We just returned from a week at the Pelican Isle Villas at Turner Beach. Some observations:

Pelican Isle Villas: Perfect for our family. On a low bluff, directly on the water. 2BR (1D 2S), kitchen, spacious but starkly furnished living room, daily maid service. Only the bedrooms were air conditioned, but that was fine.

We stayed in the Captain’s Villa, which featured a beautiful lawn overlooking the ocean. Palm and nut trees, tropical flowers, cacti and other exotic flora provided a beautiful foreground for our ocean views, as well as some much appreciated daytime shade. Plenty of comfortable outdoor seating allowed us to enjoy the panoramic view from every vantage point. For our money, I don’t think we could have chosen better accommodations. Our hosts, the Wescotts, were very nice and even picked up a birthday cake for our daughter. We did most of our grocery shopping at the Epicurian at Jolly Beach, which had just about everything we needed.

Turner Beach: On the calm side of the island, beautiful water, great snorkeling around Johnson’s Point and Pelican Island. Essentially deserted this time of year, except for one day when cruise ships were in and passengers asked to be taken to a quiet beach. Even then, there were never more than a few dozen people populating a half mile of sand for a few hour period. Local teenagers frequent the south end of beach. Although they never caused any trouble, we twice found ourselves moving slightly north to enjoy a bit more quiet.

Photos at: http://community.webshots.com/user/bertuch