Where to Stay:
Where to Stay:Scrub Island Resort, Spa, & Marina, scrubisland.com, 877.890.7444
We are travelling to Scrub Island Resort, Spa, and Marina in the British Virgin Islands. The resort owns the entire island, and you can easily walk around it in less than an hour. The best way to travel to Scrub Island is to take Cape Air from San Juan to Tortola. Once in Tortola, it’s a ten-minute ferry ride to Scrub Island. At the dock we are greeted with warm smiles and an ice-cold rum punch, and it is immediately clear to us that this is a place to unwind.
A Private Oasis
Binny Sebastian, resort manager, gives us a tour of the private island, which includes three gourmet restaurants, a 3,000 square-foot spa, beautiful beaches, a 24-hour fitness center, and much more. There is even a dive shop, where guests can arrange excursions to sail, swim, and snorkel. Binny shows us to our spacious, light-filled room in Marina Village. The room has every amenity you could desire, and once we lay down on the luxuriously soft bed to “rest our eyes for a minute,” we can’t help but drift off to sleep while a warm breeze flows through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
We wake up ready to explore and rejuvenated from weeks of city stress. We have lunch at the resort’s open-air restaurant Tierra! Tierra! The staff serves expertly with a smile, and our food is fresh and delicious. The Scrub Signature burger is perfectly cooked with mushrooms, garlic, and fried egg, and the rum punch is the perfect refreshment. We spend the afternoon lounging by the two-level infinity pool, only leaving our softly cushioned chairs to cool off in the crystal-clear water. There are many other couples here on their honeymoons, though there is abundant space for everyone to find their own little private nook to relax and bask in the sun.
Caribbean Feast
On Fridays on the island, there is a delicious Caribbean Dinner Buffet with live music on the patio in front of the resort. Dishes are from all over the Caribbean and include fresh conch fritters from Tortola, simmered hot wings from Grenada, and spicy barbecue pork chops from Barbados, all enjoyed while listening to live steel pan music.
Soothing Relaxation
After an energizing brunch at the more formal restaurant, Caravela, we visit the Ixora Spa, which offers massages, facials, yoga, and more. Courtney Greene, the spa director, guides us to our treatment suite where we experience the Couples Relaxing Aromachologie Massage. We are surrounded by the sounds of waves crashing as Courtney expertly releases any and all tension that came with us to the island. On the walk back to our room, we both feel as though we are floating through the air.
Later we stroll hand in hand around the island, enjoying the unobstructed view of the cerulean water. We truly feel as if we are on our own private island. We encounter fellow guests when we arrive at North Beach, a short walk from Marina Village. Guests lounge by the secluded pool or in the pairs of lounge chairs between the tropical foliage. At the One Shoe Beach Bar and Grill, they enjoy appetizers and sip on the British Virgin Islands’ signature drink, the Painkiller, which is a mixture of pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut cream, and rum.
A Marine Surprise
Our last night on the island, we take a midnight stroll by the marina docks. The resort staff had told us that the blue lights in the water attract many fish, and we are not disappointed. We see dozens of huge tarpon and, to our delight, a sand shark!
The next day we watch the sun rise from the early ferry to Tortola on our way to catch our flight. Though we are sad to go, we leave relaxed, sun-kissed, and already planning a return trip to our little piece of paradise. With an incredible staff, secluded beaches, luxurious rooms, and a breathtaking spa, we cannot imagine a more romantic getaway than Scrub Island. –Mercedes Pritchett