Kangwon Land Theme Park in Jeongseon

The biggest casino town in the world is Las Vegas, and 35 million people visit this Neonapolis (a city of neon signs) in the middle of a desert. There is one reason: a fantasy about hitting the jackpot, a lifelong reversal of their life. But even if they cannot realize their dreams of becoming a millionaire, it is simply fun. Fun and magical activities beyond one’s imagination are everywhere. Las Vegas is the best city to visit only if one does not gamble.

Kangwon Land Casino in Jeongseon, Kangwon province is not much different. The Kangwon Land Hotel (Executive First Class), a 24-story Las Vegas style resort with 477 rooms that opened last April, offers a variety of special entertainment that no other domestic hotels can imitate. Visitors experience the pleasure of being in Las Vegas in a resort by a lake on a snowy mountain. Of course, you have to forget about gambling.

A mound of coal stands like a mountain at Gohan Station, and the road leading into Kangwon Land passes below a land bridge in front of the station and then by Dongwon Corporation where people are busily mining for coal. The resort is situated on the middle of the mountain’s slope, at an altitude of 850m. Turning a corner after following the steep road that circles the mountain, a tall building with a green roof suddenly reveals itself. The building shines even more brilliantly in the middle of the night with its green lighting. The travel tip to visit Las Vegas at night rather than during the day also holds true for this town.

The culmination of this 107m-high hotel’s exterior beauty is the geometrical roof that forms a green-colored gable. It closely resembles the amazing hotel of Chateau Frontenac in Old Quebec, Canada. In front of the hotel is a lake, instead of a courtyard. This reflects the wit of the architect, who read the mind of customers who might feel suffocated by the mountains surrounding them on three sides.

In winter, the lake is frozen. It becomes a ice skating rink decorated with a Christmas tree and beautiful lighting. It reminds us of the ice rink in New York’s Central Park. In the other three seasons, spring, summer and fall, the lake is the stage for a musical fountain. A lakeside hotel with a fountain, that is the image of Bellagio, the best casino resort in Las Vegas. The images of Bellagio, where the movie Ocean’s 11 was shot, and Kangwon Land have a lot in common.

You feel like you are in Las Vegas even inside the hotel. The beige tone of the interior design resembles that of Bellagio. The arched ceiling is exactly like that at the Venetian, a Venice-themed Las Vegas casino. The casino area with its luxurious atmosphere and performance stage is not unusual. The large space with no pillars also takes after the Las Vegas style.

A pueblo-style hotel that cuts through the middle of the mountain looks totally different from the back than from the front side. The lobby area that looks like a first floor is actually the fifth floor. The space down to the third floor, at the level of the lake, is wide open with no structures between the floors. The façade is entirely made of glass. As a result, the space resembles a sunny greenhouse and its view includes restaurants, bars, luxury shops, a pharmacy, coffee shops and a sauna. The view outside is all mountains, the lake and the sky. When the mountains are snow-covered, it is even better.

The space for family travelers is below that area. There is an indoor “adventure palace” on the third floor (Casa Cinema), the first floor underground of the attached building (Central Plaza), and the second floor underground (Miracle World). Casa Cinema is where a Russian team of performers take to the stage once or twice a day, except for Mondays. Families would enjoy them since their act includes both magic shows and lido shows with splendid dancing. There are occasional movie showings as well. Band or dance performances frequently take place throughout the building. These performances and movies are provided free of charge. This is another Las Vegas quality.

If you continue to the end of the hallway and go down the elevator, you reach the Central Plaza, where the space under a pyramid-shaped glass roof shelters the game arcade, an electronic game room. Hammer hitting, bumper cars, kids’ world and the food court are there. This also resembles Circus Circus, a family hotel in Las Vegas.

From here, you can go to Miracle World through Stargate, an elevator that moves horizontally under the lake, and Time Space, an experience maze where people follow light or sound to escape. You get to experience a physical transfer here. Miracle World is an amusement area shaped like a space station with high-tech rides. This facility takes after the Star Trek area of the Hilton casino resort.

The amusement facilities brought in with the opening are the newest types. “Marine Tour” is a simulator in which one gets to steer the expedition submarine Nautilus of the novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which boasts a steering range of 360 degrees. In “Crazy Rafting,” one travels in a rubber boat and gets wet in a ride in which the boat moves alongside film images on a screen.

The 4-D cinema complex includes six programs such as roller coasters. In addition to the 3-D images, the motion can be felt with blowing wind. In Race Car, one gets to drive an F1 grand-prix racing car with a huge screen in front. There is also a VR (Virtual Reality) ride. One can run fast as a bullet down an ice tube in “Bobsled,” and players can drive a monster truck with its wheels more than two meters in diameter along simulated rough roads. “Alien Adventure” is a frightening experience in which an alien attacks after being released from a closed space.

The dome cinema in the ceiling is a 4-D special effect movie screen. The facilities are amazing, but the more amazing fact is that there are only a few visitors and no need to line up. In addition, the entrance fee is only 6,000 won (3,000 won for people from Kangwon province). This is the only bonus of Kangwon Land that we cannot experience in Las Vegas.

summer@donga.com