Category: Reviews

Occupying a Homestead region, Qaldera is the work of Adius Curzi (Adiabatic), and serves as both home to him and his partner, Snow (SarcasticSmile), and public space open to visitors.

Surrounded by tall peaks open the sea on one side, the description of the setting suggests the off-region surrounds are intended to be the walls of a caldera, a kind of sinkhole created when the magma chamber feeding the volcano is suddenly fully or partially evacuated, leaving it unable to support the mass of the rock above, which then slumps.

Calderas can be hundreds of metres to kilometres in diameter. If there is still active magma left, then new volcanic cones and craters might form in further eruptions; if not, the caldera might over time fade into the landscape or be flooded to form a lake.

In this case, it’s not hard to imagine the setting many have once been a shallow shield volcano on a coast somewhere. Then, in the ages following the formation of the caldera, the seaward wall eventually collapsed under erosion, allowing the sea in to leave the central mound of the slumped land remaining as a small island, now turned into a haven of retreat.

The enforced Landing Point sits to the north-east of the island, down on the foreshore. It is located on the courtyard of a large warehouse which, surprisingly given this is a residential island, appears to still be in operation. The slips alongside the warehouse appear to be built for smaller vessels, adding a further little twist as to how the containers within the warehouse might be shifted.

South of the Landing Point is the curve of a tan beach, suggesting that at least some of the rock making up the island contains quartz, feldspar and iron oxide, which the wash of the sea has worked down the years  to break down into the sand.

Behind the Landing Point sits a pond, both home to Peking ducks and their offspring and a place for casual bathing going by the raft and various floating toys. Between the beach and this pond, a wheel-worn track winds its way up the east side of the island, forming a route to the main house. As it starts its way up the hill, the track branches, allowing an arm to reach down the north side of the island to touch large barn (which can also be seen from the Landing Point).

It is here that a degree of warning should be given. Qaldera sits within an Adult rated region, and Adult activities – including BDSM – are permitted. Most of this activity and equipment is focused on the barn, where the majority of the equipment resides; so if you’re not keen on such things, then you might want to avoid the barn. While other such items of are scattered around the island, they are subtle in nature and blend into their surroundings far more that stand out, so they don’t interfere too much with explorations.

The remaining building on the island is one with another industrial look about it. It sits on a rocky promontory overlooking the beach and whatever its original purpose, now fulfils the role of a coffee bar. It can be reached via wooden steps leading up to from the sands, or via a further branch of the track leading up to the main house.

The house and its grounds sit on the upper reaches of the island, the house with its back to a stream possibly fed by the waters which create a set of high falls also behind the house. Beyond the stream, the land falls precipitously down to the waters below.

The house itself is expansive and stylishly furnished (I didn’t actually go in as it is a residence, even if open to the public and instead peeked through the windows), with the land on the south side given over to growing grapes and outdoor party space. A bridge across the stream at the back of the house leads to a way down the cliffs to where a little secret might be found (which can also be reached via a tunnel in the stonework below the front of the house).

For those wishing to see the island from the water, keep an eye out for the little motorboat rezzing dock.

Throughout all of this, the island is perfectly landscaped and inviting. Places to sit and relax (or engage in a little adult-orient fun) can be found throughout, and the local Shared Environment gives a sense that the island is just waking up with the early morning Sun.

Static NPC have been used in places – such as at the Landing Point and on the beach. For the most part, these are not too intrusive and give a sense of occupation to the setting. However, for those not so keen on them and who use a suitable viewer, remember that Derender is your friend if taking photos!

Visitors to the region are asked to do so in human form. Rezzing is open with a 5-minute Auto Return, so I assume limited rezzing of props for photography is permitted (just don’t quote me on this! 🙂 ). In all, an engaging and photogenic visit.

Slurl Details

• Qaldera (Smartie, rated Adult)

It was sort-of back on the road in Mainland for me after catching a Tweet from Hico Spicy concerning her Hi-Café, tucked away on the northern arc of Heterocera’s Route 3. This is an utterly charming little corner of SL, lovingly packed into less that 1,500 sq metres to present a restful environment rich in colour and with a sense of fun, ideal for relaxing within and take photos.

With the rainy season at hi-cafe over, the season has shifted from hydrangeas to sunflowers! I hope you can enjoy the full-on summer atmosphere

– From Hico’s Tweet

Set a little back from the main road, the café / bakery offers its own bus stop, with two entrances to its garden space, the smaller passing by way of a newspaper and magazine stand to the one side of the building, and a larger one complete with a greeting to the regions the café is both with and faces, whilst leading to the other side.

Being effectively double-front in design, the building – which is of Hico’s own design and available in her Marketplace store – naturally lends itself to something of a mirrored setting, with brick-edged paths bordering it to either side which are in turn bordering by long, rectangular ponds.

The footpaths contrast nicely with the paving of the courtyard within which the café sits, whilst the trees lined up between each path and pond provide welcome shade.

The setting is surrounded by brick walls, giving it a nice sense of calm and separation from its surrounding without feeling overly enclosed. Even the tall viaduct-like bridge marking the back of the setting fits well with the scene, both blending with the trees and providing an arched space before which an aged tree grows, bench seating and a busker’s music stand under its spreading branches.

Given the paved nature of the courtyard, the majority of the trees have been trained up through tree grates which are also home to many of the sunflowers that give bright bursts of colour to the place, and which can be found in brick-built planters and the brick-retained front garden space.

