We stayed at Scrub Island in February 2021 to quarantine before sailing. We enjoyed the resort and island so much we extended and stayed another week after our sailing! About the current Covid-19 Processes: If you are worried about traveling during the Covid-19 pandemic, as we were, the BVI and Scrub Island are a perfect solution. Yes, there are several tests to take but they are painless and your reward is a vacation in a beautiful resort and country with virtually no Covid cases. Under current BVI restrictions you will test at the airport (takes about 20 minutes) and then you will be transported to the Trellis Bay Ferry (2 minutes) and take the Ferry to the resort (5 minutes). From there you are greeted at the dock with room keys and you and your bags are delivered directly to the room, very slick, no contact, easy check-in. You will be quarantined to your room until the first test comes back, roughly 24 hours - we were upgraded to a villa with large balconies, nice kitchen, our own pool and spectacular view... so a 24 hour quarantine was really not a problem. Once your test result comes back you are quarantined to the hotel grounds for 4 days, at Scrub Island that means you are quarantined to the entire island... our own villa with pool, the marina, the hotel pools and bar, the main swimming beach, the North beach (which was our favorite)... we really did not run out of great things to do. On the fourth day you will take the ferry over to Tortola, a taxi will take you to the hospital for your 4 day test (all organized by the hotel). The process takes a 2-3 hours total - probably only 20-30 minutes at the testing facility. Once your test comes back on day 5, you are free to go anywhere in the BVI and have the peace of mind that no one else has Covid either. About the Hotel: We loved the hotel and the grounds. The current Covid-19 regulations have curbed tourism greatly, but we found that to be a great benefit as we nearly had the entire resort and island to ourselves! We toured several of the rooms and villas, they are all very well done, modern, with nice decks and fantastic views. We stayed in Passage House which has 2 large bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a nice kitchen, several decks, a pool and special bonus steps down to a private beach that is only accessible from Passage House and Beach House. The views are spectacular and hearing the waves breaking on your own private beach was awesome. There is a well kept beach near the marina that has a water trampoline, kayaks, snorkel gear and other water toys as well as a more secluded beach on the North side of the island that has a pool and beach bar. Currently, the beach bar is closed however we did order room service one day and they delivered food and drinks to us on the beach. Other days we simply packed in our own beverages and had the entire beach all to ourselves. If you have ever wanted to spend the day alone on your own tropical beach, this was the place! The resort has 3 restaurants although only one of them is currently open. Donovans Reef has a limited menu right now but everything we had was very good. They did have specials from time to time and did even take special requests when we asked. In addition to the restaurant there is a provisioning store that has a great selection of wines, beer and liquors as well as basic groceries. You can order in advance and have foods and supplies delivered to your room prior to arrival as well (a very good idea so you have food and drinks for your first 24 hour quarantine). Other amenities include a fantastic Spa with beautiful views, some boutique shopping, a gym, sailing and diving lessons as well as ferry service back to Tortola. We would love to come back and visit when all restaurants are open and occupancy is higher, but we felt lucky to be able to experience this resort in a very intimate and private way, with low occupancy and high levels of service from both management and staff. We will definitely return.…
Understanding the times we are in, this review is not meant to "complain" but rather it is meant to inform others who may be considering travel to this resort in the near term. We realize we are very fortunate to be able to travel to this wonderful location and spend the time relaxing. We are appreciative of that fact and also very appreciative of the men and women working at the resort making our trip possible. From a COVID safety perspective we felt 100% safe at all times. All staff wear masks and there is hand sanitizer available everywhere. Safety protocols are followed very closely. Let me begin with items completely outside the control of the Resort. The BVI government regulations to enter (as of the date of my travel, late Dec 2020) are stringent. The hotel clearly explains all of this on their website as well. At a high level - PCR test before arrival, uploaded to a gateway, $175 fee per person, testing upon arrival, GPS tracking, mandatory quarantine in your room until you get the results of your arrival testing. Now here is where it gets a bit "difficult". The arrival test is done at the airport (EIS) and you are told the results take "about 24 hours". What happened to us was that my family received their results in about 18 hours - which was great. However, somehow my results, with a test taken at the exact same time, took well over 24 hours - they took almost 48 hours. What that meant was that everyone was stuck in our room for 2 days. Again, 100% not the fault of the hotel - but be aware of this possibility. Also, arrival day is considered "Day 0" - you need another test on Day 4 (which is actually physically Day 5). That test is taken completely on the other side of Tortola - so plan on your morning of Day 5 being taken up with testing and travel back and forth from Scrub to the hospital and back to Scrub. After you get those results (took about 23 hours) - you are then cleared to leave Scrub and explore the BVI as you desire. Again - just