Category: Second Life

I came across Isola Sirena whilst perusing the Destination Guide. Comprising a pair of Full private regions, each leveraging the Land Capacity bonus offered by Linden Lab for such regions, it is an expansive, multi-faceted, multi-level setting with a lot to see and do throughout.

The work of Angel Kavanagh-Taylor (AngelWaldencork) and SL partner Kina Finest-Taylor-Kavanagh (Kina Amour), the setting also possesses several secrets worth discovering. The main starting point for explorations is located in the more westward of the two region, Isola Sirena – Sunkissed Cove Beach.

A sun-drenched Mediterranean-inspired sim offering sweeping coastal views and dreamy escapes. Explore a hilltop restaurant, mini golf in the clouds, a charming winery and farmers market, and a stunning beach, with beautiful beachside and villa rentals.

– Isola Sirena About Land description.

It is here, perched on a high mesa, is a complex of Landing and Information point, offering teleport boards to reach the majority of the setting’s major locations, several of which are located within the complex itself: the Game Room, La Vetta d’Oro, Mixology Bar, and outside, via the terrace, the Summit Infinity Pool and the Plaza. However, the best way to explore and discover most of the locations is on foot (with one exception!).

On the south side of the mesa lies a small village reached by one of two routes from the Landing Point complex. This, like the mesa’s summit, offers clear views out to the off-region surrounds which give the impression both regions are part of a broader Mediterranean location. However, to fully appreciate the extent of this, Draw Distance will likely have to be raised.

Parts of the village appear to be for rent as businesses or homes. How extensive these rentals might be wasn’t clear to me: many were empty; and without rental boxes, others were furnished as homes and include rental boxes. The village and its footpaths step down toward the region’s beach, passing by way of La Tavola di Eleanora Café, which can also be reached via the main teleporter boards, as can the beach below.

The beach itself offers a mix of public spaces and rental beach cabins, together with the hackney carriage ride, a jet ski rezzer, a swim assist board and the beach bar. At the south-western end of the beach can be found the Meditation Point and Beach Club, both reached via the Teleporter boards, and the former also by the Beach boardwalk.

A covered bridge provides access to the setting’s mid-point island, home to the stables and farmer’s market, and which also provides bridge access to an eat-point tongue of land extending out from the base of the mesa to connect with the second region of the setting. The appears to be largely given over to villas available for rent. However, it is also home to one of the setting’s secrets: the bathing cavern.

This is quite exquisitely done, the entrance offering something of a backstory to the cavern’s discovery. Offering, as its name suggests, a place to bathe in warm waters offering places to sit and cuddle around the edges of the pool all set within a location suggestive of great age. The main pool surrounded by tall statues, some of whom hold shells from which water falls to replenish the pool below. It is a place suggestive of a relaxed, hedonistic beauty.

Set to one side of the main pool is a blank cave entrance, a sign indicating it is the way up to the sun-based caverns.

These are equally magical in their design, and also entirely otherworldly. The path through them is well signed, and there are places here to pass the time alone or in company. Exploring them is an absolute must, whether via the bathing cavern (recommended) or the main teleporter boards. Nor are these the only caves to be found within the setting – but all let you find the others, accessible as they are from the ground and (again) the Teleport boards.

Eastwards, past the villa the land flows into Isola Sirena – Winery and Countryside. This again appears to be given over to villas available for rent, together with the Vetta Oro Vinicola wine bar and the Winery itself. The latter has its own secret located on the shoulder of the hill to one side of it. Guarded by a stone carving of a young (weeping?) woman, lies a stairway leading down to the wine cellar.

And there is still more to be found – from bumper boats to picnic areas and seating – and of course, the pair of small islands held aloft by balloons and home to mini golf, as mentioned in the setting’s description and which gives it a little twist of the surreal.

I will confess to having some small niggles with Isola Sirena. The main caverns are at altitude, and so are ideal for their own dedicated EEP setting. Similarly, the cavern baths also look as if they could be placed in a parcel with its own EEP. This would avoid the need for sign posts asking people to change their setting locally, and make the experience of exploring more immersive with seamless transitions.

