Tag: Coffeehouses and Cafés

I’ve always enjoyed Sorcha Tyles’ region and parcel builds over the years, so back in June I was happy to drop into her latest (at the time of writing) endeavour: The Boathouse Café as I resumed my occasional visits to various cafes and coffee houses in Second Life.

Occupying a waterfront parcel (hence the name) just over 3,000 square metres in size, The Boathouse is presented by Sorcha under her Dutch Pavilion banner and offers a setting which, unsurprisingly and very cosily has much in common with other designs under that banner and which I’ve covered in these pages (notably Wild Silence, which I visited in late 2025 and June 2025’s iteration of Dutch Pavilion itself) – although leaning perhaps a little more into a Nordic theme in keeping with elements of the estate within which it resides.

A rustic Nordic hangout by the sea. Grab fresh fish & chips on the shipyard side, or escape into the wild, wind-swept garden with a cosy coffee. Unwind to the sounds of gulls and waves.

– The Boathouse About Land description

The café itself takes the form of a converted smokehouse with some limited moorings available – the surrounding rocks tend to dissuade attempts to come alongside at least at low tide, as does what’s left of one boat which apparently tried! Most of the high-set wharf is therefore given to outdoor setting to the front of the café, with fish & chips being offered outside as a treat.

Inside, the café has something of that Boho, informal look where whatever might have been available / obtained from local markets has been used for furnishings. This results in chairs and tables with a decidedly vintage 1970s or 1980s style to them mixing with more modern bar-style high chairs, together with a rustic-style food and beverage kitchen / counter space. Eclectic it might be, but it is also very relaxed and cosy.

To the rear of the building is a garden space which very much offers memories of Wild Silence, etc., in its informality and wildling growths of grass and plants.

The deck here has, admittedly, seen better days and could result in some stern words from a passing health and safety executive, but this doesn’t detract from the pies and other scoffables available nor does it prevent the cafe’s cats and dogs appreciating it as a place to catch some Sun.

A gravel path runs around the garden from the wharf and back, presenting the opportunity to walk off any extra weight that might have been felt to have been gained whilst eating, together with some swings for adults or kids to enjoy. There are numerous places to sit throughout the garden, including one on the water and another over it in the form of another deck.

A jet ski also sits on the water by the garden, but fortunately, it is not open to general use so it won’t end up causing interruptions for those trying to relax as it is buzzed around the island.

Those with a romantic inclination or who simply enjoy dancing can avail themselves of a dance system tucked into a corner – although the best place to dance is possible in the garden rather than around where the system has been placed J .  If fishing is more your style, that is also available!

In all, a delightful and easy-going visit; however, one point of note: do not remain in one place for too long, as you might be teleported home if you don’t reply to a pop-up dialogue requesting you confirm you are still at your keyboard.

Slurl Details

• The Boathouse Café (Moonlight Bloom, rated Moderate)

So, Halloween has now passed, and we’re in the end-of-year headlong rush into winter, snow, sledding and suchlike, pausing briefly along the way at US Thanksgiving before we resume the annual end-of-year surge of wintertime activities. Because this time of year can feel like a whirlwind of Things To Do And To See, it is sometimes good to find the time to take a little breather and decompress – and that’s exactly what the Nom Nom Café Library allows us to do.

Occupying an 8192 square metres parcel towards the western end of Corsica, this is a place which literally stands head-and-shoulders above its surroundings, sitting as it does atop a flat-topped mesa rising some 90 metres above the nearby sea floor. The creation of Spooky Treat, Nom Nom Café Library is a cosy, autumnal (at the time of my visit – not sure if it get redressed with the passing seasons) setting some may recognise from the official Linden Lab June 2023 video demonstrating the upcoming SL Mobile viewer (as shown during the SL20B celebrations).

Between lush green trees, grass, and an abundance of flowers the Nom Nom Cafe Library awaits you. Relax inside with some delicious cake, a book, cats, or cuddle up at one of the various spots surrounding the Cafe. Bring your friends and loved ones over for a night at the campfire or simply enjoy some alone time. A refuge for not only the LGBTQIA+ community but also all allies, created with love. ♥

– Spooky Treat describing Nom Nom Café Library

Given its perch, the best way to reach the café is via SLurl / LM to the landing point, which will drop you onto the path leading up to the café itself. This takes the form of the Nicolina Pavilion by Cory Edo, which Spooky and modded a little to provide a comfortable main café space to the front, the walls to either side carrying a multitude of books which allow the café to more than adequately live up to the “library” part of its name.

A little service area towards the rear of the pavilion separates front from back, the latter providing something of a fireside snug overlooking the grounds behind the café. This view is also shared by a balcony area directly over the snug and reached via a little staircase to one side of the service counter. Within both the snug and on the balcony above, more books await avid readers as they sip their coffee or nibble on some of the treats also available.

