With all the attention paid to fresh ingredients - locally-sourced food and organic produce in recent years - some hotels and resorts are setting up their own organic farms and gardens.
The Fairmont Yangcheng Lake Hotel in Kunshan is a short drive from Shanghai. Set along the banks of Yang Cheng Lake, adjoining Yang Cheng Lake Park, Sunset Dew Park and the Yue Feng Island Organic Farm, hotel guests can explore the area on foot or by bicycle.
A farming couple have been invited to live in a traditional farmhouse there.
They are delighted to tell guests about farming, feeding ducks and beekeeping. Home-cooked meals can also be arranged.
The hotel has four food and beverage outlets. One of the key strategies is to incorporate produce from the farm into its menus.
In Vietnam, Conrado Tromp, executive chef at the Nam Hai Resort in Hoi An, was the driving force behind turning a plot of fallow land into a herb and vegetable garden. Red basil, lemon grass and mustard lettuce are some of the things that have been planted in the sandy coastal soil. 'The Vietnamese have subscribed to the 'farm-to-table' approach - as the West likes to call it - for centuries,' Tromp says. 'Most meals are still prepared in this fashion. We're just embracing the culture that surrounds us.'
The garden is open to guests, who are encouraged to explore its features on their own.
