Nobu Beach Inn opens in late 2026 in Barbuda: 17 villas, 36 rooms and 3 km of beach for Robert De Niro

Ten years after opening the first Nobu restaurant on Princess Diana Beach, Robert De Niro is nearing his goal in Barbuda. Nobu Hospitality announces the completion of works for Nobu Beach Inn by late 2026, just in time for the Caribbean high season. The project is being led alongside London hotelier Daniel Shamoon and Australian investor James Packer.

17 villas and 25 residences across 3 km of beach

The scheme remains intentionally small-scale: 17 private villas totalling 36 rooms, spread across more than three kilometres of unspoilt beach on the south-west coast, within an estate of approximately 160 hectares. They are complemented by 25 beachfront Nobu residences, sold turnkey with access to hotel services. A destination restaurant, a beach club, a spa and a fitness pavilion complete the offering, designed as “a low-density retreat shaped by the island’s natural beauty”, according to the brand.

Barbuda, the island that was wary of hotels

The smaller sister island of Antigua, Barbuda has around 1,600 residents, pink sand beaches and a frigate bird sanctuary. The island was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017, and De Niro’s project, initiated long beforehand, spent a long time dividing the local population, who are attached to collective land ownership. Nobu highlights renewable energies and programmes with the local community, without giving a precise timetable for the opening of the villas beyond the “completion of works”.

De Niro’s brand steps up a gear

Nobu Hospitality, founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and producer Meir Teper, now exceeds forty open or planned hotels, from Los Cabos to Marrakech. Barbuda will be its first villa resort in the Caribbean, where the group previously only featured the beach restaurant. Our profile on Robert De Niro’s hotel empire charts this growth; access is from Antigua, by a fifteen-minute flight or by boat.

Photos and renderings: © Nobu Hospitality.