The different colours change from white and blue, to purple, pink and violet. Many people consider Wisteria Tunnel the most beautiful tunnel of flowers in the world.

Wisteria flowers reach 20 metres high and 10 metres on the side. Japanese people love these flowers and use them to decorate their houses and give their gardens a romantic touch.

At Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we don´t have a beautiful Wisteria tunnel jet, but we do have a macrobonsai, which was planted around 175 ago in Tokyo and stunning gardens to get lost in a journey of relaxation. Come to discover it at our Asian paradise by the Mediterranean.

One more week, at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we keep travelling around the Asian continent to discover all its hidden details. Today we are taking you to India to know everything about the more important Hindu deities.

Hinduism is the main religion in India and Nepal. It recognises one supreme deity, but includes many other gods as reincarnations of that deity.

Among all those gods, we are going to focus on the 5 most significant ones:

Brahma. Also known as Paramesthi, is considered the god who is responsible for the creation. Brahma is represented on a red figure of four arms and four heads, and it is believed that from these heads came the four Vedas.

Shiva. While Brahma is the creator of the universe, Shiva’s role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it. His most common representation is seated on a yoga pose. Shiva also symbolizes meditation and calm.

Vishnu. Vishnu is the preserver and protector of the universe. He is the god of goodness and preservation. He has 10 incarnations; nine of them have go down to the earth to fight against evil. Vishnu is represented with a human body with blue coloured skin and with four arms. And he is also usually represented standing upright on a lotus flower with Lakshmi, his consort, close by him.

Ganesha. This god represents the perfect harmony between masculine and feminine energies and between strength and goodness. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. Ganesha is represented as a stocky man, with a big belly, four arms and an elephant head. According to some legends, Shiva is his father.

Krishna. He is the 8^th representation of Vishnu and the deity of love and happiness. Krishna is represented with blue coloured skin, playing the flute by his wife.

Plan a getaway to our Zen paradise, and enjoy a few days off by the Mediterranean. Visit our Temple of Relax and discover spiritual and physical balance and wellbeing.

At the restaurants of the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we are looking forward to satisfy the most demanding palates. That is why today we are travelling to Thailand to know all the details about Thai gastronomy.

Thai cuisine is one of the most varied and tasty of the entire Asian continent. Its recipes include meat, vegetables and soups, with sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavours, mixed with spicy peppers and herbs.

Today in this post we bring you some of the main Thai dishes:

Pad Thai. It is one of the most popular and international Thai recipes. They are simple stir-fried rice noodles with soy sauce, tofu, egg and peanuts.

Nam Tok. Also known as Nuea Yang Nam Tok, it is a traditional Thai meat dish. It is served either with soup or salad.

Tom Kha Gai. It is one of the most famous Thai recipes. This is a silky and aromatic chicken coconut soup with lemongrass.

Tom Yum Kung. This sour shrimp soup is the most popular of Thai soups. Some recipes include coconut milk.

Gaeng kiew wan. Green curry with chicken. This recipe may change but some ingredients are always included: coconut milk, lime leaves, galanga and onion, mixed with meat and fish.

Som Tam. It is known as green papaya salad and it is the most famous Thai salad. Its main ingredient is papaya, mixed with chilli, garlic, tomato and fish sauce.

Panaeng Mu. Panang curry with pork is one of the most famous Thai curry recipes. Its main ingredient is the Panaeng curry pastry. This dish also includes coconut milk witch brings up a very creamy sauce.

Curry Massaman. It is another popular variety of Thai curry. It can be cooked with pork, lamb, duck, chicken or beef meat. It is served with white rice.

Pad See Ew. These are fried rice noodles with chicken and vegetables. All the ingredients are mixed with a thick soy sauce.

Kluay Buat Chi. It is one of the most traditional Thai desserts. It is a combination of light coconut milk and bananas.

If you are an Asian food lover, when you come to the 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you must visit our Koh Samui restaurant, where you will be able to enjoy the choicest oriental crossover cuisine.

Today we are leaving our Asian-style design pools in the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa to discover the amazing submarine world of Bunaken. Are you joining us on our trip to Indonesia?

Bunaken is doubtless one of the greatest natural wonders of Indonesia. The clarity of the sea, its coral reefs and its underwater world have made Bunaken become the best dive spot in Indonesia and one of the best in the world.

Bunaken National Marine Park was established in 1991 to protect the ecosystem. It located in the north of Sulawesi Island. The park is a bit less than 80,000 hectares of land (3%) and sea (97%), located in Manado. The land comprises the 5 islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Montehage, Nain and Siladen.

Bunaken National Park is famous for its warm water, between 27 ºC and 29 ºC, making diving a pleasure any time of the year. It is also famous for having a great visibility under the sea down to 40 m. Diving Manado you can see over 70% of the marine species in the Indo-Pacific region. Bunaken is home to the highest marine biodiversity on earth.

You can go diving in Bunaken any time of the year, but the best choice will be between April and November.

Bunaken National Park had over 300 types of coral reef, 3,000 different marine species and a tropical fish variety, which only lives in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and other larger animals such as sharks or salad water crocodiles. If you think of any marine specie, it is likely that you´ll find it at Bunaken.

At the 5 stars resort in the Mediterranean Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we don´t have the marine biodiversity Bunaken National Marine Park does, but what we do have are spectacular tropical gardens with over 300 different species of plants and trees. Are you joining us?

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we keep celebrating. Today we are travelling to Japan to attend Shichi-go-san.

Shichi-go-san, which literally means three, five, seven, is a festival held every year on November 15 in Japan. It is a rite of passage for 3 and 7 year old girls and 3 and 5 year old boys.

