I booked this trip for my family after reading the many positive reviews that I read on Tripadvisor.com, and I was not disappointed. Barry was extremely generous in sharing his knowledge about the islands and was thoroughly hospitable. He allowed us to borrow snorkling equipment and my family had the best time at Turtle Cove. Please go and enjoy the bluest ocean, the most wondeful and friendly hosts and have a blast! My family enjoyed the vacation so much that we are planning to return next year.

We loved our stay with Marta and Barry. The rooms were very comfortable and the view was gorgeous. Our hosts were very familiar with the island and quite helpful with information. Being a sailor, I found it great being near a marina where I could go chat with the folks who had cruised in. That was also convenient for scuba diving, since three of the local operations has boats that left from that location.

I tend to be very connected - have a hard time 'cutting the wires.' So it was a little frustrating to have to sit by the pool to get the Internet, since the WiFi didn't work in the rooms. Not s show stopper, but something to be aware of. Marta explained that they had tried to installed repeaters, but that they didn't work for long and they had yet to figure out why.

Another thing to be aware of is that they are a short ride to Grace Bay, whe most of the activity on the island is. And the nearest store is also a short drive (nothing is really that far from anything on the island). So a car is a necessity if you stay. On the other hand, the quiet and the seclusion are part of what makes this place so pleasant.

I'll start this by agreeing with the several hundred people below me who have said that Marta and Barry are the nicest people.

And then I'll go a stage further and say that being nice has nothing to do with it, they're warm, they're friendly but most of all they're hospitable. What do I mean by that? Well they treat you as guests, rather than as customers and that means that nothing is too much trouble. They'll never sigh, they'll never roll their eyes and they'll never flash you a plastic smile while they try to palm you off on somebody else.

When you're at Harbour Club Villas and Marina - you're family. And these guys will do anything for family.

Here's an example. We arrived, a little frazzled because the airline (WestJet) had managed to smash our stroller into a couple pieces, meaning that our 9 month old baby had nothing to sit in. Within an hour of hearing this Marta and Barry had called around, managed to find a loaner, had been to collect it and had it waiting for us at the villa. You just don't get service like that elsewhere - and it's not atypical of these guys. Scan the other reviews and you'll get a pretty good idea of what we mean.

The place itself. Well HCV is pretty close to all of the places that you might want to be. No it's not on a beach, yes you are going to need a car but if you have one you're never more than 10 mins down a (bumpy) road from where you want to be.

The Villas are clean, decorated in the Caribbean style (wicker!) and have AC in the bedroom, 4 rings to cook on, a decent fridge / freezer, coffee maker and a microwave. There are lots of utensils, a flatscreen TV and some pretty decent pay cable channels too. Modern luxury it is not, but it's functional, the views are nice, the breeze nicer and everything is well maintained.

The landscaping is really lovely too. Sitting out by the BBQ by the small (but again immaculate) pool was an absolute joy as you're surrounded by a mature garden that's obviously loved and you stand a good chance of running into the couple themselves (a joy in itself)

So why only 4 stars? It sounds idyllic.
Well there's my reluctance to give anything 5 stars and then there are a couple of tiny things.

When you arrive the refrigerator is spotless, but empty. A bottle of water in there would have been really welcome (you CAN drink the tap water I know but so many people tend not to). A 'first hour' welcome basket (say water, some fruit, enough coffee for two cups, a mini milk) would be fantastic.

Then there's wireless internet. Yes it's available, but not from the villas themselves. You have to head out to the BBQ area to pick up the signal. Which during the day isn't an issue at all, but at night when the bugs are biting outside (everywhere on the island) it would be nice to be able to get online from within the villa itself.

Tiny points though. I'd choose Harbour Club Villas over a hotel on the island any time. Yes it's more remote but it's also quieter, more personal, more relaxed and much, much more friendly. The place is well run by people who seem to like people, who will go the extra mile for you and who have built their own little piece of heaven from scratch... and love to share it.

Highly recommended

My husband & I stayed at the Harbour Club Villas & Marina in June/July '11 for our honeymoon! Everything was absolutely perfect! Marta & Barry are two of the nicest people! Every morning we'd get advice on what beaches to visit and restaurants to try. Our villa was beautiful. We had a full kitchen, dining area, family room, and beautiful bedroom! The grocery store was 5 minutes away - we made breakfast every morning before heading to the beach. We got to enjoy the nice pool and spent a lazy afternoon in the hammacks! We also had a private patio where we got to enjoy our morning coffee. I would def recommend this place to travelers. It is located on the quiet side of the island - you need a car to travel to the beaches (but the drive is minutes). The condos are oversized & very spatious. Marta & Barry are full of information & we felt like family staying with them! My husband & I plan on returning for our 5 yr anniversary! If you are adventurous & like the quieter side of the island, I would definately recommend this place to stay!