Further depth is given to the setting through the use of signs and advertising boards, splashes of graffiti on the surrounding walls and the richness of the décor in and around the café. I couldn’t help but smile at a lot of the signage, such as the chalkboard noting that Our coffee is an experience that chalk is unable to convey.

Cats appear to be the overlords here as well; they keep an eye on things from various vantage points, and one appears to be prepared to help out in cleaning up dropped ice cream cones – although admittedly, the cherry which presumably once topped the ice cream is the centre of his attention.

A cosy, memorable place to visit – limited rezzing for photographic is available via joining the local group, but please do clean-up when done!

Slurl Details

• Hi-Café (Sprawler, rated Moderate)

The Last – and until recently, the only – time I visited Loch Tredach Inn & Retreat was in late 2024, when the region was in the depths of winter. Unsurprisingly, with the changing of the seasons comes a brighter, warmer feel to the setting and what – if memory serves correctly – are a number of small changes  to the design. All of which gives plenty of reason for a return visit.

Welcome to the enchanting Loch Tredach Inn and Retreat – a place where romance and magic come together to create unforgettable memories.

Loch Tredach Inn and Retreat About Land description

The setting is a Full private region leveraging the Land Capacity bonus, and the majority of the landscaping and décor is by region holder Isabelle Larkspur.

I say largely, because the entire north-eastern extent of the region is given over to a private residence and its gardens and surrounds. These have been landscaped in keeping with the rest of the region by the property holder allowing them to merge seamlessly with it but are most definitely not open to public rambling. This property extends down a portion of the the east side of the region to butt up against the Landing Point.

Signs notify visitors that the land around the large house is private and a 30-second delay security system will also give fair warning before the hammer drops (to use an auctioneering term); but do take care when first arriving so as not to wander north from the Landing Point. Even with a long delay on actions being taken, encountering a warning from a security system so soon after arriving within a setting can be off-putting to the point of leaving anyway, which would be a shame because Loch Tredach has a lot that’s worth seeing.

Outside of this residence, the rest of the region is free to explore, and so long as you heed the signs the private residence doesn’t really interfere with ramblings and spending time relaxing along the way.

As noted, not a lot had physically changed since my December 2024 visit, but the colour Isabelle has brought forth for summer totally change the appearance of the setting from one of winter’s charm, excuses for skating and the excitement around Christmas and the New Year, to one very much of beauty, tranquillity and romance.

In my wanderings, I noted several elements I recalled from that first visit, if not their exact position in relation to one another. This made their rediscovery feel somewhat like bumping into old acquaintances. The Aviary, the ruined folly offering a bibliophile’s hideaway, the pavilions, the arching little wooden bridges – all served to pop-up in greeting as I explored.

With the arrival of summer, deer have come to enjoy the grazing of the grasslands and the shelter of the woodlands; geese patrol the shores of the inland lake, and foxes and rabbits roam and play whilst seagulls have come inland to circle overhead.

The Landing Point sits to the east of the region as noted, being located on the south-eastern headland. It presents my kind of coffee house (“Bad Day? Coffee. Good Day? Coffee. Lots of Work to Do? Coffee”). It offers indoor and outdoor seating, with more to be found in a garden shed converted into a little summer house close by (beyond which the private land commences). A large lighthouse sits out the southern bluff of the headland, with a little camp site between it and the coffee house.

Exploring the region from here is achieved by following the path down to a covered bridge passing over the narrow channel marking the exit point from the region’s large central lake – on the shore of which the Landing Point sat at the time of my original visit.

To the west the region retains its air of misty age and wintry mystery within the open-air event space occupying the north-west with its sense of age and history with the columns and ruins. The latter include the TLC Chapels Ruins, complete with wisps and phantoms of mist wrapping themselves around it. The Chapel is a personal favourite of mine I frequently use in my own builds, and here it offers a kind of “private” dance space set to one side of the main dance floor, although I cannot help but feel it really deserves some added décor; it was simply created to be decorated.

Alongside of this, but separated from it by a curtain wall of rock, is the mystical-feeling “winter’s gorge”.  Here is a place of great crystalline walls backed against the high blocks of rock. The waters here are eternally frozen and snow surrounds them at the feet of the tall crystals. It’s a place watched over by the Spirit Maiden and where exotic flowers grow and a stone stairway climbs a gentle turn into the clouds to reach a floating island of rock, a romantic retreat in itself. It would perhaps be nice to see this location have its own EEP setting (shape allowing), but in lieu of this I do suggest flipping your time of day over to Midnight whilst within it to full capture its beauty.

Elsewhere, there’s the gentle looping walk that carries visitors to the reading nook folly as it and converted shed before returning to the large red house which sits to the south of the region on the main paths coming down from the Landing Point, and which appears to be open to the public. There’s also the path up another gorge to a little snug overlooking the feet of the waterfalls which created the gorge and fee its fast-flowing stream.

And all of this barely touches on the level of detail awaiting discovery. These include multiple places to sit, some obvious, others tucked away and perhaps easily missed. Itan dancing columns are also to be found throughout the region giving people the freedom to dance almost anywhere (including up on the floating island!), and more.

Whilst the public expanse of the region has its own Shared Environment which gives it a further air of romantic mystery, it also lends itself to other EEP settings for those wishing to experiment with their photography (I’ve used one personal EEP for the photos here). All of which reaffirms Loch Tredach Inn & Retreat an ideal visit and photogenic visit.

SLurl Details

• Loch Tredach Inn & Retreat (Tredach, rated Moderate)