Asian celebrations continue at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. Today we want to take you to China, in particular to Hong Kong, to experience one of its most famous spring festivities: Tin Hau festival.

Tin Hau festival commemorates Tin Hau´s birthday, which usually falls in April or May. In 2016, it will be held on April 29. Tin Hau is the Goddess of the Sea, a very important deity in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is very tied to the ocean. Tin Hau is the patron saint of local sailors and fishermen, so it is a very significant day for them. In honour of Tin Hau sailors decorate their boats and make offerings to have a good fishing during the year.

Temples are also colorfully decorated. There are over 60 Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong. Yuen Long Temple becomes one of the offcial stops during Tin Hau festival. Thousands of people visit the temples to make offerings to Tin Hau, followed by playing a drum and a bell to attract good luck. The celebration ends with the famous lion dances around the streets.

Come to celebrate Early May Bank Holiday with us at our 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. We have designed a very special programme for you to enjoy an unforgettable stay. Don´t miss the opportunity to visit Southeast Asia in the Mediterranean during the most spectacular time of the year!

We still have many Asian spots left to discover. That´s why today from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we continue our trip around Asia travelling to the Philippines to get to know the amazing Kayangan Lake.

Kayangan Lake is located in Coron Island, in the province of Palawan. It has been considered as the cleanest lake in Asia.

This natural treasure doesn´t leave anyone indifferent. Its crystal-clear water, its limestone cliffs and its varied flora and fauna captivate every tourist that visits the lake.

Kayangan Lake is one of the two lakes in Coron Island (out of 8 lakes) that are open to the public. It is a mix of fresh water (70%) and salt water (30%), which makes it a natural pool perfect to swim in and dive into. Its crystal-clear water let see the limestone formation under it.

If you visit the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, our Asian-style swimming pools will win you over. Our suggestion, if you are looking for a relaxing swim, is our Faces of Angkor pool, heated to 30º degrees all year and restricted to adults.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa our microclimate never leaves us. We can´t imagine a better option to take care of ourselves and staying hydrated this spring than enjoying exotic Southeast Asian fruits.

Which ones are the most famous and peculiar ones? Keep reading…

Dragon fruit. Also known as pitaya, this is an unusually shaped fruit. It is dark red, pink or yellow. It is juicy and sweet; it tastes like a mix between a strawberry and a pear. You can find it all over Southeast Asia.

Mangosteen. This is Bali´s national fruit. It is also known as the “queen of fruits” due to a famous legend, which says Queen Victoria offered a great reward to the person capable of taking her this fruit to England. Its flavour is sweet and sour, a mix of peach and raspberry flavour. It is very healthy.

Rambutan. Along with Dragon fruit, Rambutan is one of the most strange shaped fruits. It looks like a sea urchin. Its white flesh is very sweet, kind of like an exotic grape. Some Asian cultures consider this fruit medicinal.

Snake fruit. Also known as Salak, this is a traditional Indonesian fruit. The name comes from its scaly brownish-red skin, which looks like the skin of a snake. It has a sweet and tangy taste like the apple.

Plan a getaway to Southeast Asia in the Mediterranean and enjoy a few days off at the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. During your trip, you must visit our Koh Samui restaurant, where you will be able to taste a wide variety of delicious exotic fruits.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa as you already know, we never say no to any Asian celebration. Today we are travelling to Cambodia to celebrate its famous New Year.

Kmer New Year is the most famous Cambodian festivity. It is a three-day public holiday in Cambodia. It usually falls on mid-April. This year is held on 13-15 April. Besides celebrating entering the New Year, this day marks the end of the growing season.

Kmer New Year´s celebrations are one of the best experiences to enjoy the vitality of Cambodian culture. The three days of celebration have their own name and associated traditions: Maha Songkran, Vanabot and Leang Saka.

Maha Songkran. The first day of the Khmer New Year is called Maha Songkran. Cambodian people wear new clothes and offer candles and incense on Buddhist altars. Families must kneel three times before Buddha as a gesture of respect.

