At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we want to experience the magic of Christmas with all of you. That´s why today we want to take you to Japan to discover everything about the art of Japanese gift giving.

The art of giving gifts in Japan is a very important part of its culture. Japanese people give gifts to their families, friends and coworkers, who help them on their everyday activities, on two occasions throughout the year: Ochugen in summer, and Oseibo in winter.

Ochugen is a present Japanese people give around July 15 to their loved ones to express their gratitude for their help during the first half of the year, and to ask them formally to stay with them during the second half of the year. These gifts usually are seasonal food, sweets, coffee, liquors and any type of food. However, the most common gift is beer.

Ochugen gifts are perfectly wrapped in the traditional Japanese package called noshi. The title of the Ochugen is written on upper half of the package while the presenter´s name is written on the lower half.

The origin of Ochugen dates back to a Chinese festival, which took place July 15, and directly associated with the Japanese Obon festival, and was established as a date for trading gifts with friends and neighbours.

Regarding Oseibo, this is the traditional winter gift. It is given in the middle of December to thank their closest people for helping them throughout the year. Just as Ochugen, Oseibo is usually food or drink.

Its origin comes from the custom of giving presents to the loved ones during New Year´s Eve.

From the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we want to thank you for sharing with us this year. Merry Christmas!

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we keep discovering the most magical places in the Asian continent. Today we want to take you to China to go to the West Lake in Hangzhou. Are you coming with us?

The West Lake is located in the historic centre of Hangzhou, 180 kilometres away from Shanghai. China has over 30 lakes with the same name, but this is the most beautiful out of them and it is also the most famous lake in the country. It is the main tourist attraction in Hangzhou.

In the past, this fresh water lake was a huge gulf of Qiantang River, but throughout the years, the sediments were covering the mouth of the gulf and creating the lake. The Su Causeway, Bai Causeway, and Yang Causeway divide West Lake into the West Outer Lake, the West Inner Lake, the North Inner Lake, the Yuehu Lake, and the South Lake.

The West Lake has a surface area of 6,5 square kilometres, where we can find many temples, pagodas, gardens and the artificial islands within the lake, and a depth of 5 metres.

This lake has inspired thousands of poets and painters throughout the centuries due to the beauty of its landscape and the historic relics it holds.

If you visit us at the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we suggest you our Faces of Angkor pool. This swimming pool heated to 30º degrees all year and restricted to adults is doubtless one of the most spectacular heated pools at our paradise by the Mediterranean.

Have you had the chance to go to all the restaurants at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa? If you are an Asian food lover, travel with us to Vietnam to know everything about Vietnamese gastronomy.

Vietnamese gastronomy is one of the most varied cuisines. Its main ingredients are vegetables, herbs and spices.

Vietnamese cuisine varies by region, easy recipes in the north, vegetable and fish recipes in the south, and varied dishes in Central Vietnam.

Regarding the most popular dishes in Vietnam, we can find:

Pho. It is the Vietnamese national dish; a rice noodle soup served with a side plate of lime to add as you please. It also includes cilantro, basil or mint leaves. The most popular Vietnamese pho includes chicken, Pho Bo.

Hot pot. It is also known as Asian stew. It is one of the most famous Vietnamese recipes. It is a hot soup including noodles and other ingredients such as shellfish and vegetables. Restaurants usually serve a simmering metal pot of soup and the ingredients apart.

Rau Muong. The water spinach is a very common ingredient in Vietnam. It is cooked stir-fried with garlic and usually served as side dish.

Banh Mi. This is a Vietnamese-Style Sandwich. It is usually filled with sautéed beef or tofu and pickles.

If you visit the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you will be able to choose between its 7 restaurants to taste a masterly combination of Asian flavours with those of traditional Mediterranean and international cuisine. A unique culinary offering…

Today we are leaving the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa to travel to China. We are going into the famous Longmen Grottoes. Are you joining us?

The Longmen Grottoes are located 12 kilometres south of Luoyang in Henan province. The Yi River flows between them and the area is sometimes called Yique. There are 2,345 grottoes.

The Longmen Grottoes were started when the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) moved the capital to Luoyang and were continuously built during the 400 years until the Northern Song Dynasty. All the emperors during that period took part in the construction of the grottoes.

The Longmen Grottoes together with Yungang Grottoes, Gansu province, and Mogao Caves, in Datong (we will talk about these ones later on another post), are regarded as the three most famous treasure houses of stone inscriptions in China.

The grottoes keep over 100,000 Buddha statues, some of them over 15 metres high, 2,800 inscriptions and 40 pagodas. Each statue shows a different style since different artists made them.

