I’m often asked if there is one place I’d recommend everyone visit in Dominica, regardless of the duration of their stay, their age, or their interests. And the answer, for a long time now, has been ‘go to Screw’s’.
I’ve known ‘Screw’ for about six years (it’s his nick-name; don’t know how he got it, but I’m not allowed to tell you his real one …). Back then his Hot Sulphur Spa was made up of two small pools and a simple cinder block shack. His vision and work ethic since then have been incredible. I remember when he first started to build his tree house. He was excited and wanted to show me. I climbed a couple of makeshift wooden ladders to a platform that had holes in the walls and not much of a roof. At first I made encouraging noises but then couldn’t help giggling. I’ll never forget that moment – half way up a tree with him in fits of hysterics. And he still reminds me of it now. He should, because what he has done with this little piece of riverside land in the village of Wotten Waven is amazing. Hats off to him.
His success has inspired others (though I’m sure some may not admit it) and Wotten Waven has truly become the Nature Island’s spa capital. From the head of the Roseau Valley, from Laudat, through Trafalgar and Wotten Waven, you can soak in a hot spring, get a massage, practice yoga, and enjoy a whole heap of other therapies, all of which embrace nature and add a unique sparkle to this region.
Screw adds plenty of sparkle himself, of course. He’s a very good-looking dude, about as friendly and welcoming as anyone I’ve ever met in the Caribbean, and he knows the value of service and ensuring his patrons are happy and have a good time. As for the spa itself ? Well seeing is believing. The transformation, the design and the workmanship that have gone into it are bewildering. Yet somehow it still merges seamlessly into the surrounding forest and river as if it weren’t there at all.
My wife and I like to go there after dusk, when the tree frogs and the crickets are singing and stars fill the night sky through the surrounding forest canopy.
If you only do one thing in Dominica ? The answer is still ‘go to Screw’s’.
