Review - Krak Bak Caye
Edit - Krak Bak Caye has now closed for the Summer
Krak Bak Caye is the eighth in the Sim Quarterly series of installations. Created by Elizabeth Jewell and Electric Monday, it takes a Belize theme, with the RL inspiration being Caulker Caye. It includes a small motel and some beach side huts (both free), which means I can include it on this website.
That is something I'm glad about as I really wanted to review it. It's a fantastic place to visit, with some excellent design touches and great attention to detail. It opened on May 5th and I'd advise visiting soon, as I can imagine it appearing as an SL featured destination before too long, which will bring in the crowds.
Overall look and feel
The arrival point is a small tropical airfield, after which you tp via a plane into either the village or resort area.
The village includes a street of shops, a bar, a beach, and the motel. Here I loved the colourful facades and shop fronts on the main street
In the resort you'll find another beach area with loungers, as well as the beach side huts.and a reception building
There's a guidebook you can pick up at various places to help you on your way. It's an immersive experience, so definitely put the sound on when coming here.
All in all, I thought the overall look was great. The owners haven't made the classic SL mistake of trying to cram too much into one sim, it all fits together, looks authentic, and it is really well designed.
Overall - 5/5
The rooms
As mentioned, there are motel rooms, and a few beach huts (or villas). The motel rooms have a bedroom, kitchenette and terrace and the villas a bedroom and terrace with beach access.
Especially as they are free, I'd say these rooms are more suited to hang out in and take pictures, as opposed to spending the weekend there. Having said that, I liked the way they were furnished, again it looked true to RL.
Overall - 4/5
Facilities and amenities
The main street has a gift shop where you can get a free t-shirt and postcard. It also includes a few places to eat and drink (and pose for photos), and there are both bicycles and mopeds you can use to get around.
A boat rezzer on the village pier lets you get between the village and resort areas - or you can of course swim!
Finally, you can take the boat to a separate lagoon, where you'll find an underwater dive area, which is really nicely done.
Overall - 4/5
The animations
So the first thing to say, is that the beds in the rooms are PG, so this is not a place you go for adult activities (but plenty of that in SL, right?). The sitting anims in the public areas all worked for me, with a moderate amount of adjustment.
Overall - 3.5/5
Other factors
Is the resort adult? No, see above, the beds are PG
Privacy? The rooms are free, so no. Again, it’s not that kind of resort.
Lag? I was able to run graphics on ultra, I experienced very little
Prices? Free!
Overall
What can I say, go and visit before everyone else does! You can easily spend several hours here taking it all in, and I think it's both a great date place and somewhere to hang out with friends. Note that Krak Bak Caye is only here until July.
Highly recommended
