Scrub Island Transformed
How the BVI’s newest luxury resort and marina triumphs in tough times
When entrepreneur Ralph Gregory and his wife Patti visited Scrub Island in 2006, they were among only a few people on the island at the time. Five years ago, a small restaurant named Donovan’s Reef was the only establishment occupying the sparsely populated island, a stopping point for travelling boaters and locals looking to skip from one island to the next.
The Colorado couple had made frequent stops to the BVI and Donovan’s—but something magical was in the air on this particular trip.
“We’d seen a line in the Wall Street Journal about the private island development and started asking around about it,” Mr. Gregory said. “We spoke to some people involved in selling the property, looked at some property floor plans—which looked amazing and they would allow us to tweak—then I looked over at Patti and said, ‘Let’s do it. We’ve got to go for it.’… We knew right then and there that we wanted to buy into that life and that experience.”
For the entrepreneur, the purchase wasn’t all about the investment—which he said will soon pay off—but it was instead about the lifestyle. He bought a four-bedroom, five-bathroom villa on the oceanfront as well as a two-bedroom resort condo overlooking the 53 deep-water slips in the marina condo. The oceanfront property will be used as a main retreat for his family and friends, and the marina will primarily be rented out to guests. For Mr. Gregory, the sell was simple, he said. The property is a mere seven-minute (1.3-mile) ferry trip from Trellis Bay which is a 100-yard walk from the airport. “So there’s no way I’m going to get island fever any time fast—I can just pick up and go,” he said. Also, the large marina and resort, which is the first major BVI development in more than 15 years, allows him to mingle with the transient sailors and guests, he said.
“For me, that’s it: really just being someplace that has everything and just absorbing that lifestyle. I’ve lived all over the world—Hawaii, Australia, the Greek Islands; I’ve been all over the Caribbean—and this is it. The BVI is the best combination of all those elements—and within the BVI, Scrub is the location.”
Over the past few years, the island has undergone a profound transformation and has begun to develop a distinguishable charm and character among its niche within the plush northeasterly Virgin Islands. From the spa to the three restaurants, the marketplace and double-level infinity pool, the resort’s plentiful amenities are now at the full disposal of its guests. The island is blessed with three beautiful beaches surrounded by reefs that ensure the waters are calm and crystal clear.
For the fishing, SCUBA and watersports enthusiast, everything is conveniently located on island—the boat, the guide and the equipment. Scrub Island has the closest marina to the North Drop, a hot spot for world-record blue marlin. If the guest's pleasure is diving, the Scrub Island Dive Center and Retail Shop caters to individual needs. However, the resort itself is hard to leave. Luxury resort properties are often judged on their swimming pools, and the pavilion pool, with its swim-up bar, 15-foot waterfall, multiple levels, lush foliage and panoramic views, is most certainly one of the most visually stunning of them all.
Scrub Island carries with it the history and enchantment of hundreds of years past—when pirates ruled the shores. As legend has it, 350 years ago, pirate ships scoured the eastern Caribbean searching for exotic adventure and New World treasure. According to local historians, buccaneers careened their ships in Scrub’s shallow waters so crewmen could scrub the hulls clean of barnacles, and that’s how the island got its name.
Today, Scrub Island is a destination for travellers seeking different kinds of adventure—relaxation, rejuvenation and exploration. The island is now treasured for its tranquil setting, a variety of watersports, accommodating marina, exceptional dining, revitalizing spa treatments and modern frills among a young and budding atmosphere.
When I asked James Talton, Scrub Island Resort’s vice president of operations, where he saw the island in five years, he described a vision of success.
“We’ll start seeing more repeat customers—those business people and executives will start having more retreats and using us for our meeting space—we’ll see all segments of our vision maturing,” he said. “Along with that and our facility aging—our landscape coming to and moulding into the hillside—we’ll become better than anyone thought we would. Investors will look at us and see our success; they’ll look back and say, ‘Who would’ve known? Who knew the restaurant would be fully functional, that the properties would come together?’ But we’re already proving that.”
As the island’s transformations continue to envelop its coastlines and carve out its hillsides, the young property remains poised to mature into a lush and luxurious retreat for some, and a home—or home away from home—for others.
Scrub Island Summary
Marina Suites (2 bed) – starting at $1,500,000
Oceanview Villas (2 bed) – starting at $2,500,000
Longview Residences (3-5 bed) – starting at $3,500,000
