Category: Reviews

Over the past few years I’ve enjoyed occasional visits to [REN], an engaging parcel designed and held by Noa (Noa Cloud) in western Nautilus. For much of its existence it has been curated as a tranquil haven of imagination, a place to visit and appreciate, witness art or relax within on your own or with friends.

More recently, and due to physical world commitments, Noa has had to scale back on the overall size of [REN], reducing it (for the present, at least) to some 4,350 sq metres. This is more than enough, however, for [REN] to become the home to Café Bar Manoaya and to continue to offer a quiet retreat.

The café sits within a Japanese summer house set little back from a beach of golden sand, a ribbon of sunflowers hydrangea and wildflowers separating the one from the other. A terrace and flagstone steps form the public connection between the beach and café, with the terrace given over to cats and rabbits rather than the more usual tables and chairs to help maintain a feeling of space to breathe.

There is a gentleness to the parcel which helps encourage that since of peace and freedom to relax. A path circles the café,  passing by way of a cluster of small waterfalls dropping gracefully into a rock pool to where tall curtains of bamboo have been pulled across the cliffs behind the café to soften their granite faces.

There is a raised platform at the back of the café for those who prefer sitting outdoors, green tea and shaved ice fruits treats waiting to entice.

More cushions for sitting outdoors can be found tucked between the rear wings of the café, and while it is possible that some of the feline patrons might either object to a human presence there – or demand payment by fussing them in return for intrusions into their garden space. However, two of them at least appear to have found a focus for attention which might preclude their interest in any human interlocutors (although the subjects of that attention probably wish this were otherwise, and the cats in question would indeed find more interest into and humans happening to sit down here!).

My favourite aspect of the setting, however, is the octagonal summer house on the east side of the the land and set slightly further back from the beach than the café. Within it can be found a kind of sanctum sanctorum for a multipotentialite whose interests encompass lepidopterology, national histories (notably South Africa and France) marine life, gemology and music. And there is something utterly relaxing in sitting there and listening to the cello music (whether or not you opt to try the cello yourself!).

Taken as a whole, Café Bar Manoaya and its surrounds make for a charming visit.

The same is true of a visit to The Java Bean Café, albeit for different reasons. Created and operated by Katie J. Ronas (Katrina Flowers), it is located on the central southern coast of Corsica, close to the waterway running up from Chopsaw to Skains. Despite the general sense of bustle to the area, it is a peaceful haven keeping itself tidily separated from any possible hubbub of boats arriving and departing the moorings just beyond its south wall.

Surrounded on three sides by waters flowing into it via a corner channel alongside those moorings, The Java Bean Café uses a curtain of maple, weeping willow and other trees as well as the noise-deflecting walls to offer a sense of cool detachment and peace from the more general goings-on beyond its boundaries.

A large deck extends out over the shallows of the waters to the front of the café, not as a place for small boats to come alongside (the entrance to the cove in which The Java Bean sits is guarded by a large semi-submerged rock to discourage this anyway) but to offer patrons outdoor seating and the opportunity to play table-top games or simply watch the floating lanterns drifting between the lilies guarding the waterside edges of the deck.

The café occupies a large, predominantly wooden framed and sided structure with large windows, high ceilings and skylights giving it a light, airy feel which encourages a sense of ease and desire to get comfortable with a really good coffee – particularly in the four deep armchairs ranged before the large stone fireplace (which would likely be a popular spot in winter!), whilst the back room presents a space for larger visiting parties to enjoy.

This a setting focused very much on the idea of a café being a social centre; a place to come to and spend time together without feeling the need to explore or to distract. True, there are the games out on the deck – but these don’t have to be be played; those who wish to to can sit at them, chat and watch the frogs hopping and round the lily pads and the dragonflies flitting around, deftly avoiding the attention of any of those frogs who might might be eyeing them as a possible snack.

Rounded-out by a summertime soundscape of singing birds (and croaking frogs!), The Java Bean is nicely presented and cosy.

SLurl Details

• [REN] & Café Bar Manoaya (Strutter, rated Moderate)
• The Java Bean Café (Papercut, rated Moderate)
•  Coffeehouses and Cafés

Update: both Outpost Bay and The Boathouse Café have closed, and Sorcha now has opened Stillwater Coast – read more here. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

In July, I visited The Boathouse Café, a charming setting designed by Sorcha Tyles under her Dutch Pavilion banner (see: More coffee and photos in Second Life). Well, Sorcha has been busy!

Paging through the Destination Guide I came across an entry for Outpost Bay, sitting within the region hosting The Boathouse, and which at the time of my last visit has been a private space for Sorcha. So, intrigued, I had to pop over and have a look.

Listen to the gentle sound of waves and birds as you take a peaceful stroll down to the beach and relax by the vintage changing huts. When you’re ready, wander into the cosy Concept Store to pick up a fresh coffee, breakfast, and something good to read. Settle in at a table on the deck to enjoy the morning sea breeze, or head over to the lighthouse and take a boat out on the water. Outpost Bay is a warm, rustic place made for slowing down, unwinding, and living in the moment.

– Outpost Bay Destination Guide Entry

One of the things I really appreciate with Sorcha’s designs is how she can take a relatively small space and turn it into something that is inviting and encouraging of visits.

The Boathouse Café, for example sits on 3120 sq metres; Outpost Bay is barely bigger, sitting on a 3136 sq metre parcel. Yet both are visually impressive and photogenic, carrying plenty of detail without either parcel ever feeling overcrowded.

Given the two locations are within the same themed region (and sitting just across a water channel from one another), they share something of a similar look, both in terms of the flora and the buildings present on them.

This is not a critique: by using the same flora and similar architecture, Sorcha creates a sense of continuity flowing between the two islands – and with the rest of the estate. It also suggests that both islands were developed as little places of commerce around the same time, the buildings sharing ta wooden construction style as they were built around the same time and shared the same readily-available materials in the form of the trees growing on them.

With Outpost Bay, the main building was once a warehouse-come-seafood market, the original signage conjuring images of fishing boats coming alongside and their catch going from boat through cleaning to sale.

Now, however, the building serves as a café-come-store (do note that the doors are phantom, rather than opening, so just walk through them). It’s a little tired inside, to be sure – perhaps a statement to its frequent use – but there is more seating outside on a wooden deck for those who prefer.

The one exception to the dominance of wooden buildings in both settings is the tall white tower of Outpost Bay’s lighthouse. This looks out over a rocky corner of the island which might cause boats passing along the channel between it and the next island over.

With the lighthouse and café located on the east side of the island, the rest is relatively open as a wild garden which partially surrounds the cafe’s deck before giving way to a cosy beach alongside a short, rocky length of coastline.

The sands of the beach is patrolled by godwits and watched over by ibis whilst offering humans a place to relax and enjoy the summer Sun.

There is a main path wandering through the setting, and it does so in a manner intended to reveal rather than simply lead, winding out from the cafe’s deck it gently reaches out to the lighthouse and the beach, allowing people to gently explore and discover many of the little touches Sorcha has placed around the setting.

In all – and as I noted with The Boathouse Café – Outpost Bay is an utterly delightful setting with a lot to offer for those seeking to relax and those wishing to take photos. Individually or taken together, these are locations well worth visiting.

Related Links

•  Coffeehouses and Cafés