It seemed as though I would never get to see the highly anticipated, luxury resort Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands, the destination’s first new resort in nearly 15 years.
The property had been delayed for at least two years due to a handful of setbacks including everything from dredging problems to financial woes, but officially opened this month.
And even when it was time for me to finally arrive on Thursday evening, the private jet I flew on had an air leak, forcing myself and the other writers invited to see the resort for the first time to detour to San Juan for the night and postpone our visit.
But on Friday morning, I finally arrived at the 52-room resort located on a small island, bearing the same name of the resort and discovered by Christopher Columbus roughly 500 years ago.
And it was well worth the wait.
Now, we should warn you that the property still isn’t 100 percent finished. There is still minor construction and landscaping going on, the spa isn’t finished and the lobby and meeting rooms are still a little cluttered with boxes of supplies. You can book the resort now at an impressive discount or you can wait until April 1, the date we were told the resort will be fully completed.
We stayed in room no. 1211, an Ocean View One-Bedroom Suite. It has a balcony overlooking the some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen in the Caribbean (and that’s saying a lot), two flat-screen TVs (one in the living room and the other in the bed room) and two bathrooms, one with a spacious tub.
The resort was a little more family-friendly than I expected. For example, the restaurant offers a children’s menu and there is a water slide connecting two pools, one on the upper level of the resort and another on the first floor. But I still highly recommend booking the resort for couples.
There is a marina, offering 55-deep-water berths available for long-term or transient docking, including vessels up to 150 feet long.
For an extra fee, clients can hop on Dive BVI boat for day trips to other islands, snorkeling and scuba diving. I highly recommend a tour of “The Baths” on Virgin Gorda. At The Baths, you’ll basically find, huge, cave-like granite boulders. Some of the best pictures you’ll ever take in the Caribbean will be here. Also, be sure they check out the William Thornton Floating Bar & Restaurant, commonly known as “Willy T’s,” on Norman Island.
For more information on my trip to Scrub Island, we will be doing a feature story later this year in an upcoming issue of Travel Agent. Agents looking for bonus commissions for Scrub Island should click here.
Visit www.scrubisland.com.