Another minor niggle is with the wine cellar – the stairs down / up could benefit with rotation. As it is, they are placed in such a position that the camera is placed of the wrong side f the walls surrounding it, which can make for difficult navigation when climbing. A final small point is that raising Draw Distance to view both regions can lead to texture discards – the first time I’ve encountered this since LL worked on refining texture provisioning and loading; but there is a lot going on in both regions , texture-wise.

These niggles don’t spoil the overall impact of the regions or the setting as a whole. And it has to be said, that taken individually or together in a single visit, the regions of Isola Sirena make for an engaging visit, one worth eschewing the Teleporter boards in favour of exploration on foot.

SLurl Details

• Isola Sirena – Sunkissed Cove Beach (Perfect Fantasy, rated Moderate)

Sable Hound Hollow presents a sanctuary for dreamers and a haven for lovers. Here the first whispers of Spring and the enchantment of the Hollow invite you to linger awhile and let your heart rest and your worries fade. Be it alone or with that special someone, allow the quiet beauty of this place remind you the magic of love is real.

– Sable Hound Hollow About Land

So reads a description for Sable Hound Hollow – Romantic Reverie, a setting designed by Honey Heart (H0neyHeart) as a public space for people to visit and enjoy, and forming a part of the wider Sable Hound Hollow region.

set as a pair of islands floating just over 500 metres in the sky, this is – as the description suggests – a romantic setting, one of considerable beauty and detail and offering much to appreciate and see. The Landing Point sits on the larger, western island, located on its highest level.

Here, within a large gazebo where visitors can join the local Group and – from now through until the end of February – join in a number of events centred on a celebration of Valentine’s Day. These include a hunt (group tag required), and the opportunity to obtain a daily gift when visiting from February 1st through 14th (again, Group membership required).

Placed within a circular garden area, this upper reach of the setting offer two paths for visitors to follow as they explore. One of leads to a ladder draped over the edge of the plateau to offer a way down to a shoulder of rock arcing around the garden plateau. This forms another garden space with its own gazebo nicely separated form the rest of the setting to give a greater sense of intimacy / privacy, with treats and hot drinks available under its roof, exotic plants scattered among its flowers together with statutes, while trees provide shade and birds watch over the comings and goings of visitors.

The second path goes by way of steps to a larger garden space. this offers seating in the form of a bench floating under a cloud and a balloon holding aloft a seat for singles and couples (beware of the drop when standing up!), together with another table of treats and a Greco-Roman style gazebo where the 14 gifts for Valentine’s can be found, displaying the dates and times they will become available to Group members.

Beyond this area, another ladder descends to the second half (so to speak) of the lower shoulder of rock, which again offers companionable seating in two locations (and an easily missed swing if you are not paying attention!), together with a bridge spanning the gap to the smaller of the two islands.

Here, the setting is again split into various levels. Just off to the left on crossing the bridge, the island offers a curve of grass richly coloured by wildflowers, as it arcs its way to where water forms a curtain and pool as it drops from a rocky archway. As it does so, the path passes a table set for a tea party, although no individuals in hats or mice or caterpillars are in evidence –  just a pair of friendly rabbits :). Just before the waterfall and pool, a hint of magic is provided in the form of a bird perched on an upright post. Magical because if you wait just a few minutes, the bird will change its form and song.

The waters of the fall drop from the rocks forming the upper tier of this island, reached easily enough by a set of stairs. Here visitors can take a pony ride and receive a gift of said pony at the end. A trail winds around the plateau, passing all the points of interest, including statues, a pair of swings to ride, together with the opportunity for a picnic under the boughs of twisted trees and in the company of white peacocks. This trail ends in steps running down to another path and gazebo set at one end of another sweeping curve of garden.

A third ladder has been cast down from the north-eastern side of this upper space to offer a way down to perhaps the most secluded part of the gardens. This is where water drops down from the pool mentioned above to join with the flow of additional waterfalls as they combine into a large pool before tumbling over the edge of the island to fall away into the clouds below. Marked again by a colourful array of flowers and trees,  this area offers seating within another gazebo and a further swing suitable for solo sits.

All of the above barely scratches the surface of all there is to be found here; Honey’s attention to detail means that everywhere are touches and details. These run from the mix of flower and plants – most conventional, some carrying a sci-fi or fantasy twist; the local wildlife, some of which might be easily missed (like the weasel peeping out of a hollow log); the floating lanterns, and more.

