Healthy breakfast, designer hydrotherapy circuit and excellent massage, all in a magnificent setting overlooking Marbella beach. Our CEO Pascal Languillon recounts his stay at the trendy Nobu Hotel, which boasts a superb Six Senses spa.
Hotel Nobu Marbella: one of Spain’s most beautiful hotels
This 81-room, 5-star hotel on the Costa del Sol, 45 minutes from Malaga, opened in 2018. A partner of Traveller Made and member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, it is recommended for adults without children. In fact, the concept is designed to be trendy, with all rooms overlooking a central square featuring a host of restaurants and open-air bars. In other words, you don’t have to be afraid of the noise, and you come to Nobu more to party than to cut yourself off from the world in detox retreat mode. The Nobu Hotels chain is partly owned by American actor Robert de Niro, so it’s not surprising that there’s a bit of a celebrity atmosphere here.
The look of an Andalusian village
The hotel’s architecture is interesting, as it is a reproduction of a small Andalusian village, with whitewashed walls and small villas dotted around a backdrop of verdant tropical spaces. The hotel is located 500 meters from Marbella’s beautiful beach, and offers a wide range of sporting activities, including tennis and paddle courts, and a mini-golf course.
Charming modern rooms
The rooms are beautiful, modern and Japanese-inspired, with wooden furnishings. They all feature a seating area and terrace. Toiletries and skincare products are by Natura Bissé, a luxury Spanish brand. My favorite: the heated outdoor pool, with its classy design and intimate atmosphere (the “kids free” approach has its advantages).
A delicious and healthy breakfast
One of the most pleasant aspects of the stay is the buffet breakfast. The miso eggs, the house specialty, are simply to die for. And for us wellness fans, all the healthy options were there. Freshly-squeezed carrot juice, smoked salmon, avocado purée and a wide range of delicious fruits… After two lovely plates of seafood, I was ready for a massage at the spa!
Six Senses Marbella Spa
What always strikes you about Six Senses is the sleek, organic design, with its emphasis on wood… Their secret? The same Thai designer is responsible for all Six Senses spas, drawing his inspiration from the local architecture and environment, and adding a few exotic touches. At Marbella, he wanted to preserve the white color of the lime for the hydrotherapy room, and created a delightfully shaped wooden cocoon for the relaxation room.
A space of inspired design
The charm begins as soon as you enter the reception area. Hanging sofas face the tropical vegetation, through which the sea can be glimpsed. The pedicure and manicure area is also located here.
Then a change of scenery, as a door opens onto a well-appointed hydrotherapy circuit featuring a hot pool, ice fountain, hammam with aromatherapy and sauna. I was lucky enough to have all this space to myself. After enjoying all the facilities, it was time for the massage table…
An almost perfect body massage
Once inside the pretty treatment room, I was treated to a signature Six Senses massage that cleverly blended Deep Tissue Massage and Detox Massage techniques. The therapist who took care of me first used a Tibetan bowl to calm my mind, before tackling the tension in my back and shoulders.
At my request, she pressed hard on these areas to untie the knots in my muscular layers. The pressure was just right, neither too strong nor too weak. The masseuse used an almond oil that left a pleasant scent on my skin. 50 minutes of total abandonment that I would have liked to extend a little longer…
While it may not have been the best massage of my life (I remember some massages in Vietnam and Thailand…), it was definitely up there with the best.
It was hard to come back to reality after all that, but fortunately a delicious ginger tea, dates and almonds helped me to regain my composure inside the wooden cocoon!
I leave the Six Senses Spa with a smile on my face before returning to the Andalusian sun. My final verdict: Fabulous!
Our feeling
A wonderful spa in a trendy hotel. Not to be missed on the Costa del Sol!
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Tested and approved in March 2019.
