The Mermaid Suites in Charlottetown are pretty new, so this seems to be the first review. Their website (unlike some) is representative, at least for our room -- Suite 300 -- which we stayed in for 7 nights in late July at $1500 (C). Some caveats -- maid service took off Sunday and one other day; the included breakfast has to be the "early special," before 9am; our room was up several flights of stairs; the scene is urban (at least for PEI), so parking is an issue, but we never had problems -- but then we lived for 10 yrs in NYC. Our room was everything we hoped it would be, great bed, 2 robes, clean/good "Jacuzzi" (not really a jetted Jacuzzi, but bubbly enough for us), nicely furnished, quiet, broadband worked, phone with mssg machine, 2 nice TVs and DVD players, and space galore. While not for everyone, if you'd like to have your own stylish apt for a while in C'town, Mermaid Suites will do the trick.

We rented 2 bikes and car carrier for the week at Smooth Cycle -- nice mom and pop operation -- and can recommend two routes: The Confederation Trail from Morel to St . Peters and the Farmland trail in PEI National Park. Other recommendations: In C'town, walk in Victoria Park by the water, get a martini at a great bar (couches, chairs, plants) upstairs at the restaurant Off Broadway on Sydney street, Cows Ice Cream a block from Mermaid Suites, good pub grub at the Pilot House, and good food at Piece of Cake (also around the corner from Mermaid Suites). Best meal we had was at Dalvay by the Sea (lovely setting also). Great PEI local scene (and lots of good food) at the Lobster Dinner at New Glasgow (try to go Sun night, sit downstairs where you have a drink with dinner). Best walking beaches were at PEI National Park; if you swim, water was about 68 degrees, Cavendish Beach had jellyfish when we were there, but to the east in the park we found several beaches with nothing but crisp water, powdery sand, and dune views to die for. Golf? If you want to avoid the crowds around the usual courses, try the 9 hole courses -- Country View was nice and in good shape, but the course that knocked us out (and that you likely never hear of) is Belfast Highland Greens -- a muni(!) in Selkirk Provincial Park; four par-5's and spetacular views. And finally, driving around this scenic island was actually a pleasure. Our week in PEI was the most stress-free vacation we can remember.