A strange and beautiful university… JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay MZ Trend Space │ Hankyung Magazine

caution! Don’t overeat… A paradise created by those who are loyal to the concept and the capital

There is an abandoned university in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. It is Lamarck University, where the children of French residents and local residents who lived in Phu Quoc attended in the 1880s. The school, which made its name as a sporting prestige by winning the Asian Rugby Championship, was closed when the Second World War broke out. Years later, Vietnam’s Sun Group rediscovered the school and turned it into a five-star resort.

Congratulations on your acceptance to Lamarck University.
But in reality, there is no Lamarck University. All these stories are a global view of ‘JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa’. The person who built this worldview is Bill Bensley. There are various words to describe him, such as architect, creative director, collector, and interior designer.

He runs Bensley, a design studio in Bangkok and Bali, and is responsible for architecture and interior design for luxury resorts. His works are more than 200 hotels and resorts in 30 countries around the world, including ‘InterContinental Danang’ in Vietnam, ‘Capela Ubud’ in Bali, Indonesia, and ‘The Siam’ in Bangkok, Thailand.

Among them, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort is a resort entrusted with full authority and directed by Sun Group. From small cutlery in the restaurant to signboards and staff uniforms, there is nothing that has not passed through his hands.

‘Some say my college years were the best years of my life. Then why not build a resort based on that happy time?” The DNA of the destination became. From the name of the hotel booklet given at check-in, this is the ‘Lamarck University Student Book’.

Like a real university, running tracks are drawn on the playground, and the building with guest rooms is the concept of departmental buildings such as agriculture department, fine arts department, zoology department, and astronomy department. From the color of the external wall of the building to the single frame that hangs in the room, the characteristics of the department are reflected. Crops are actually grown in front of the Department of Agriculture building, trees in the garden of the Department of Zoology are landscaped in the shape of elephants, and related pictures are drawn on guest room doors.

According to this world view, the space for Mushroom Mycology students that used to learn how to make tea or grow mushrooms for experiments has been transformed into a spa. This place was inspired by the fairy tale ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The path to the spa is built like the ‘Rabbit Hall’ which led Alice to another world in the story. An employee dressed as Alice never forgets the comment, “You’ll get small after passing this place.”
Everyone is sincere in this worldview, just like the Disneyland employees who say that everyone is immersed in the character so as not to break their innocence. Chemistry student labs have become cocktail bars. Workers in white coats serve, and various experimental equipment such as flasks, beakers and cylinders are placed here and there. The laboratory concept is also maintained in the cocktail bar bathroom. The walls are plastered with the periodic table, and the shelves are full of flasks and beakers. This huge view of the world does not miss a single picture drawn on the wall.

The restaurant, which is the Department of Architecture building, even has an arrow pointing to the bathroom drawn with a compass and triangle. As such, each space has its own inspiration, so it is difficult to find a space that is even slightly similar.

In this place, the generation MZ (generation millennials + Z) who live newborn naturally. I wake up at 7:00 in the morning, do yoga, and eat french toast with fresh fruit for breakfast. After going to the spa welcomed by Alice and relieving the fatigue of the shoulders and neck, it’s time for lunch. After reading a few books while gazing at the emerald colored coast, if you are attracted to the brilliant light, you will immediately board a paddle boat and head out to sea. Float leisurely on the sea and take part in a pre-booked lantern making class. At the resort, which is a photo spot everywhere, the sun goes down quickly even if you take a few shots and dip your body in the three outdoor swimming pools once. After dinner in a restaurant by the sea where you can see the subtle pink and purple sunset, end the day with a cocktail in the Chemistry Bar.
The perfect destination for the ultimate ‘E’
For some, just imagine it can be a scary day. However, if you are an active tourist whose MBTI letter starts with ‘E’, you will be especially satisfied with this place. In the student book you received when registering, activities carried out at the destination, such as baking, bike tours, dance classes, and making lanterns, are filled into the calendar during the day and hour.

Anyone can come up with an idea. You can also submit a slick project. However, it is impossible for anyone to bring to life a world that existed only in imagination. I inadvertently opened the book placed in the lobby, and was amazed to see the contents written on it as if someone had actually used it. Bill Bensley says he visits this place from time to time to make sure the original concept he designed is well maintained. Since everyone is so sincere, I have no choice but to dream of returning to school after graduation.

Kang Eun-young, Hankyungmook reporter qboom@hankyung.com