Among the most important grottoes we can find Fengxian, which is the largest of all caves and located on the highest hill, Cave of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which was built in 680 by Empress Wu Zetian, and Binyang, three caves which were started by Wei Dynasty.

Come to our 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and enjoy some unforgettable days by the Mediterranean. We have tons of activities scheduled for you.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we help people find balance and spiritual and physical wellbeing. That is why today we want to talk more in depth about the art of meditation.

Meditation is a millenary practice through which an individual trains the mind to reduce stress and change his emotions. Its main goal is focusing and relaxing the mind till release conscience.

Meditation has been practiced in many different religions and believes since antiquity. It is mainly used to clear the mind and alleviate certain health problems such as high pressure, anxiety or depression.

It is considered to be the fourth state of consciousness; the other three states are: wakefulness, dreaming and sleeping. This fourth state increases the activity related to positive emotions and decreases the one related to anger and fear. Besides, it also increases attention span.

Meditation can be practiced wherever and whenever you like. The most common position to practice it is sat or lied down with your eyes closed. People often repeat a sound or sentence known as mantra to focus better.

There are many different types of meditation. Some of the most important ones are Zen meditation and Vipassana meditation.

At the 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we offer our clients complimentary meditation sessions run by specialised counsellors. You deserve a few days off by the Mediterranean…

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we don´t get tired of discovering all the treasures Asia has. Today we are travelling to Japan to know more about Sensoji. Are you joining us?

Sensoji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, is a Buddhist temple located in the famous district of Asakusa in Tokyo. It is one of the main tourist attractions in the city due to its cultural interest and Buddhist worship.

It is the oldest temple in Tokyo. It was built in the year 645, in honour of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. According to the legend, in the year 628 two brothers found a statue of Kannon in the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, they decided to keep it and built Sensoji for the goddess of Kannon.

In order to access the temple, we have to go through the Kaminarimon Gate or thunder gate, the outer door o Sensoji Temple and one of the most popular views in Japan. Sensoji is made up of the main hall, which was rebuilt after World War II, and a five-storied pagoda.

Throughout the year, several events take place in this area. The main ones are: Sanja Matsuri, one of Tokyo´s biggest festivals, and Hozuki-ichi.

At the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we also have our own temple. Visit our Temple of Relax and receive a traditional Thai massage from professionals trained at the traditional School of Thai Massage at the Wat Po Temple in Bangkok.

We keep travelling around the Asian continent. Today from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we are taking you to Indonesia to discover Mount Bromo.

Mount Bromo is located in East Java. It belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, which spans an area of 800 square metres. Although it is 2,000 metres high, it is one of the smallest volcanoes in Indonesia.

It is the most famous volcano in the island; the area of the mountain range is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java. Mount Bromo is also one of the most actives volcanoes in Indonesia, with more than 50 eruptions over the past 250 years. The last eruption was in 2011.

Southeast Asia is one of the privileged places in the world where the sun rises first. That´s why the sunrise we can see from the top of Mount Bromo is one of the most amazing ones in the world.

Climbing the mount during sunrise is a very common practice among the residents in this area in order to reach the peak before sunrise and see the landscape in all its splendour.

If you visit Indonesia, Mount Bromo is doubtless a mandatory stop.

Come to the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and enjoy a spectacular sunrise by the Mediterranean. We are looking forward to seeing you…

We have many magic places in Asia still left to discover… Today we have one less after our trip from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa to Reed Flute Cave in China.

Reed Flute Cave, also known as the “Palace of Natural Arts”, is located in the northwest of Guilin City, in the highway of the Guangming Hill. It is one of the most spectacular caves in the world.

Its name comes from the bamboo reeds growing in the cave´s mouth. It was discovered 1,300 years ago during the Tang Dynasty.

Reed Flute Cave is over 240 meters deep. Its popularity is due to its roof and walls. Inside this cave we can find a spectacular world of stalactite pillars and rock formations, created by carbonate sedimentation.

Besides, the cave is illuminated with coloured fluorescent lights, dyeing the walls and roofs with different tonalities such as purple, pink, green or blue and giving it a mystic and unique environment.

Reed Flute Cave doesn´t leave anyone indifferent. It is told that some of the intergalactic scenes of the Star Wars saga were inspired by the cave, which was visited by George Lucas´ set specialists.

If you visit our Asian paradise by the Mediterranean, our seven Asian-style design outdoor pools will make you fall in love too. Plan a getaway to Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and enjoy summer temperatures in December.