HENDERSON, Nev. — Although just 17 miles from the throngs crowding the Strip, Lake Las Vegas feels a thousand miles removed.

Visitors are far enough away to relax in the solitude of the lake and mountains but close enough to see the light from the Luxor shooting into the night sky.

The 320-acre private lake, a man-made extension to Lake Mead, has a Mediterranean feel with sprawling houses built on the mountainsides overlooking the water. A strict building code requires that everything constructed around the lake undergo a review process to make sure it fits with the rest of the architecture.

At first sight, little of Las Vegas appears to be here, but with critical eyes, one sees a community just as much Las Vegas as Circus Circus.

Las Vegas thrives by imitating. It feeds on the character of places from throughout the world and re-creates them in the Nevada desert.

Lake Las Vegas does that, too, only with more subtlety and for a more mature crowd. You won’t find a 10,000-room castleshaped hotel such as the Excalibur, but you will find a few dozen rooms at the Ritz-Carlton that are built on a replica of Ponte Vecchio Bridge from Florence, Italy.

Every hotel emphasizes luxury and relaxation, complete with stunning water and mountain views. Hotels compete with the best of the Bellagio.

Lake Las Vegas architecture is based on famous resort areas. The Ritz and Montelago Village draw from Florence and Lake Como in Italy; the Hyatt, from Morocco; the Casino Montelago, from the French Riviera.

In Montelago Village, boutiques, galleries, a boutique hotel and cafes dominate the quaint harbor side and have brought a community feel to the resort. This is the center of most activity going on at the lake and where most entertainment options are found.

At Bluestone Gallery, paintings of the Grand Canal in Venice, Ponte Vecchio and flashy scenes from the Strip run from $100 to $10,000. Jerry Blank, who owns the gallery, paints many of the pieces. In this sedate, sophisticated land, clubs and shows are less the norm than they are on the Strip.

Here, activities are aimed at nature, fitness and relaxation. A leisure pursuit exists for everyone: fishing, sailing, kayaking, hiking, golfing and horseback riding, and lighter pursuits such as stargazing and, of course, sunbathing.

Lake Las Vegas was originally planned as a golf resort, and some of the biggest names in the sport have made their mark.

Golfers can choose from two Jack Nicklaus-designed courses (the 6,917-yard SouthShore Golf Club and the 7,261-yard Reflection Bay) and a Tom Weiskopfdesigned course (the 7,250-yard the Falls).

Soon to open is a Tom Faziodesigned course (Rainbow Canyon) that will dominate the southwest corner of the lake.

Each course offers a different landscape with varying elevations and water hazards.

Off the course, visitors can walk 10 minutes from any point along the shore and come to the mountains that ring the lake.

A hiker can reach any peak in a few hours and be down in time for lunch. Desert plants such as ajo lily and globe mallow bloom on the hillsides. Hikers will see rams, lizards and snakes.

Lake Mead is a fisherman’s haven; not surprisingly, Lake Las Vegas has followed suit. Bass, rainbow trout, panfish and catfish fill the smooth waters. For those who don’t want to fish, the calm, flat waters of the lake provide a perfect spot for sailing. Those who want to learn can receive expert instruction.

All the activities can take a toll, so unless you want to be stuck poolside at the Ritz — which doesn’t sound terribly bad — the spas have you covered. Spa Vita di Lago offers everything from a simple massage or salt scrub to the overwhelming La Culla treatment (a two-hour multisensory treatment with personalized selections of aroma, color and sound).

The resort is becoming an entertainment destination. The concert series, which features a floating stage in the lake, has a lineup consisting of a handful of Grammy winners such as LeAnn Rimes, Seal and Andrea Bocelli. There are jazz festivals, Shakespeare performances, free outdoor movies and food and wine festivals.

Hollywood has found comfort here. The movie America’s Sweethearts was shot at the Hyatt, and Celine Dion lives here, commuting to Las Vegas for her show at Caesars.

"We are not the Strip; we are not trying to compete with the Strip," said Cary Krukowski, the director of marketing at Lake Las Vegas Resort.

"Our competition is places like the Bahamas that have things like Atlantis, but here you have the ability to live," she said. "We want to be on the map as one of the top destinations in the world to live and play."

The lake isn’t without kitschy Vegas charm. The Europeanstyle Casino Montelago, the second casino to appear, is smaller but has many of the same slot machines and table games that you’ll find at the Mirage, plus a sports book.

One of the greatest pleasures of the resort is the noise, or lack of. Unlike the Strip, Lake Las Vegas is quiet.

You’re more likely to hear an eagle shriek than a car horn. Few sounds come from the boats on the lake; all gas-powered engines are severely limited. Water taxis, kayaks, paddleboats, fishing boats and a few gondolas make as much noise only as the people in them.

The aim of the resort, Krukowski said, is to feel a world away from Las Vegas.

At 3 a.m. in the Paris casino, amid the ringing bells of the slot machines, the screams from the craps tables and collaborative chatter from the crowd, you’ll understand.