Japan celebrates three festivals dedicated to kids: Hinamatsuri (March 3), for girls, Kodomo no hi (May 5), for boys, and Shichi-go-san, for both genders.

The origin of Shichi-go-san comes from Heian period. The aim of this day is celebrating children´s healthy growth. Japanese parents visit Shinto sanctuaries with their children to pray for kids´ health and comfort.

Relating to the meaning of the numbers 7, 5 and 3, there are several theories. In the past, children were able to keep their hair long when they reached the age of 3 years old. From the age of 5 years old, boys were able to wear the hakama, traditional Japanese trousers, and girls were able to wear the obi, a traditional bow, when they were 7. That´s why Shichi-go-san was held when kids were 3, 5 and 7 years old.

These numbers were also picked because Japanese people prefer odd numbers; they believe they bring good luck.

Currently, at the age of 3 years old, Japanese kids wear for the first time traditional Japanese costumes and visit the shrine to celebrate it.

Shichi-go-san traditional activities are going to the shrines and carrying bags decorated with turtles and paper ornaments. These bags are stuffed with Chitose ame, a very famous red and white candy stick. Turtles (kame) and paper ornaments (origami) symbolize a long and healthy life for Japanese culture.

At the luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, the Best Hotel in Europe and the Mediterranean for Families, we organise every day different kids activities so that the little ones enjoy an unforgettable stay. We are looking forward to seeing you!

Today at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we are celebrating. We are taking you to India to celebrate the most important festival in the country: Diwali.

Diwali, also called Festival of Lights, is the biggest of all Hindu festivals. This celebration starts Hindu New Year. It falls every year between mid-October and mid-November and lasts for 5 days. This year the festival begins November 11.

This party is commemorated by several religions in India: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, as other countries such as Nepal, Singapore or Malaysia.

Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, and is one of the happiest nights of the year. Lakshmi, Goddess of good luck and beauty, and Vishnu´s wife, is the queen of the festival and the one in charge of giving prosperity and wealth. Other deities such as Goddess Kali and God Ganesha are also worshipped.

During Diwali, diyas, small oil lamps, are lit and fireworks are exploded to get rid of evil spirits. In this way, the victory of light against darkness is represented. These lights are kept lit all night long.

On Diwali people also make compositions with candles and flowers over the water and throw paper ships into the sacred rivers. They believe that the farther their ships get, the luckiest they´ll be next year. Other famous customs are giving presents, cleaning the house or decorating the house for the upcoming year.

Food is also very important in Diwali. People eat a lot of sweets and cook special recipes such as malpua, Karanji or Soan Papdi.

Come to celebrate the Festival of Lights with us at the 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. Take part in our Wishing Fountain Ceremony and make your dreams come true in our Asian paradise in the Mediterranean.

Do you believe in horoscopes? We all know the Western zodiac, but today we are going in depth into Chinese astrology. We are leaving the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and travelling to China to discover you the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

Chinese zodiac is represented by 12 animals, which divide according to the year of birth. Chinese calendar was introduced by the Yellow Emperor Huang Ti around 5,000 years ago and it is based on the lunar cycles.

According to the legend, Buddha called every animal on Earth, but only 12 of them showed up: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. And as a reward for their religious devotion, Buddha made them into the 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

The years of the Rat are 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 and 2008. People who were born under this sign are clever and daring.

Under the Ox sign, we can find those who were born in 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 and 2009. They are kind and patient people. Ox is linked to agriculture, work and patience.

The years of the Tiger are 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and 2010. People under tiger sign are independent, stubborn and brave. They are considered very lucky; this sign represents luck.

Rabbit sign belongs to those who were born in 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 and 2011. These ones are ambitious and very cautious.

The years of the Dragon are 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012. Dragon is the regent of all the animals in Chinese culture. People under dragon sign are honest and energetic.

Under the Snake sign, we can find those who were born in 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 and 2013. They are wise and very attractive.

The years of the Horse are 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 and 2014. People under horse sign are optimistic and sociable.

Goat sign belongs to those who were born in 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 y 2015. These ones are smiley and intelligent.

The Monkey is the sign of those who were born in 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992 and 2004. They are clever and common sense people.

The years of the rooster are 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993 and 2005. People who were born under this sign are very outgoing and happy.

Under the Dog sign we can find those who were born in 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2006. Their best quality is integrity.

The years of the Pig are 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983 and 1995 and 2007. People who were born under this sign have a strong personality.

At Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we don´t have our own horoscope, but we do believe in good luck. If you visit us, don´t forget to visit our wood canoe, our good-luck charm.

We are starting November with a trip to India. Today from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we want you to discover the incredible Chand Baori stepwell.

Chand Baori is a famous stepwell located in front of Harshat Mata Temple in Abhaneri, in the state of Rajasthan.

It was built between 800 and 900 by King Chanda of the Nikumbha Dynasty. It is consecrated to Harshat Mata, goddess of happiness, whose temple is facing Chand Baori. It is considered one of the largest and deepest stepwells in India. It is built up of over 3,500 steps distributed into 13 levels, and a depth of 20 metres.

According to the legend, Chand Baori was built in one night and it is so deep that whoever throws a coin into it will never get it back.

Stepwell or baori is the name given to those wells which have steps built into the sides that lead down to the water. Stepwells are used for religious and spiritual purposes and for supplying water

The entrance to Chand Baori stepwell is on the north side. Unlike other stepwells, the top floor is surrounded by a beautiful gallery of arcades.

If you visit the 5 stars hotel Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, its pools won´t leave you indifferent. Its spectacular Asian-style design and the materials used in their construction can only be found in a few of Asia´s top luxury hotels. Find the Asian paradise without leaving Spain…