explaining the rules and the actual timing we experienced. AGAIN, NOT WITHIN THE CONTROL OF THE HOTEL. The hotel reopened on December 1 (per the website) and it's obviously shaking out the kinks and attempting to get back to operating standards that one would expect from a luxury resort after being closed for 6+ months. They have a new General Manager (Michael) who was just himself coming out of mandatory quarantine during our stay - he seems to be exactly what this resort needs. The small things we noticed changing over the course of our stay gives me great confidence. Towels left on pool chairs for over 24 hours early in our stay were removed and picked up within minutes, pool chairs were reset and aligned, staff became more engaged, physical work and repairs began to take place across the island, etc. It definitely seems as if the new GM and his team are making immediate impacts. Although the website notes the resort is fully operational, with all dining and activities, that isn't exactly the case. I completely understand the times we are in, and the impact it has had on travel, however the resort should be more transparent. I understand (given the travel protocols) they had last minute cancellations - and that MAY have impacted the opening of certain dining options. There was 1 restaurant open (Donovans Reef) for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Given the quarantine requirements I described earlier - you cannot leave the resort for at least 6 days - having 1 restaurant (the pool bar essentially), with 1 menu, for 6 days just doesn't work. Now, this is where Michael (and the Chef) really helped - they did everything possible to accommodate meal requests and ordering "off menu" - to the point of offering to go to town and buy ingredients if they didn't have them on site. That made a HUGE difference - and was very much appreciated. From an activities perspective - there were really none available. No watersports, no sunset cruises, etc. The pool at the North Beach while "open" - hadn't been cleaned and is in need of some repair. The chairs were not organized on the beach and the beach had most definitely not been combed or set up at all. There were also no towels available (good thing we brought our own). About 40 minutes after we arrived at North Beach, one staff member arrived (who was clearly not pleased to be there) to "open" the beach bar. Again, I can understand the hotel just coming back after being closed - but be transparent about it, don't have your website say you are fully operational when that isn't the case. We were upgraded to a Villa after booking a suite (as it seemed the very few other guests on property were as well) - which was a very nice surprise - we are Marriott Titanium members - so not sure if that is what did it or if the other areas of the hotel were just not "open" at this point. The Villa we were assigned, "The Pool House", was a two bedroom villa with a plunge pool overlooking the resort pool, and the ocean. The views anywhere on the island are breathtaking and even moreso from any area of the Villa. The Villa is in need of some basic repair (some lights not working, shower head in master bathroom was broken throughout our stay, lights in the pool were hanging off, paint peeling and cracking, etc) - again all little things that one would expect not to see in a luxury resort. Let me be clear - we had an absolutely wonderful time, in a beautiful place that is doing its best given the current circumstances. We cannot wait to return and experience the resort when it's fully back on its feet. Having suffered massive damage from Hurricane Irma only 3 years ago, an ownership change, to now facing a global pandemic the resort has been through a lot. As I noted earlier, having met Michael and his leadership team (Dornelle - his Asst GM) - I am fully confident they will have the operation fully up and running to the standards all guests would expect in very short order. We are already looking forward to our return!…
We were on the catamaran trip sailing the BVI and when the next stop was determined to be Scrub Island I checked the resort's website and found the Beach BBQ to be that evening. The resort itself is enchanting, very well and professionally managed. The organization of this beach event was excellent. After having a glass of wine in the hotel main area, open-air vans would take guests to the beach on the other side of the island. Food was great, entertainment was fabulous, we had awesome time!
Our recent vacation in the BVI was to be for a couple of weeks and although it was cut short due to the Covid-19 crisis, we were fortunate enough to spend 5 fantastic days/nights at Scrub Island Resort. From our welcome on the dock when we arrived right through till we got off the ferry to fly to the next island, our party of two couples thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After handing us a drink upon arrival, loading the cart with our bags, we were whisked away to our lovely villa complete with a spectacular view! The staff were all very warm and friendly .. helping to ensure our stay was the best it could be. Our check-in was seamless and above expectations. Some staff went above and beyond. There are 4 different rest/bars all of which provided excellent food .. even the poolside food. There are two separate sides to the island .. one close to the marina which is more active c/w with beach and pool and the other much quieter side but also with a beach, pool and bar. There isn't a bad view around the island The terrain of the island also provides for some great hikes and even better views for those looking for some exercise. We are all looking forward to our return next fall.…
One of my favorite hotels in BVI’s. The staff is friendly and helpful. The hotel itself is beautiful - nice beach, numerous amenities, and good food and drinks. A great experience, would definitively stay again.
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