Just 1.5 miles from Tortola Island, Scrub Island Resort is a private island perfect for travelers by yacht or paradise seekers with a taste for Marriott Rewards
Living at sea on a yacht is a pretty blissful lifestyle, but every now and then you have to restock and rest your feet on dry land. How does a private island in the middle of the Caribbean sound? To us, it sounds ideal! During our travels in the British Virgin Islands we were looking for a secluded, tropical oasis that still had resort-type amenities. When we discovered Scrub Island, it looked like a perfect match. Privately owned and scenically abundant, Scrub Island has a huge marina for those who come with a ride!
Scrub Island Resort is about 1.5 miles from Tortola Island, the largest and capital island of the British Virgin Islands. From everything we saw, the hotel looked great — stunning pictures, delicious looking meals, and an atmosphere that appeared luxurious and relaxed. Despite our high hopes, Scrub Island didn’t exactly live up to our expectations. The food was mediocre, and unfortunately the service was disappointing most of the time. Even though the service and food wasn't what we expected, you can't deny the incredible scenery and well-appointed villas that are spread throughout
Enjoying Caribbean Style
Although Scrub Island is privately owned and remotely small, it is not lacking in entertainment. The marina at Scrub Island is a spectacle in itself, with yachts and boats of all sizes to gaze upon. At the marina, you can enjoy tons of water activities, from diving and snorkeling to surfing and swimming with dolphins. Around the island are restaurants and private villas that you can rent if you’d rather not stay at the resort. Scrub Island also has a small grocery store, spa, gym, and trails for exploring the terrain. Staying at the resort will give you that small island feel of privacy while ensuring that you have anything you might need.
A Taste of Caribbean Design
Scrub Island Resort is part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, so you can use Marriott Rewards points to book your stay. Plus, being part of this elite collection, you know you can expect a design full of luxury and sophistication. Every part of the hotel stayed true to an airy and bright design, involving crisp white walls, dark oak panels, and pops of tropical colors. Overall the design felt clean and simple, but there was an undeniable nautical personality at the resort, which really invited us to relax. At dusk, the resort glows from the aqua light of the marina and pools. It’s the perfect setting for a romantic evening.
Pastimes on the Island
During your stay at Scrub Island, you will quickly fill up your itinerary with fun activities and pastimes. The island has several beaches if you just want to sunbathe or lay out with a book. In addition to the water activities on the island, you can also rent boats for excursions or take the hotel’s complimentary ferry to Tortola, the main island. The ferry leaves every 45 minutes, so it’s easy to get to Tortola and explore a bigger tropical scene.
Chris’s favorite activity on the island the trampoline set directly in the water. We loved going to the “opposite” side of the island, where there is a quiet, private beach away from the crowds of rowdy day-trippers. There are also two large pools on site, both of which overlook the sparkling blue sea. Each pool is equipped with lounge chairs for midday snoozing or tanning.
Our Suite Over the Marina
At Scrub Island, it was impossible not to enjoy the views from our balcony. Surrounded by the ocean, waking up to scenery of turquoise waters and a bright blue sky was sublime. Our one bedroom suite was a part of our stay that we truly enjoyed. We had a gourmet kitchen (it even had an oven and dishwasher), spacious living room, two bathrooms, and a sizable bedroom. It was effortless to feel at home in this Caribbean style accommodation. We appreciated the style of our suite: clean whites and beiges made the abstract selections of wall art stand out while wooden features gave the space that necessary beach-feel!
Dining at the Resort
The highlight of the dining experience at Scrub Island Resort is doubtlessly the alfresco atmosphere. The ambiance of the restaurants accentuated the beautiful surroundings, and sipping cocktails in the sea breeze just doesn’t get old! Breakfast at the resort unimpressive with a simple spread of fruit, packaged yogurt, and some hot a la carte entrees. Our favorite onsite restaurant was Tierra! Tierra! — we enjoyed the yummy jerk chicken wrap with spicy fries and their chicken Caesar salad for lunch.
Other options include Caravela, the resorts fine dining venue, where you can order steak, lobster, and other choices while overlooking the marina. You can also visit the on site grocery store, where they make fresh pizza and sandwiches. One of the nights we ordered a big pizza and salad and ate in our suite, which was perfect! Since the food at the resort is just average, I recommend taking full advantage of the kitchen in your room. Heads up: the grocery store at Scrub Island doesn’t carry produce like veggies and fruit, so stock up at Tortola Island first.
Getting to Scrub Island
If you’re not arriving by boat, make sure you pack your patience! Since we were coming from St. Thomas, we took a ferry to Road Town on Tortola Island. After clearing customs at Tortola, we took an hour-long (bumpy) taxi ride to Trellis Bay Ferry Dock, where the Scrub Island Resort ferry picked us up. The airport on Tortola is right by Trellis Bay Ferry, so if you’re flying on a small plane to or from Puerto Rico, travel will be easy for you! Of course you can always make things a bit adventurous and scenic and just charter a helicopter, since Scrub Island has a private helipad.
Perfect for Points
Although our feelings on Scrub Island Resort were mixed, it’s a perfect place to book if you’re looking to use up your Marriott Rewards points. Scrub Island has the kind of scenery that feels like paradise, and plenty of beach and water activities to ensure a good time and some seaside relaxation.
For more information about Scrub Island, visit their website: