Nobu Ryokan Malibu — Hotel in Malibu

I've had my eye on Nobu Ryokan since it opened. A $1,500-2,000/night hotel is personally a splurge and it's hard to determine from the website or the sparse reviews online on whether it's worth it. After reading nearly everything I could find online from anyone who has stepped foot on the property, I decided to send an email. You cannot book online and there's nowhere for you to see what rooms are available or even what rooms exist on the property. Each room is a bit different so I found the process of trying to find the right one a bit more of a hunt than I would have liked. After reaching out online, they give you a rundown of the hotel, price point, and general rooms. They have garden rooms, which are the least expensive and don't have views of the ocean. They have ocean view rooms which are above the garden rooms and have ocean views. Then they have ocean front rooms which literally hang right above the beach/water. After a couple emails, we setup a phone call discussed the different room options. Janelle Eng personally reached out. I shared with her the occasion and she said she'd have a bottle of champagne waiting for us. I also shared with her my gluten/dairy allergy and she said it would be no problem. We discussed the pool being closed as I wasn't sure if there was a deck where we can lounge (there is and it's fantastic). I would say the pool would be a nice to have, but not a necessity. They claim it should be opening in 2019. She also asked if we wanted reservations to Nobu, which we did and which she got us just a few days before arriving. They were otherwise unavailable if you called directly. We settled on the garden suite with private wood-burning fireplace. The booking process once we got on the phone was easy and the service was excellent.||||The hotel itself is fantastic. We arrived to the bottle of champagne, a beautiful plate of fruit, and tea service. We spent the first half hour taking pictures of the property, room, bathroom, tub, and toilet. The attention to detail is fantastic and the design was perfect. It reminded me of an Aman property, but in Malibu. The mini bar was stocked with high quality snacks and non-alcholic beverages all of which were complimentary. I was absolutely thrilled that the entire mini bar was custom stocked to be gluten/dairy free due to our request. This is something Aman-group hotels don't even do. There are a variety of cocktails/beers available for purchase at reasonable prices.||||The location right above the beach is fantastic. We personally didn't miss being in a garden room since the lounge right above the ocean was 50 feet from our room and empty the entire time we visited (Fri-Sun). That said, if you can afford the splurge the ocean front rooms look fantastic. They also have chairs/umbrellas set up and reserved on Carbon beach for you. The deck/beach service was attentive and perfect. ||||The first night we ate at Nobu, which was delicious. We had a beautiful outside deck with ocean views. The next night we decided to have a quieter experience and order from Nobu but have it served outside on the beach deck at the Ryokan. It was phenomenal. ||||Each night they lit our wood-fired fireplace for us, which was the perfect way to wind down. I believe all of their rooms have the gorgeous wood "infinity" tubs and we thoroughly enjoyed our mini Japanese bath house. The Toto toilet was so civilized, I'm going to need to outfit my house with a couple. ||||All in all it was a fantastic weekend. The service was attentive, accommodating and not remotely pretentious. I thought this might be a once in a lifetime treat to celebrate an anniversary and now I think Nobu Ryokan might be a...

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...

Let me begin by saying, I have done 5 staycations in Malibu since the pandemic began and 4 have been on Carbon Beach, my favorite beach in LA County (I live in LA).||As far as location goes, Nobu Ryokan is great, but that is where it begins and ends. We went to Nobu Ryokan for a milestone birthday and I had high expectations. I knew the area well, so was just looking forward to the hotel experience.||Our experience started with the staff booking the wrong date (despite the communication being via email), something my girlfriend luckily caught with the confirmation. When selecting rooms I was asked whether I wanted a garden, beach or ocean view room, I selected ocean view. The confirm has a great photo of a 2nd floor room facing directly to the ocean. We check in and the room we had could at best be described as a partial ocean room. I politely requested a room change and even stated I would pay more, but staff could not accommodate.||We then enjoyed the beach and the paddle boards (other nice things about hotel). We then ordered lunch. It took over an hour and the portions were absurdly small, finger food would not be accurate, more like pinky food. We then requested to move back our reservation time at Nobu Malibu cause we were so hungry but did not want to order again and wait only to spoil our appetite, once again staff could not accommodate (this is a theme). ||I have been to Nobu Malibu many times, so I simply requested that Nobu Ryokan book a nice ocean view table outside (not a big request since it is Covid and all dining is al fresco). We arrive at the restaurant and big surprise, we are placed in the only obstructed view table in the entire deck area, this was after the hotel assured me they had personally viewed the table.||Later that night we decided we wanted a little snack and we were informed the kitchen closed at 10pm, once again the staff could not accommodate.||Great location, nice venue, horrendous service and even more incompetent management. Upon notifying the general manager of all the issues she insulted me! I can honestly say this is not worth $500 a night let alone $2000+. If you want to experience carbon beach, rent a bungalow on Airbnb for much less and you will have a much better experience in Malibu. And if you want great service and to be pampered, go to Calamigos Ranch...