I completed a stay at Scrub Island which was generally positive.  The hardware was not the most impressive but the combination of residential style with the secluded location and facilities made for a hotel where I would return.  

Location

While the resort was in a somewhat remote location, our arrival experience could not have been smoother: upon exiting EIS airport a minivan promptly picked us up and brought us to the dock nearby and then it was a short boat ride to the hotel so door to door was less than 20 minutes.  Many resorts in the Caribbean are currently overly crowded but this one was definitely not.  Scrub Island is a private island where there is nothing other than the hotel. 

Occupancy seemed to be quite low, in fact most people we saw were marina guests (not hotel guests) who were allowed to use the hotel facilities such as the pool.  There will probably be some development on the island for years to come because they sell land and villas currently under construction but from the main building where we were, the construction was finished so we were not bothered by noise.  

Room

I booked the basic room and received an upgrade as Bonvoy Ambassador Elite to a suite which was not only a lot more spacious than the normal rooms but also came with a full kitchen which was very convenient at this resort because there was a small grocery store on site including a fairly wide selection of wine and liquor at grocery store prices, not at elevated resort prices.  As it’s an Autograph hotel it was not quite luxury although the hotel is not cheap (used to be cat 8).  I believe the price point might reflect the isolated nature of the resort and the quality of the common areas, more so than the rooms which are a bit dated and nothing special except for the views which were nice.  

The reliance on the grocery store had its limitations however because they only receive new deliveries on Fridays so as we got to mid week they were running out of lots of items so we bought a few things a couple days before we needed them.

Dining

I previously read about guests who were told there was no longer a Platinum breakfast benefit at this hotel which was puzzling to me.  Upon arrival I was not proactively told anything but after I asked I was given coupons to hand the server each morning.  The restaurant had most seating indoors but a few tables outdoors as well which was sufficient given how quiet the restaurant was but during times of high occupancy people might be disappointed to be forced to sit inside.  The breakfast was ok but definitely non-luxury and could have used an a la carte menu but it was buffet only with a live egg station.  

Beach and Pools

The hotel had a couple of pools, one with views and one lower down the stairs with a slide.  About a 10-minute walk away we could get to a small beach which was also accessible via hotel cart.  The beach itself was fine but stepping into the sea would have required some shoes because the floor was rocky.  There was another small pool in that location and a bar as well.  

Service

Service was generally good during our stay with the lone black mark being that one day I specifically called before going to breakfast to ask for housekeeping to be done while we were in the restaurant but when we came back the room was not done at all.  This is becoming quite a widespread problem many hotels in my experience during the last 2-3 months so I would not say that this issue is specific to Scrub Island.

Wifi

Wifi was sometimes spotty with speed of 10 Mbps.

Overall

Overall Scrub Island is a solid hotel and we liked having the ability to do home cooking and our own laundry while being in something more exclusive and more upscale than a Residence Inn or a Marriott Executive Apartments.  If I did not receive a suite upgrade I would possibly feel differently because the non-suites do not have a kitchen and then it would be necessary to rely on F&B at the hotel which was not a strong point.