Virak Wanabat. Also known as Vanabot, the second day of celebration is a time to think of charity. People offer donations to the poor and homeless people. Families also go to pagodas to pay respect to their ancestors.

Leang Saka. On the third and last day of New Year celebrations, families meet at pagodas to wash and clean statues of Buddha with holy water. Another tradition is that children wash their parents and grandparents. This act symbolizes a long and healthy life. Cambodian people finish the day playing traditional games, dances and eating traditional food in the countryside.

Come celebrate Oriental Spring with us. Experience the 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa during the most spectacular time of year. Feeling that you are in Asia in the month of flowers is easy…

Can you imagine a better plan to enjoy this spring than walking around one of the Asian continent´s amazing gardens? Today from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we want to take you to Shanghai to discover the wonderful Yuyuan Garden.

Yuyuan Garden is located in Shanghai, next to the famous Yuyuan Tourist Mart in the centre of Shanghai’s Old City. Declared a national monument in 1982, it is one of the most famous gardens in China.

It was built during the Ming Dynasty by Pan Yunduan. Its construction took 18 years, the garden wasn´t finished until 1577. Due to the damages caused by different wars through the years, Yuyuan Garden had to be restored several times. The last one was in 1961, when it was open back to public.

It occupies an area of 20,000 square meters and represents the traditional Chinese garden. These types of Chinese gardens are distinguished by having rockeries, ponds, incense burners, woods, bamboo, different types of sculptures and plants and flowers such as the famous chrysanthemums.

The main entrance of Yuyuan Garden is located in front of the beautiful building of Huxinting Tea House, which anciently was part of the garden. Among the main elements you will find when you get into Yuyuan are the Five–Dragon wall and the Exquisite Jade Rock.

If you visit the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, our tropical gardens won´t leave you indifferent. Our suggestion: our Botanical Route to enjoy a relaxing walk through beautiful flowers.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we keep exploring the different spots in the Asian continent. Today we want to take you to Japan to discover Himeji Castle. Are you joining us on this trip?

Himeji Castle, also known as White Heron Castle due to its brilliant white exterior, is one the most ancient surviving buildings of Medieval Japan. Located in Himeji, it is one of the “Three Famous Castles of Japan”, along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle. It is also the most visited castle in Japan and one of the most spectacular ones.

The castle was constructed on Himeyama hill, in the north of Himeji. It is Flatland-Mountain castle or hirayamajiro, a castle built on large hills where a plain spread out before them. Himeji Castle dates back to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill.

Currently Himeji Castle complex comprises the tenshukaku or main tower, the shotenshu or minor tower and its eight watari-yagura or towers. The castle is also made up of hundreds of doors, passages and walls.

Travel to Southeast Asia in a few hours. Can you imagine a better plan for spring? Visit our 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa in the Mediterranean. A paradise at your fingertips…

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we keep travelling around Asia to find out more about its traditions. Today we are taking you to China to tell you about its wedding traditions.

Chinese weddings are a millenary tradition. Chinese people give great importance to marriage. It supposes the union of two families forever.

In the past, a marriage was decided not by a young couple’s love, but by their parents’ desires and the couple wouldn´t see each other until the wedding day.

The colour red plays a vital role in Chinese weddings. Red is considered as a lucky colour. It symbolizes happiness, love, fidelity and prosperity; therefore, everything is in red. The bride wears a red wedding dress, a red veil and red shoes. Wedding invitations and decorations are also red.

Traditional Chinese wedding consists of different phases. Welcoming the bride to the wedding and performing the formal wedding ceremony is held on the same day. First, the bride leaves her house to go to the bridegroom’s one. She travels in a bridal sedan chair accompanied by a wedding procession. Family and friends follow the bridal sedan while playing different instruments. As soon as the bride arrives at the groom’s home, the groom throws rice at the bride and unveils her.

Once they are at the groom´s home, the couple performs formal bows at the family altar. They bow three times: the first bow to Heaven and Earth, the second bow to their parents and the third bow to each other.

After the bowing rituals, the couple would drink the nuptial cup of tea with their families and invite their relatives and friends to a wedding feast.

