Location
Crystal Coast resort is located on the coast, near an estuary.
Travel To/From Crystal Town
Crystal Town is the nearest population centre to the Resort. Cabs are routinely available from the front of the resort and the trip into nearby Crystal Town takes a little over a Task and typically costs 15.
There is also a commuter bus that arrives and departs every Job and is free.
Travel from The Downport
They have some obvious choices regarding travel:
- Direct tour aerostat ʄ50 or ʄ80 per person, duration 8 Tasks.
- Train for Crystal Coast via Tropica City, ʄ35 or ʄ45 per person, duration 6 Tasks.
- Direct Hybridyne service, ʄ60 or ʄ80 per person, duration 4 Tasks (only about half of which is actually in the air).
A Trip In the Tour Aerostat
As the pilot finishes the pre-takeoff announcement the thruster pods swivel to a new orientation and the aerostat begins moving forwards as well as continuing upwards. Outside the windows passengers can see the sprawling grey expanse of the Downport as they circle around and away from it.
The aerostat leaves the grey concrete of the Downport behind, replacing the view with low, rolling hills suffused with low scrubby plants.
The terrain below the aerostat moves from mottled green-and-brown scrubland to fields of solid green crops. Off to their right, the daylight reflects off dozens of clear domes.
The pilot’s voice, “we’re now passing over one of the largest farms on Mundo Zargo, below us are fields of low-pressure adapted companion plants, and off to the right are lightweight pressure domes for livestock. Let’s take a closer look.”
The aerostat descends and turns toward the domes. They seem unsupported by anything other than their internal pressure. Some large machines are dotted around the edge of the domes, presumably to compress the outer atmosphere and force it inside.
As the vehicle drops lower, groups of little dots – goats – can be seen roaming inside the domes.
After a slow pass the aerostat rises in altitude again and proceeds on its way over many more fields. and the occasional dome group.
Presently the farm gives way to low coastal plants before suddenly giving way to cliffs with an ocean crashing beneath.
The aerostat does a short diversion out to sea to circle an impressive rock spire jutting out from the ocean. Then the vehicle heads back into the coast and flies low along the cliff-tops, where, in the low gravity, huge waves roll slowly in, crashing against them.
The rocky cliffs gradually get shorter before giving way to deep sandy beaches. The sea depth lessens and passengers can see the shallow sea bottom through crystal clear water.
The aerostat slows and descends toward an estuary near which signs of habitation are apparent. It comes in to land near a large sprawling and multi-storied building with curving, vaulted architecture and a facade in white and pale blue. Nearby is a large dome, covering grounds and part of the nearby beach and water, similar to what they saw as they over-flew the farm.
It floats slowly over extensive grounds before coming in to land at an aerostat landing area some distance from the buildings and screened from them behind a landscaped rise.
The pilot warns everyone that local external gravity is about to return, and reminds people about the low air pressure outside, though passengers will be met by a pressurised courtesy bus.
Crystal Coast Resort Map
Purple lines indicate pressurised travel tunnels.
Accommodation Level Map
The accommodation levels are very similar, Lia and Oliver have observed that the following map applies to at least, levels three and four.
Main Foyer
An impressive wide and steep-domed shape inside, with high windows that allow crescent-shaped patches of natural light to fill the room. The white-and-blue motif of the exterior is maintained inside and it is a bright and airy space. A curved reception desk dominates one wall, and a restaurant/café on one side offers Oliver the promise of coffee. Arched corridors leading from the foyer are labelled Accommodations, Entertainments and Services and Convention Centre.
Conference Centre Corridor
This arched corridor – almost a tunnel – leads to the Convention Centre.
Entertainments and Services corridor
This wide corridor has a number of small shops along its length in addition to those in the Entertainments and Services area itself.
For example, Oliver found a small pharmacy at which he obtained caffeine tablets.
Accommodations Corridor
TBC
Conference Centre
The Convention Centre is an open, arched area similar to the foyer. Leading off from this central area are a number of doors to rooms named after various precious or valuable gems.
A few metres up there is a ringed catwalk, accessible by escalators, that leads to more rooms. Lia will note that the upper level rooms are named after semi-precious stones.
Another corridor, labelled Meeting Rooms leads from the central area.
Near the middle of the room, but offset slightly, is a dynamic information display-cum-water feature, adorned with crystals. Currently it’s showcasing a variety of agriculture-themed items.
Balancing the information display on the other side of the space is a small desk – almost small enough to be a lectern, with a couple of smartly-dressed, liveried attendants nearby.
Meeting Corridor
The meeting room corridor continues the bright and arched style of the décor, though unlike the clean white-and-blue of the previous areas, the corridor is hung with artworks along its length; images of coastal scenes.
The corridor is slightly curved and they cannot see the end of from where they are standing. Labelled doors lead off either side, adjacent display screens providing information about what is going on inside each one.
It includes rooms such as:
- The Lapis Room
- The Quartz Room (see separate entry)
- The Ruby Theatrette
Entertainments and Services
Dining
Dining options include:
- There is a small café just off the reception area
- There are four restaurants of various quality and matching price in the Services and Entertainments area, ranging from cafeteria seating with a few food booths and vending machines through to an upper-class restricted establishment
- one of them will also deliver food to a separate glass rotunda seating area in the resort gardens
- Additionally, there is another restaurant, Ranulph’s On-The-Water, down on the beach that extends out over the water
Accommodations
See separate entry for a description of a Standard Luxury room.