Churnman

I'm happy to report that we had an awesome time at Scrub Island. We were upgraded, but it's something you must inquire about no matter your status. They will "upgrade" you upon checkin to a preferred view in the same category, but don't expect an upgrade to a full suite unless you inquire and depending on availability. Rudeness will get you no where so be pleasant. If the place is busy, don't expect a free upgrade. But, the regular rooms are luxurious anyhow with beautiful West Indies style decor. Also, we felt the meals were very good and we enjoyed the convenience store on site. The staff everywhere is amazing and very friendly. All the rooms are very nice (we visited both the regular and suites). I hope to write a full review soon. We hope to return to Scrub in a couple years. It's a great spot to launch excusions from. This is not for a beach vacation unless you use Scrub as your center in order to visit the other BVIs for beaches and such. We enjoyed kayaking to Honeymoon Beach which is small but very pretty with white sand (but not that great for swimming). If you're a snorkeler you will enjoy staying at Scrub. Diamond Reef which is a short kayak ride away was very enjoyable. We also used Dive BVI on site to go on snorkeling adventures. They were excellent. Scrub is close to the ferry stop to take you to Virgin Gorda where we explored the Baths on our own. We had the beach there almost to ourselves after the tour groups left in the afternoon. Scrub Island is a winner. We were in a suite and they are more like a luxury condo with full kitchen and large beautiful bathroom in addition to a half bath off the living room. Two sets of french doors, one in the living room and one if the bedroom leading onto the spacious balcony/terrace. More to come...

frequentjohn

Thanks for the update. We are heading there at the end of November and would be interested in any tips you might have.

PRHusky

Can anyone who has stayed here please recommend charter boat companies other than Dive BVI and provide pricing information...Thanks!

BostonFlyer1624

For those interested, here are some pics from afar of Scrub Island. I was boating around here last week and figured I would snap a pic of two for you all.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the pics!

Cheers.

ncgator

are you looking for dive charters, snorkeling or just transportation to other islands from Scrub?

PRHusky

Snorkeling and day trip to other islands.

kbh1234

I attempted to contact Patouche Charters prior to our trip regarding excursions, but never received a response. It may have been a fluke, but I did mention in the email that we were staying at Scrub Island, so the other excursion companies may have an "understanding" with Dive BVI regarding Scrub Island and Little Dix Bay guests.

FWIW, I thought Dive BVI was great. We do some sort of sail/snorkel/drinking excursion on every vacation, and I think Dive BVI is by far the best we have encountered. Island Hopper is good if you like to party, Anegada if you want to relax.

travelexpert

Marriott Rewards is clearly not on top of properties like this.

Platinums at the very least should get space available upgrades. But then again--it's not in the rules, which state that suites MAY be given to elites.

This is the one key area where where Starwood shines, and Marriott sucks.

And with Arne Sorenson now running the show, I suspect things will get worse, not better.

BostonFlyer1624

Agree, however, I've noticed that Scrub Island is usually very full. That is probably why this hotel is "stingy" with comp upgrades.

Churnman

I contacted the hotel through their contact form, but still haven't received a response to this question: What brand/model is the mattress in the suites at this resort as of July 2013?

UPDATE: 2/1/14 They let me know it's a Simmons Beautyrest Worldclass mattress.

UpstatePoints

Quick report on our stay at Scrub Island at the end of Jan 2014. We had a great time. The hotel was maybe a third full. The north beach was excellent, private, good drinks, good food. This is a great place to get away from it all, read a book under some shade, stare at the ocean. This is not a good place for night life, or looking for new romance. We really enjoyed the Island Hopper tour with Dive BVI (snorkel, eating at Willie T, painkillers at Soggy Dollar). We both agreed that this was the nicest Marriott or Hilton we have been to in the Caribbean.

One note. The resort seems to be going through some sort of management change, financial restructuring, so get down there while the going is good.

Mr. Vker

Due to the concerns about restructuring and bankruptcy, I emailed the VP of sales, Norwood Smith. (We have a stay January 2015.) Below are my email and his reply. Took one day to get a response. I felt comfortable with what he had to say.

Hello! We just made reservations for a visit to your resort for January of 2015. I am a Marriott Platinum Rewards member and are very much looking forward to our stay! We will be flying from San Juan to Beef Island for transfer then have 6 nights on Scrub Island.

We have been reading about some financial and mgmt changes taking place. Will they impact our experience at your resort?

Thank you!
Mr. Vker



Hello!

We're delighted to hear you've booked a stay in January 2015 at Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina.

You are correct in that the resort is currently going through a financial restructuring, from which we will emerge within the next 60 days. During this reorganization, Scrub Island Resort has continued to operate at high levels of hospitality and service with the full support of Marriott International, as well as our investors.

To further underscore our commitment to not only maintain but to elevate the guest experience on Scrub Island, we've hired a new managing director, Anura Dewapura, for the Resort. Mr. Dewapura is an award-winning leader and a Certified Hotel Administrator who has been in the hotel and tourism industry for the past 30 years. Anura has also brought on board a new executive chef, Michael Wedderburn, and a new food and beverage director, Edwin Torres. As a testament to the resort's service and staff, we were just recognized by Conde Nast as #13 in their Reader Poll "Top 25 Caribbean Resorts!"

http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-ch...orts-caribbean

I'm thrilled you've reached out to us, as I can assure you that your upcoming stay will be a wonderful experience. We look forward to your visit. In the meantime, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch!

Warmest regards,
Norwood Smith
VP, Sales & Marketing
Mainsail Lodging & Development

P.S. Please check out our newest hotel in Tampa, the Epicurean, which is also a member of the Autograph Collection!

dhodory

This resort has been "troubled" for a while. We stayed there back in December of 2011 and met the (then) co-owner, who happened to be on the island for the holidays.

This resort started its build back in 2006-2007, got somewhat side-tracked by the financial crisis (a lot of stuff was still only partially complete or in various stages of completion in 2011. Our stay was . . . un-even. There are things that are great about Scrub Island, but back in 2011 it felt "unfinished" and there were some "ought not to happen at a category 7/8" type moments. The layout and location are fantastic, and we'd really like to return to Scrub Island, however, it's a lot of money/points to drop on an experience that might not yet be finely tuned. To that end, I've been watching the boards for feedback on how things are progressing there. It would seem that there's been a management change, perhaps that will address some of the issues.

If you're planning on going, *definitely* fly into Beef Island via San Juan. Flying into St. Thomas and taking: a taxi, a ferry, another taxi, and then another ferry takes quite a bit of time and is a major hassle (we landed at 2:45 and got to the resort around 7:15 p.m.). If we ever go back, we will definitely fly into Beef Island airport . . . it's *right there* (you can see it from the resort).

Mr. Vker

Connection question in SJU. We are on award tickets through US Airways. I am buying a ticket on Seaborn from SJU-EIS through AA.com. On the return, we land in SJU at 3:25. Flight from SJU is at 5:40. Is that enough time to connect--immigration/customs etc?