Both romantic and serene, the island of Sable Hound Hollow make for a relaxing and visually engaging visit.

SLurl Details

• Sable Hound Hollow – Romantic Reverie (Sable Hound Hollow, rated Moderate)

Sitting on the mouth of Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland, are the three Oileáin Árann, the Islands of Aran. Comprising three core isles –  Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer, together with a number of small islets, the Arans are not a large grouping; the three main isles provide just 46 square kilometres of land mass between them. However, they carry a history of human habitation going back to around 1100 BC.

Between them, the islands have seen their fair share of history, including Cromwell’s forces stomping around the islands and building multiple churches (among other things), and in being folded into the Nine Years War (1688-1697), with Irish-born privateer Thomas Vaughan, working for the French, seized the islands for a brief period after a series on initial raids on the settlements there.

Of the three islands, Inis Oírr – to give Innisheer its Irish name – is the southerly. Covering just 1,448 acres, it is actually the island with the second highest population count for the Arans (343 as of 2022). Its small size makes it an ideal inspiration for a region build in Second Life – and that is exactly what Jade Koltai has done in order to create her latest region design at Overland Hills, and which she calls, appropriately enough, Inis Oírr.

Of course, even trying to capture 1,448 acres in a single region is no easy task, so Jade has once again sought to capture the spirit of Innisheer, focusing on offering representations of the island’s more notable landmarks and locations. And in my opinion, she more than succeeds. The design captures much of its namesake whilst offering a unique setting in its own right.

Chief among the latter are the Innisheer Lighthouse, completed in 1857 and located on the southern tip of the island; Teampall Chaomháin, the ruins of a church dedicated to the island’s patron saint, Chaomháin of Innisheer, and a representation of the MV Plassy. Despite being the “most celebrated of all the saints of the Aran islands”, little is actually known about Chaomháin, but the church dedicated to him lies within the cemetery on Innisheer, and which today looks more like an excavation than a church , something Jade has neatly reproduced.

The MV Plassy is very much a part of the island’s more recent history. Originally built as an armed anti-submarine trawler for the Royal Navy, the vessel was originally names Juliet (as in Romeo and Juliet, the ship and her sister vessels all being named for Shakespearian characters).

The ship saw service in World War Two, prior to being sold-off and renamed the Peterjon prior to again being renamed Plassy in 1951, and working as a coastal freighter. In 1960, a storm drove the ship onto Finnis Rock off the coast of the island, with the entire crew rescued by the islanders. A second storm then beached the wreck up on the rocky shore of Innisheer, where it remains to this day (perhaps gaining wider fame via a certain British-Irish sitcom of the mid-to-late 1990s).

Jade’s build wisely steers away from trying to present the island’s local community (although the Landing Point does take the form of a harbour wharf), instead concentrating on the above and other historical details, such as what might be seen as the ruin of one of the churches built by Cromwell – or perhaps a reference to O’Brien’s Castle, built in the 1300s.

There are also dry stone walls snaking across the rugged landscape, just as can be found across Innisheer, whilst a part of the landscaping of the coast might be taken as referencing the island’s limestone pavement. Even the island’s connection to Ireland gets a mention: at the landing point is a sign for the Doolin Ferry, which connects the Aran Islands with the settlement of Doolin, County Clare, to the south-east of the group – and indeed, a ferry is docked at the wharf.

The offshore region surround elements might be a little too mountain-like in places to represent the Galway / Clare coastline or Innismaan (Inis Meáin), the second largest of the three main islands, but this hardly matters; the presence of the elements help to give Jade’s Inis Oírr a further sense of place.

When visiting, do have local sounds enabled for a more immersive feel, and do note also that the shared environment is a little on the gloomy side (well, it is winter and this is the Irish Sea, and nature is hardly sunny a gay this time of year!).

It is because of this, I opted to make some adjustments to lighting when taken my photographs, and then overly this with shots using the actual EEP settings for the region as a part of post-processing. Hopefully, this helps bring out some of the details more clearly.

Slurl Details

• Inis Oírr (Overland Hills, rated Moderate)