If you are looking for an amazing place to celebrate your wedding, we suggest you the 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. Make unforgettable memories sealing your love at our Asian paradise in the Mediterranean.

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we like to pamper ourselves with the best Asian treatments. That´s why today we are travelling to India to tell you about the beauty rituals Indian women follow to look perfect.

These beauty tips come from health millenary rituals and natural secrets that have been transmitted from mothers to daughters for years.

Indian women keep a healthy and smooth skin using rich ingredients such as coconut, honey and oils. To moisturize their hands, they follow a very easy and effective beauty ritual; mix a tablespoon of honey with moisturizing lotion and the skin will get that velvety final touch we all look for. When it comes to facial treatments, they use a coconut facemask to nourish the face and neck.

If there is something famous about Indian women´s hair is how shiny it is. Here is the trick, coconut oil once a week will give you that extra shine. Also practicing inverted yoga poses to help blood circulate through hair follicles, improves the hair strength and natural beauty.

When it comes to grey hair, hear is the deal, Indian women mix a tablespoon of henna powder with their regular conditioner to cover their grey hair. It gives full coverture and lots of nutrients.

Besides all these rituals, to improve the in and out beauty Indian women also practice meditation, dancing or the ayurvedic diet. Are you in?

If you visit our 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa you have a mandatory stop at our Thai Spa. Book one of our treatments and enjoy and essential luxury.

Today from the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we want to take you to the Philippines to enjoy its varied cuisine. Are you joining us on this trip?

 Filipino food, unlike the rest of Asian cuisines, does not use that much spices. Its mixture of flavours is due to the influence given by different cultures such as the Spanish one, the Chines one and the American one.

Among the most common ingredients of Filipino cuisine we find rice and fruit. The most famous fruits are: lanzones, mango, papaya, banana and rambutan. But, which ones are its traditional dishes?

Kare-kare. This stew of oxtail is made with a delicious sauce of crushed peanuts. It is served with vegetables. Sometimes the oxtail is replaced with goat or chicken. People usually eat it with bagoong (fermented fish). It is a traditional dish on Filipino celebration.

Sinigang. It is one of the most popular Filipino dishes. This is a sour soup, which uses tamarind as the main ingredient. It can be cooked with fish, meat or vegetables.

Adobo. Adobo with rice is the most traditional Filipino food. This is cooking meat (often chicken or pork) is seasoned with soy sauce, bay, pepper and vinegar.

Cassava cake. This is one of the most popular Filipino desserts. It is prepared with cassava root and coconut milk. This is a creamy and tasty dessert.

We are looking forward to seeing you this weekend at our 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa to spend Easter with us at our Thai Paradise. We suggest you to visit our Koh Samui restaurant, where you will be able to enjoy the choicest Oriental crossover cuisine.

Spring has arrived at the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. We want to welcome it by travelling to Japan to discover the most beautiful Japanese flowers. Can you imagine a better plan for this Tuesday?

Flowers and plants are very important for Japanese culture. One of the main reasons Japanese people value flowers that much is because they believe every flower has its own meaning.

Let´s review some of the most famous and beautiful flowers in Japan:

Lotus flower. This flower has a special meaning for Japanese people. It symbolizes immortality and truth. They believe that if the plant this flower, it will bring them peace and serenity.

Camellia. This flower is known as the Japanese rose. It is one of the most beautiful Japanese flowers and also one of the most romantic ones. There are different varieties and colors.

Dog´s-tooth violet. Its name comes from its bulbs’ peculiar shape. They look like a dog´s teeth. These beautiful flowers grow between February and May.

Chrysanthemum. For Japanese people this flower symbolizes a long life. They are use as decoration for important events and celebrations. It is considered one of the most beautiful Japanese flowers due to its different sizes, shapes and colors.

Cherry blossom. Also known as sakura, this flower is a symbol of Japanese culture. There is a celebration for cherry blossom this is Hanami. During this day Japanese families and friends celebrate blossoming.

If you visit our 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you can´t miss our Botanical Route. It will let you learn everything you need about our spectacular tropical gardens.