Date night at the Essencia

We’ve produced this piece from the perspective of a couple coming to the Essencia Hotel for a one or two night date. Follow our suggestions, and you can’t go wrong!

This article appeared in the current (August) edition of Attention SL Magazine. Check out the whole of this month’s issue here.

All photos by Aria Christen, rights reserved.

Date night at the Essencia Hotel

With the August issue of Attention SL being focused on elegance and style, Aria and I went to one of our favourite places in Second Life, The Essencia Hotel.

Having recently been completely remodelled by owner Sérgio Franchinni and moved to a new sim, this is the best recreation of a five star city hotel we have seen. It’s immersive and it looks and feels real.

Coming to stay with your significant other? Here are our suggestions about how to plan your date.

Aria has done the pictures in black and white, which gives the hotel a classic type feel. To view the hotel in colour, take a look at our website.

Check-in

The Essencia is a hotel where you can self book - the rental kiosk in the lobby lists available vacancies.

However, the chances are you will also find the extremely helpful manager Kira Yoichi at reception, who will take care of bookings for you.

Kira can also arrange for reservations in advance, say if you are coming for a special occasion.

When checking in, you have a choice of rooms, costing from 250L a night upwards.

Our recommendation is to go for the more expensive options. A Deluxe Room costs 500L a night and has a separate living room, along with the bedroom - in an RL setting, it would be considered a suite.

Even better, the two premium suites have two bedrooms (meaning you could go as two couples), a vast living room / dining area and a wrap-around balcony with an outdoor hot tub.

These cost 1500L a night and are often booked up.

Lunch at the pool

The Essencia has two pools, there is the original pool that you’ll recognise from the ‘old’ Essencia Hotel if you ever stayed there, and a brand new pool club.

Both pools have bars close by. Note: to get to the pools you need to be a guest or buy a day pass.

As well as the two pools you’ll find a tennis court outside, as well as a large chess set (both are playable) and various spots to sit.

Afternoon at the spa

The original Essencia spa is now much bigger than before, with the addition of a sauna, changing rooms, and treatment / relaxation rooms.

The sauna and changing rooms is one of the only public areas of the hotel where you will find adult anims, in the showers (Rawage) and in the sauna (an 'evh Banya’ sauna).

Drinks at The Royal Bar

The ‘Royal Bar’ is easily the best hotel bar in Second Life. You reach it via reception and then go up the stairs to the Mezzanine Level.

The bar still includes Franklin the Bot Barman, who used to serve drinks in the old Essencia, but otherwise everything is new. The bar has a dark, but elegant design and it’s the perfect pre-date meeting spot.

Meet here before you go for dinner.

Dinner at Restaurant Blachere

Dinner at the elegant Restaurant Blachere can be self-service, or with RP dinner service (which we recommend - arrange at the front desk).

The restaurant also has a dance area in the middle and dance balls.

Both the restaurant and bar are open to the public, you don’t need to stay at the hotel to come here.

After Dark

The beds in the rooms have three animation engines inside.

The default is Rawage, but if you click a button on the wall you can also choose Ruckus, or Castle Bravo by Cumming Soon.

It’s not as well known as Ruckus or Rawage, but see the glowing reviews of Castle Bravo on MP. Having stayed at the Essencia a few times, we’ve now got this at home.