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Turtle Island

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This tranquil colony of luxury bungalows isn't all sunset strolls and dinners on the beach. Since opening in 1980, the private-island resort has also established a regular medical and dental clinic and granted several no-interest loans to locals to open backpacking hotels. Perhaps the resort's highest-profile project is the Evason Learning Centre, which has allowed islanders to attend high school without having to move to the mainland. Guests are welcome to visit ELS and meet the local students before heading back to their vaulted-ceilinged bure to grab their snorkeling gear—or change for one of those sunset strolls.