Flanking the café to west and east, both close enough to be within easy reach but far enough to offer their own circles of restfulness, sit two outdoors spaces. One, reached via the cobble surrounding the café’s fountain, presents a little storytelling / reading circle  around a warm fire pit, marshmallows ready for roasting. A chalkboard to one side offers the opportunity for a little self-expression; just click on one of the pieces of coloured chalk and start drawing (and click between the colours to change them or click the eraser to wipe the board), and the place is friendly enough to have encouraged a couple of local crabs to forward the waterfront down below the café’s mesa and scale the rocky heights to enjoy a little fireside dance!

To the west, and reached by passing through a little arch arcing between two short walls, is a place of promised mystery: a circle of standing stones, some with hollows cut through them so small torch-like fires might be lit. A table in the middle offers a chance for repast – or it would, barring the fact turkeys and squirrels appear to be availing themselves of the meal; better then, perhaps to retire to the hammock on one side of the circle and partake of the cookies on offer there!

A further path leads outwards from this circle to reach another little round pavilion. It’s roof fitted with glass to ward off any rain that happens by, it encompasses wicker chairs and a sofa, all with plump cushions, being one of a number of additional places awaiting discovery among the trees and grasses covering the mesa’s head. So of these are easy to find, others might actually be easy to miss – so do take time to look around (and up!) carefully during a visit. For those who enjoy a friendly table-top game, the open space between the camp fire circle and the café (complete with its little celebration of Moles) might be just the ticket.

Finished with an accompanying soundscape and rich in the company of pets and critters, the Nom Nom Café Library makes for an engaging and relaxing visit!

SLurl Details

• Nom Nom Café Library (Jolnir, rated General)

I’ve been back on my café-hopping again of late, with a recent stop being that of Triple Sweet Café, designed and operated by Nisha Nebula (StarfireNebula).

Located within a Homestead region and sitting on the largest of five islands located therein, the Triple Sweet Café would – but for the trees which form the island’s major occupiers – offer a commanding view out over the waters towards two of the other four islands. It would also provide a broke of the island’s foreshore, where a dock points out from the land, a place where rowing boats await those who fancy taking a trip out on the water. However, should you opt to do so, please note that with the exception of the little island closest to the café’s (and linked to it via a humpbacked bridge), the small islands are private residences, so please do not approach or explore without permission.

However, as noted above, the café is screened from the westward island by trees and they climb up the rugged hillside to its flat top, giving the café and its aged terrace and foreland a cosy sense of privacy and detachment; marking them as a place where people can come and forget worries and upsets and simply relax and let the time pass without care.

The converted cottage in which the Triple Sweet is located is the only building on the island. It offers a snug main room complete with a counter where coffee and pastries might be purchased and comfortable armchairs and sofas sit around an open fire – something likely to prove popular with visitors as the nights start to drawn in here in the northern hemisphere.

A second little snug space sits above, on a half-floor reached via a spiral stairway. Should the main room, with its armchairs and tables and chairs prove to be a little busy, a connecting hall offers the way to a glass-roofed side room. This also offers comfortable armchairs before a fireplace, together with counter seating. It’s a genuinely warm, friendly place, whilst the old terrace outside the front door has seating for those who enjoy coffee and sunshine.

The café shares the hilltop with a wooden deck presented as an event space; dances are available for the romantically-inclined, while tables to one side offer further places to sit and enjoy a drink and a nibble.

Nor is sitting in or close to the café the only options for visitors to the island. Follow the steps at the front of the café’s grounds to the lowland area, and it will not open lead to the small dock mentioned above, but also opens the way to most of the other places where people can sit and cuddle or chat and pass the time. One of these – the little campsite – has a path curving away to it to where a second set of steps descend the hill from the café to reach the stone bridge as it hops of the water to the little island I also referenced above.

Low-lying and circular in nature, the island is home to ruins of an equally circular form. What they may represent is up to the imagination, but with the surrounding trees and flow of vines over the stonework, it forms another place of romance for dancers, the fountain at its centre completing the attraction of this quiet location.

Like many places in Second Life, Triple Sweet Café is dressed for the Autumn / Fall, with many of the trees around the café heavy with leaves turning brown, gold and red, while some of the leaves having decided to make the jump for the ground, where the colours also reflect the time of year, even as racoons and squirrels roam. Also given the time of year, the trappings of Halloween have started to appear, both indoors and out.

Highly photogenic and finished with a fitting local soundscape, Triple Sweet Café makes for an inviting and engaging visit. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a coffee and a cinnamon roll with my name on them 🙂 .

SLurl Details

Triple Sweet Café (Hydra, rated Moderate)

‘Twas off to explore a quarter full region build recently, after SunShine Kukulcan passed a tip suggesting a multi-level setting I’d enjoy exploring – and she was right!

Designed and built by Katie (Katie Luckstone), The Waterfall Café is an engaging setting which, whilst predominantly occupying the sky, captures the richness and beauty of undersea realms, combining them with a sense of fantasy (and a twist of sci-fi in places) to present a location alive with colour and with an engaging sense of life and wonder, all intended to offer a retreat-come-hangout for all those wishing to escape from the “norm” and relax with friends.

