Nobu Ryokan Malibu

Nobu Ryokan Malibu was a wonderful stay with a strong sense of place, impeccable service, and access to the nearby Nobu Malibu restaurant and Carbon Beach. We stayed in a Garden Room with a private courtyard and found it to be well-designed, with comfortable furniture, outdoor fireplace/heat lamp, large sliding glass doors, teak wood soaking tub, Toto toilet, King-sized bed and plenty of beautiful Japanese touches (e.g. artwork, tea kettle). The property only has 16 rooms spread across two levels, a small gym, a lobby (which is only open to guests) and lovely gardens and water features throughout. The location is incredible. You are directly on Carbon Beach with direct, secure access from the property and the option to have staff set up chairs and umbrellas for you. There is also a beautiful wood deck by the ocean where we had breakfast each morning (and several of the rooms directly overlook the ocean). It is easy to walk to Malibu Pier (via the sidewalk or the beach) and you are directly next door to the Little Beach House (Soho Club) and two doors down from Nobu Malibu. In addition to breakfast and in-room dining, you also get priority reservations at Nobu Malibu and we were able to sit at the outdoor tables overlooking the ocean each time we went. The service was amazing. I turned into the staff parking lot on our arrival by mistake and a staff member (who wasn’t even on the clock) went out of his way to hold traffic on the PCH and ensured we got to the right place. Moments later, we were greeted by the valet and were being checked in and given a tour. Any requests we made (help with the fireplace in our room, breakfast setups on the deck overlooking the beach, housekeeping) were executed quickly and accurately, and every time we passed through the lobby, there was always someone to check in and make sure we were getting what we wanted out of this trip (along with recommendations for local spots and offers to pick up food for us). I don’t have any significant suggestions for improvements. The gym equipment could use a bit of an upgrade and a local zoning issue led to the closure of the pool over looking the ocean (though that is actively being resolved now), otherwise, the stay was perfect. If you are looking for a small, beachfront property and stellar service (just simply love the sister restaurant), Nobu Ryokan Malibu is a strong recommendation.