Everything you do doesn’t need to be seen or heard….That is unless one finds themselves within the exotic Spanish sanctum, of the ravishing Nobu hotel settlement in Southern Spain’s Marbella.
Sitting pretty right on the heart of the Golden Mile, this adults-only resort has served as the sassy land of milk and honey reserved solely as ever, for the hottest little black book collection of bronzed beaus and belles around the sphere, since its gloried birth in 2018.
The lush subtropical surroundings and contemporary interior adornments never cease to fail in bedazzling their chic guests, not neglecting and as a matter of course, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s famed fusion alliance of his sumptuous Japanese gourmet fare with a swirl of tropical Peruvian panache.
The cat that got the cream, 2022 saw me with a glossy invitation to step into the crystal, Manolo Blahnik heels of Nobu Marbella’s cream of society with poolside Lychee elderflower martinis in hand, and satiating my appetite with THAT, signature Omakase menu.
The Hotel
The Nobu group flaunts a seductively bewitching inventory of Nobu Matsuhisa’s hotels and restaurants, each of which exhibits the “ultimate destination lifestyle experience” whilst faithfully paying tribute to their native motherlands.
An uplifting tale where friendship triumphed over tragedy. A close ally’s $70,000 loan had bestowed a new lease of life and prosperous fortune onto Chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa in 1987, which gave rise to the illustrious dawning of the tinselled glitterati eatery of Matsuhisa In California’s Beverly Hills and released him from his dark descending spell into near suicide, post a bleary spell of business pitfalls and fire fatalities.
Fast forwarding to the present day alongside an ever-true-blue helping hand from Matsuhisa’s long-time zealous fan, Robert De Niro, diners and guests from around the world have been rewarding their hollowed Nobu appetites across 5 continents, in 50 sumptuous restaurants and 13 fetching hotels, one being the pleasure party paradise of Nobu Hotel Marbella.
A 45-minute drive from Malaga Airport has you absorbed amongst a luxuriant grounds-sharing backdrop with the more calm and collected Puente Romano Beach Resort, where trickling droplet melodies from the fountains sung through the air surrounded by vibrant jade green botanicals, charming wall pottery and wooden walkways all evoking a picturesque fusion alliance of Oriental touches with a splash of Andalusian verve.
The concierge crew, slick, courtly with their crisp polished attire and eternal golden tans wasted not a nanosecond ushering me to the lustrous confinements of the lobby and reception space, bedecked in lashings of glossed up, tip-to-toe dark wood features and interiors.
In a blink of an eye, the check-in formalities were wrapped up with military precision, before sending me on my way to my way champagne flute in hand, generously topped up before my departure for that ever so strenuous trek to my suite sanctuary.
Rooms
81 Equally ravishing rooms inhabit this urban Spanish resort hub, all beautified with the signature Japanese-influenced trappings of crisp white-washed walls, marble bathrooms and pure wood features finished off with charming wicker furnishings, yet never forgetting their guests’ vital necessities of a sleek in-room espresso machine for those AM rejuvenations or the fragrant bathroom amenities by Natura Bissé.
With Lady Luck having cradled an eternal soft spot for yours truly forever with shimmering “suite” fortune, it was the celestial shelter of the Nobu suite chosen for me to call home for 48 hours.
Suave chambers coutured in a newfangled ryokan-style attire awaited my entrance elevated with a splash of Andrew Martin’s bespoke artworks, a 46´LCD TV and a soothing rain shower, also being exceptionally mindful of the wickedly bodacious confinements of the walk-in wardrobe that would have had Sex and The City’s Carrie Bradshaw under its spell.
A set of gleaming glass sliding doors unearthed a balcony terrace enveloped in masses of snow white as pure as the driven snow, bedecked with taintless wooden furnishings and backlit sofa seating with the Edenic backdrop of the beautified garden surroundings.
Just as my gaze drifted to the bubbling private jacuzzi leaving me riddled with the yearning for an ice-cold, a glass of golden bubbles, a buzz of a bell found me in the company of a gallant gentleman, charm and smiles galore and armed with a silver bucket holding a Pol Roger magnum, alongside a delectable selection of Nobu’s macaroons to savour before luxuriating in a leisurely soak, ready for the evening of hedonistic glitz of glamour to commence.
Wining & Dining
A flourishing, gastronomist Arcadia awaits the presence of the resort’s haute-clad visitants and epicurean connoisseurs.
Any Nobu vacation sans the hottest table in town within their infamous, self-titled destination is deemed criminal, where we play witness to a dalliance of the traditional flavours of Japan with an arresting Peruvian verve.
A sweeping open plan space adorned came with the signature sleek wood trappings, as the ravishing backdrop of the under-lit cocktail bar served as every poser’s rhapsody, quenching one’s thirst under the cascading, intense red Sakura foliage with maybe a Nobupolitan in hand, swirled with heady earth notes from the junmai sake and fruity tang of cranberry shrub followed by a Roku gin Negroni infused with mild Genmaicha and a zesty finish of orange jam.
To be titled top brass by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and join his Nobu pedigree equals a culinary fairytale brought to life; so when you have the group’s first female executive chef, aka Chef Eleni Manousou whipping up a golden crisp tuna tempura roll followed by a butter like flesh black cod miso or tender teriyaki coated tenderloin, awe-inspiring doesn’t even quite cover it.
The free-flowing champagne breakfast banquet proves an equally hedonistic liaison spiced with a Japanese twirl, as fluffy pancakes mingled with soba come with delicately tart yuzu cream, not forgetting the twist on classic eggs florentine elevated with the salted umami relish from the miso.