At the time of my visit, The Waterfall Café offered five locations open to the public: The Kraken (which is a very good place to start explorations),  Waterfall Café itself, Mystic Café, a a ground level coastal setting, and the Night Train. These are all connected via a teleport system (which also provides access to a non-public – I presume – work area), although it is possible to move between The Kraken and the Waterfall Café on foot, which I’d suggest is worthwhile.

As you step into this café, you will be transported to a world of whimsy and wonder. The aquatic theme infuses every aspect of the space, creating a visually stunning and immersive experience. Whether you prefer to sit in the main dining area or explore our secret underwater dining area, you will be surrounded by a mystical atmosphere that is both calming and captivating. As the sun sets, the mood shifts to a more intimate and romantic vibe, perfect for a cosy dinner for two on the night train which adds an extra touch of mystery and adventure.

– The Waterfall Café About Land description

The Kraken is a small lounge area offered in vibrant greens and with turquoise walls suggestive of a cavern below the waves. In keeping with its name, the lounge has a distinct octopi theme – although one not in any way menacing -, although the leaf-like seats set out before the bar offer an interesting elven-like counterpoint. The bar itself is a novel affair: those serving drinks are able to do so whilst relaxing on pool loungers floating on the water flowing outwards from where it falls from the rocks behind the bar (doubtless helping to keep the bottled beverages on the shelves there nicely cool), the bar itself holding said water in check, preventing it from soaking the feet of those occupying the leaf chairs.

Just through the doors of this curiously inviting lounge is a teleport disk connecting with the rest of the location, and a tunnel with water flowing outwards over its stone floor directing feet down to where The Waterfall Café awaits.

The end of his tunnel takes the form of a L-shaped passageway, the waters descending from above spreading to form a pool over the paved floor to a depth of a few centimetres, allowing vines and plants to form a floating carpet. Windows line the passageway’s walls, mixing views out to a coral reef with wall-mounted tanks to one side, whilst windows and doorways look inwards toward the rest of Café on the other as tables and chairs – some suspended from the ceiling – long both arms of the passageway present places to sit pass the time.

At the far end of the longer arm of this passageway is a huge watertight door. Swung back against its big hinge, it suggests a secret lying beyond, thus beckoning visitors to step through. But while it does indeed hide a secret, it should not be the immediate focus for explorers. Rather, that lies around halfway along the passage’s length, and the open rectangle of a stone doorway as it provides access to what had at one time been a large vaulted hall.

Lit by the phosphoresce of sea plants and the light of aquariums, the chamber has been split into two levels through the addition of a wooden floor. This leaves the lower level as something of a large entrance hall serving four small rooms and passages leading deeper into the Café. Each of the smaller rooms offers an intimate, private space, lit by water from tanks (or possibly windows to the world outside – you decide!), whilst one of the passages leading the way deeper into the Café passes over a glass panel through which the ocean floor can be seen, together with dolphins swimming by, unconcerned by whatever might be going on above their heads.

Aged wooden stairs climb to the added floor above where, under the vaulted ceiling a more open and decidedly sci-fi looking seating area awaits, comfortable armchairs floating serenely under their own power. Aquariums and animated digital murals set into the archways around the room’s side give the impression of it being exposed within the oceans depths, while alongside the stairs climbing up to it, a further doorway provides access to a large viewing area, modelled to look like a cave with one wall again apparently open to the sea – or at least separated from it by an near invisible transparent wall.

Beyond this first hall with its two floors, the Waterfall Café offers more visual delights in the form of multiple chambers of varying sizes and styles. I could potentially wibble on at length about these, but I’ll save you the pain because, frankly, the entire complex really should be witnessed first-hand. Just be sure to take your time in exploring, as these are spaces where careful camming is required in the larger space in order to appreciate the amount of detail they contain, and where there is a wealth of artistic expression on Katie’s part deserving of discovery.

One of these inner halls of the Café forms the “official” landing point for the location, providing another of the teleport disks. There are the only (in the case of the Night Train and Mystic Café) or most obvious (in the case of the ground level locations) for getting to see the rest of the location’s public offerings.

Both the Night Train and Mystic Café are much smaller that The Waterfall Café. The former offers an intimate ride through a night-time setting aboard a train carriage comprising its own private dining area and lounge / bedroom, whilst the latter presents a pavilion-like café-bar sitting within an otherworldly garden. It’s a dreamy setting, perhaps only lacking a dance system for those so inclined but which does offer an interesting selection of music (local sounds, not the audio stream), featuring extracts from the soundtrack of Beetlejuice.

Finally – almost – there is the ground-level coastal area. Sitting under a turquoise night sky, it is home to a number of tiki-style cabins with solid walls, all open to the public and the largest of which sits out over the waters, proudly raised on stilts which anchor it to a small rocky outcrop. It’s a romantically-inclined setting suggestive of tropic island paradises – and one that hides a secret. It find it through discovery, you’ll need to backtrack to the big watertight door at The Waterfall Café; but I’ll leave you to discover it in piece.

All told, a deeply satisfying visit – and my thanks to SunShine for the pointer!

SLurl Details

(Loveless Unity is rated Moderate)

• The Waterfall Café
• The Kraken