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Nobu Ryokan

Malibu

It has been a banner year for Nobuyuki

Matsuhisa. Not only has the chef-turned-

hotelier opened Nobu hotels in London

and Ibiza, but he has debuted the Nobu

Ryokan hotel brand in Malibu, California.

Considerably smaller in scale than previous

projects, and therefore more exclusive,

the two-storey property features just

16 rooms, anchored by a 37ft-long outdoor

lap pool and an ipe-wood deck that

overlooks Malibu Pier and the Pacific

Ocean. Each room is modelled after

the traditional Japanese inn, though it’s

hard to imagine any ryokan boasting

ocean views like these. Studio PCH and

Montalba Architects converted the former

Casa Malibu beachfront motel, a 1950s

landmark, into a serene sanctuary that

Inn keepers

From a marvel in Malibu to a restrained revelation in

Kyoto, Wallpaper’s Best Urban Hotels are here to stay

interior designers, led by TAL Studio,

swathed with bronze and limestone detailing,

alongside tatami mats, shoji screens and

George Nakashima furniture. Linen yukatas

(casual kimonos) replace the ubiquitous

hotel robe. From such a quintessentially

Japanese setting, it’s almost a shock to emerge

into the bright Californian sunshine and

take in the storied sweep of Carbon Beach

and its bristling armada of bronzed surfers.

A couple of doors down is the Nobu Malibu

restaurant, where executive chef Gregorio

Stephenson serves up surf and turf by way

of yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, and

ribeye with truffle butter sauce and crisp

Maui onions. Daven Wu

22752 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu,

noburyokanmalibu.com. Rates: from $2,000

ABOVE, A BEACHFRONT

ROOM AT NOBU RYOKAN,

OVERLOOKING MALIBU’S

CARBON BEACH

TOP LEFT, A BATHROOM

IN ONE OF THE TOP-

FLOOR OCEAN ROOMS,

FEATURING A HANDMADE

JAPANESE TEAK

SOAKING TUB AND

LIMESTONE WALLS

Photography: Barbara Craft