Not ones to be outperformed by the iconic chic fusion eatery, Nobu Marbella serves up a sizzling haute cuisine assemblage designed to satiate even the most astute far-flung palates.
A spirited, Mediterranean beach club haunt by the name of Chiringuito anticipates your arrival; ocean salt mussels arrived enveloped in a velvet tomato and Sherry broth while the entrecôte wagyu, melted like butter brimming with rich juices and smoked wood fire tones.
As the sun-soaked day transitions into a hand-painted sunset, the resort’s in-house DJ transforms the serene settings into a high-octane aura as you luxuriate under straw umbrellas and crisp spotless cabanas, while lost in the sights of the ocean waves sipping on a spiced pina colada bursting with natural coconut and sweet-tart pineapple juices.
Basking by the shores of the sparkling ultramarine bay, lies Andrew Martin’s postcard-perfect designed settings of Sea Grill. Soirée society are invited to descend their yacht anchors and indulge in a luncheon of meaty spiced prawns pil pil, swiftly followed by a maybe moreish helping of tagliatelle abundant with black truffle shavings entwined in a silken cream sauce, and washed down with say, an ice cold golden Allende Blanco Rioja, perfumed with delicate peach aromas and citrus aromas.
Haughtily introduced as the resort’s spirited day-to-night mecca, La Plaza forms the heart and soul of Marbella’s electric supper club scene with an enchanting open-air terrace, fire dancers and theatrical cocktails, while the sultry hypnotic ambience of La Suite plays host to its Roman legacy with droplets of avant-garde sizzle as the champagne drenched glitterati, release their inhibitions to the infectious EDM beats from the music legends of Junior D’Acosta, and Edu Reyes.
Wellness
In-house Resort spas from around the sphere evermore prove nothing less than a pure serene odyssey; that is until spa aficionados are embraced into Nobu MarBella’s Six Senses realm.
Celestial wellness bliss awaits in a cocoon of oak timber features, stone architecture and cabana-style territories neighbouring a shimmering blue tiled pool, Hammam and an aromatic steam room.
Inspired by nature’s elements of water and steam, heat and ice, sea and earth, the Six Senses spa serves up a holistic ritual and massage menu with natural ingredients at the driving force, be they fragrant hand-plucked mountain herbs or pure, velvet extra virgin olive oil.
Post a pre-beauty ritual of a warm ginger concoction, I saw myself swathed in the power of pearls, starting with a baby skin soft exfoliation ceremony swiftly followed by a full body cream veil abundant with shiny pearl and shell extracts.
This smooth, luminous jewel body mask is designed to revitalise and breathe new life into the skin cell, not to mention it leaving one engulfed in the sensuous, holistic ambience whilst enraptured in the soothing ocean views.
The resort’s fitness suite boasts some of the top-notch state-of-the-art Technogym gadgets and gizmos to get your sweats dripping, from the adrenaline-powered junkies, or even the leisurely couch potatoes to push off those comfort zones and test their endurance magnitudes.
Expect a weekly DJ appearance in the morning to gear up gym party shenanigans to a high-voltage status mode, before munching on the fresh array of crunchy apples and homemade protein bars for the complete detox, retox and repeat vigour.
Things to Do
Warm aquamarine waters and powder-fine sand require little effort in enticing the luxe living lodgers of Nobu Marbella, to don their couture swimwear and bask in the sun by the blissful bay of the Golden Mile.
As the peak sun rays descend to make way for mellow balmy sundown, the resort’s dapper jewel green bikes make for an idyllic breezy cycling voyage to lose oneself amongst the picturesque beachfront promenade of Marbella’s Paseo Marítimo, while the on-site tennis club serves up a series of energy fuelled padel programs drawing on the essence of teamwork and physical contentment; and even a certificate and a gleaming trophy is thrown in!
Guests seeking to satiate and give way to the lingering libertine lifestyle, need not stretch an inch further from Nobu Marbella’s adults-only pool.
Striking a pose in a whitewashed raised terrace, this heated jewel blue lagoon plays host to many poolside frolics dotted with milky-hued sun-loungers, colossal parasols and spotless towels brandishing the beloved Nobu logo.
As I lay immersed in the beats of chill out playlists, my favourite medley of a lychee and elderflower martini made a swift and welcome appearance alongside a helping of creamy, miso spiced guacamole and golden crisp nachos.
To depart this bonny resort destination without quenching ones thirst on a fresh Nobu etched coconut should be unjust, with the chilled, sweet nutty aqua contents mingling with the creamy mild flesh of the coconut, making for a befitting exotic hydration refreshment before my departure back to homeland territory.
To Conclude
The Nobu Group shows no mercy in its quest for world domination, as 2023 marks the Hotel group’s 10th anniversary and a lavish new legion of grandeur openings to follow, from the heritage-sheathed hamlet in Italy’s Rome to their first bountiful African home in the Saharan haven of Morocco.
Nobu Marbella showcases the epitome of gold-leafed glitz, which has their ravishing Illuminati shielded inside a cloak of untamed luxury, year-round sunbeams and gourmet galas, not to mention the animated, endearing staff team who make it their mission to memorise your name in a jiffy.
For a dose of Spanish pick-me-up frills and to spot the yacht shenanigans, Nobu Marbella summons you to unleash your inner sybaritic seeker.
Factbox
Rooms start at approximately € 600 with suites at approximately € 1,000. Rates may vary during peak seasons.
Address: Bulevar Principe Alfonso von Hohenlohe s/n, 29602, Marbella – Spain
Phone: +34 952 77 85 85
Website: https://marbella.nobuhotels.com
