One more week, from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we are discovering you a new attraction from the Asian continent, in this case two: the Phnom Penh Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. Who is travelling to Cambodia with us?

In the city of Phnom Penh, in Cambodia, the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda are the most important attractions in the city. Both buildings, which date back to 1860, are a great example of the beautiful Khmer architecture.

The Royal Palace is a mandatory visit for any tourist around Phnom Penh. The whole complex is walled and although it is open to the public, the Royal Family of Cambodia lives in the palace and that´s why, some areas are restricted to the public. This huge complex draws attention mainly due to its gold sharp roofs, which remind us of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Located on the banks of Mekong River, this palace complex still keeps the splendour of its period. It is made up of 9 buildings, which cover an area of more than 6 hectares. The most remarkable palaces and buildings are: The Throne Hall, which is currently used for coronations and religious and official ceremonies; the Phochani Pavilion, which is used as a ballroom; the Chanchhaya Pavilion or Moonlight Pavilion, the place chosen by the King of Cambodia to give speeches to the nation; and of course, the Silver Pagoda, which is covered with over 5,000 silver floor tiles.

The Silver Pagoda complex, inside the Royal Palace, is made up of several buildings; statues, the most famous one is the one known as the Emerald Buddha; stupas and beautiful well cared gardens.

Precisely, what gets more people´s attention when visiting the Royal Palace is its spacious gardens, specially the ones surrounding the Silver Pagoda, where we can find a mockup of the Angkor Temples.

If you are planning a luxury and relaxing romantic getaway in February, the luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa is awaiting for you. Discover our Oriental Romance programme and enjoy an exclusive escape to Zen Paradise!

We still have many aromas and essences left to discover in Asia. As good Asian cuisine lovers, today from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we are travelling to Asia to tell you about ginger and its role in Asian cuisine. Are you coming with us?

Ginger is a root of the Orient, which is mainly grown in China. It is also called kion, and it is very common in traditional Asian cuisine and medicine. It belongs to the Zingiberaceae. Turmeric and cardamom also belong to this species.

This is one of the most popular condiments of Asian cuisine. It is very used all over the Asian continent, specially in countries such as China, India or Japan, due to its medicinal properties.

Ginger adapts to many recipes, as well as sweets and salty. It offers a very special flavour, it is strong, spicy and very aromatic. It is ideal to boost other flavours. Once you start cooking with ginger, its spicy flavour decreases, but its aroma never fades away.

It has different forms of presentation.

Fresh ginger. It is very popular in Indian cuisine, Japanese cuisine and Indonesian cuisine. Its a basic flavouring element of sauces, such as soy or curry; meat, fish, seafood, chicken, rice or soups, but it is also used in jelly, candied fruit and candy.

Dried ginger. It can be kept longer than fresh ginger, although as time goes on, its flavour and scent may fade away. In order to keep its medicinal and organoleptic properties (smell, aroma and flavour), it must be kept in hermetic containers in a fresh and dry place. The most common form of presentation is powdered ginger, which comes from the dried rhizome. It can also be found as crystallized ginger, which is sugar coated dried rhizome pieces.

Preserved ginger. Fresh rhizomes are marinated in syrup and are usually kept at room-temperature in ceramic jars. There are also ginger infusions available.

If you are an Asian food lover, during your visit to the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa you have a mandatory stop at its Asian restaurant par excellence: Koh Samui. Enjoy the choicest oriental crossover cuisine, a unique gastronomic experience.

One more week in the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we keep travelling around the Asian continent to find out all the treasures it hides. Today we are taking you to The Philippines to discover the spectacular Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Are you coming?

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the New7Wonders of Nature. Located about 50 kilometres away from the city centre of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, is home to one of the longest and most beautiful underground rivers.

It covers an area of 5,753 hectares, where we can find up to eleven different ecosystems, which go from a jungle to reefs.

The park has eight of the thirteen forest types found in tropical Asia: forest over ultramafic soils, forest over limestone soils, montane forest, freshwater swamp forest, lowland evergreen tropical rainforest, riverine forest, beach forest and mangrove forest.

Regarding its fauna, we find different animal species: birds (a total of 165 species of birds were recorded), mammal species (30 species), reptiles (19 species) and amphibians (10 species), among others.

Another wonder we find in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is the stalactites and stalagmites inside its caverns.

Sea, mountains, jungle and stalagmites make this place unique and astonishing. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is the ideal place for pure and exotic nature lovers.

If you are planning on visiting the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa during winter, their spectacular heated pools are awaiting for you. Who said cold?

We have started the year as we deserve at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa: pampering ourselves at our Temple of Relaxation. Among the treatments our Thai Spa offers we find the body wrap. Do you know what is it? Keep reading!

Body wraps are a very popular aesthetic and medical treatment currently. They help combat skin problems.

The treatment consists of different phases, which seek to stimulate the body for the best reception of the medicinal properties of the products involved in the treatment: mud, clay, seaweeds or chocolate.

The first step is exfoliating the chosen area to get rid of the dead tissue and the toxins, as well as the pores are stimulated to facilitate the absorption of the properties of the treatment.

The second step consists of applying the chosen product and covering that part of the body with linen bandages to stimulate the vasodilation and it takes from 20 minutes to 30 minutes for its effects to kick in.

Finally, the wrap is moved away and the body is cleaned to finish with a full body massage.

According to the ingredients used, different effects may be achieved? The main benefits of the body wrap are: improve blood circulation, relieve muscle pain, improve acne, detoxify the body, reinforce and tone and help get rid of adipose tissue, among others. The most popular body wraps are: chocolatherapy, vinotherapy and seaweed therapy.

During your visit to the luxury resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you have an appointment at the Thai Spa. Our suggestion: booking our 2-day Jankaseam programme, which includes a body wrap. An essential luxury…

We are welcoming the New Year from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. We want to open our first post of the blog telling you about a very special date that takes place very year in Japan: hatsumode.

Hatsumode is the first Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year. Its origin dates back to New Year´ Eve traditional Shinto festivities, when ujiko or people from a clan gathered in a shrine to welcome the ujigami or the clan god during New Year´s Eve.

Currently, at midnight on New Year´s Eve, people visit Shinto temples and shrines to listen to the sound of the bells, a tradition known as joya no kane, which gives way to hatsumode.

During the three first days of the year, a large number of visitors come to the local temples and to the famous temples located in Japan´s biggest cities. Among the main temples we find: Meiji Shrine (Tokyo), Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine (Kyoto), Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (Kanagawa) and Atsuta Shrine (Aichi).

Generally, during hatsumode, wishes for the New Year are made, new omamori (charms or amulets) are bought while the old ones are returned to the shrine so they can be burned. People also enjoy toso, special New Year´s sake, and buy omikuji or a written fortune for the upcoming year.

Besides, it is very popular writing down your wishes for the New Year on Ema boards.

Start 2018 the best possible way in the 5 starts resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. How about welcoming the Three Wise Men at our Asian paradise in the Mediterranean? We are looking forward to seeing you!