"Ok, Min, since you're putting yourself out there on all this 'slgetaway' stuff, what do you think makes a good vacation in Second Life?"
Everyone will have a different opinion on this, of course, but here are my very subjective and ever-evolving criteria:
What I'm looking for
Gorgeous, explorable landscape
View of the water: ocean, lake, river, waterfall
Animals and birds everydamnwhere \o/
The house (or cabin, cottage, trailer, tent, yurt, etc.) is separate and "far enough" from other nearby rentals
The rental is completely furnished with high-quality, consistent decor, including animations
Some prims available for adding personal items
Easy rental process, and easy to add partner and guests
A central location to see available rentals and meet with the manager and maybe even other guests if I'm in one of my rare social moods
Small, clever details of verisimilitude
Helpful, kind, and polite managers (and I give back the same!)
What I do not like (but will likely tolerate)
Skyboxes
NPCs scattered all over the place (yes, that's subjective, a few are ok)
No parcel privacy (people being able to cam in and see what I'm up to)
RP "experiences," like restaurants, spas, personal trainers (I don't mind if they're there, just don't make me participate)
Dealbreakers
Lots of pink ... though I don't mind it in a sunrise or sunset!
Ugliness (again, so subjective)
Signs and advertising everywhere, especially if it doesn't fit the theme
"Family" focused locations; I'm not a big fan of the kid avs
Unpleasant people, whether managers or other guests
And you? What do you think makes a perfect SL getaway? Please tell me in the comments. :-)
(isn't it adorable how I assume I have any readers?)