NagaCorp has announced that it has signed a 50 year lease with the Cambodian government for a 75 hectare (187.5 acre) property near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Angkor Wat. The company plans on building a fully integrated resort, Angkor Lake of Wonder (ALOW), which will include hotels, a waterpark, indoor theme parks, a water cruise attraction, meeting facilities, cultural attractions, and food streets. Steelman Partners and Gensler have been brought on board as the resort’s architectural planners.
Planned key components of the resort include:
Hotels
Centrally located within the heart of 75 hectares site are hotels that feature the unique Cambodia cultural style set within lush botanical/cultural gardens, surrounded by the Grand Canal. These hotels offer variety of accommodations and individualised selling points to wide range of visitors. From architecture and interior design, to the cuisine and the premium amenities offered, these hotels provide international guests a new experience with each visit to ALOW.
Naga Water World
Naga Water World will offer numerous slide attractions, lazy river rides and large wave pool, designed with theme of Angkor heritage and Khmer cultural landscape, visitors of all ages can find a splash of adventure.
Seam Reap China Town
Seam Reap China Town is a fun cultural and ecological pubs, foods, music entertainment district, integrated with gardens and water features inside and outside to reflect Cambodian culture of living with nature. Night entertainment is filled with lively street acts, acrobats, jugglers, magicians on the canal side promenade, including the water fountain show.
It is a shopping and entertainment district where visitors can explore the Khmer culture through art, craft, food, entertainment and technology. Palm trees lined canal along the main arcade flanked by retails, art & craft shops, local foods, entertainment, the arcade is protected by all weather roof covering that promotes natural ventilation and soft natural light.
Indoor Hi-Tech Digital Theme Park
Visitors of all ages will experience unique worlds with the latest technology such as 4D, 5D, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), and the immersive experience will take visitors in a journey of Khmer history and culture, and inspire the future of Cambodia.
Ecological Tropical Paradise
Set in the lush tropical gardens, this 6-star ALOW IR showcases the local architecture and culture, complete with pool, spa, wellness center, unique Cambodian fine cuisine and impeccable service.
Cultural Gardens
Experience the magnificence of Cambodian horticulture and garden artistry spread across the entire 75 hectares site. These themed botanical gardens and unique water features provide an inspirational environment for exploration, discovery, excitement and learning, visitors will enjoy one of the premier horticultural displays in Asia with the ALOW Integrated Resort.
Recreation of ancient Angkor’s canal system
The abundance of water resources and skillful utilization of these resources have played an important part in the development of the historical Angkor Empire, such as the famous moat that surrounds Angkor Wat. For modern Cambodia today, it’s the extensive water irrigation and food source that feeds the country coming from the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake, which have benefited the richness of the country for centuries. The ancient 1,800-meter-long Grand Canal echoes today’s regional landscape connecting all districts within the ALOW IR. The vision is to emulate the success of the San Antonio River walk in the U.S. and the canal city in Osaka to create as much play, fun and tourism elements as possible in order to create a world-class ambience for tourists from all over the world.
The initial phase of the project, consisting of two hotels, the waterpark, China Town, the Indoor Hi-Tech Theme Park, and landscaping and development of the canal system is expected to be completed by 2025 at an estimated cost of US$350 million.
IMAGE: Angkor Wat © UNESCO. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO. Image has been cropped from original.
