Joe Collier wasn’t looking to make a deal when he visited Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands while on a bareboat charter in 2003.
The hotel developer was looking for a good meal, however, and a man in a dinghy had just passed by with flyers alerting cruisers the island’s sometimes-open Donovan’s Reef restaurant would be welcoming guests the following evening. Joe picked up the VHF and made dinner reservations that would forever change his life and the fate of Scrub Island. Read More
Less than two miles from Trellis Bay, Beef Island, off the east end of Tortola, Scrub Island is easily accessible yet off in its own world. Once a haven for pirates and base for a failed Dutch settlement, the island sat uninhabited until Gene McManus, an American architect, built a home and opened a restaurant named after his favorite John Wayne movie. When Joe visited in 2003, Gene had passed away, and his widow and two sons were running the restaurant. Over drinks and some guitar playing, Joe got to talking with the family, and once they learned he was in the hotel business, they divulged their search for a developer. Soon, the concept of Scrub Island Resort was born, said to be the first new development in the B.V.I. in 15 years.
From the sea, Scrub island is hilly and unassuming so that her beauty almost sneaks up on you. But from shore, it’s something else entirely. High cliffs plunge into startlingly clear waters, the vistas of surrounding emerald hills and open seas seem to roll on forever, and protected beaches and nature trails beg for exploration.
Text and Photos By Risa Merl
Courtesy of Southern Boating January 2010
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
