More than three decades after Robert De Niro first arrived in Barbuda by boat and fell under the spell of its pristine, powder-soft coastline, his vision for the island is finally coming to life. Nobu Hospitality has announced the Nobu Beach Inn as part of The Beach Club, Barbuda — a low-density resort and residential community set across 400 acres and two miles of beachfront on the island’s southwest coast, with construction set for completion in late 2026.
The project, created in partnership with James Packer and Daniel Shamoon, builds on the acclaimed Nobu Barbuda restaurant and beach lounge that opened on Princess Diana Beach in 2020 and has since become a destination in its own right. The Beach Inn represents the full realization of what De Niro has described as a deeply personal endeavor — a place rooted in the unhurried rhythms of island life, conceived in the spirit of a more gracious, unencumbered era.
“Since I first stepped foot on Barbuda, I knew it was special. We wanted to create a place that’s comfortable, where everyone wants to gather and embrace the essence of the island. The Nobu Beach Inn is designed to complement its surroundings while maintaining the landscape’s natural beauty,” De Niro said in a statement.
The inn itself will be intimate by design: just 36 bedrooms spread across 17 individual single-story villas, connected by meandering sand pathways and integrated into lush tropical landscaping using natural, sustainable materials. The approach is deliberate — this is not a resort that announces itself, but one that dissolves into its environment, placing the island’s extraordinary beauty front and center.
Amenities are quietly comprehensive. Guests will have access to a beach club, oceanfront pool, indoor and outdoor spa, kids’ club, outdoor cinema, two tennis courts, two padel courts, and a gym pavilion. Dining options will extend well beyond the celebrated Nobu restaurant, with an oceanfront grill showcasing locally caught seafood and an omakase sushi bar. An evolving roster of visiting wellness practitioners, DJs, fitness experts, and guest chefs will bring fresh experiences to the property throughout the year.
For active guests, a fully equipped water sports center will offer dinghy sailing, water skiing, and kite surfing, while sailboats and motor yachts will be available for sunset cruises, beach picnics, fishing excursions, scuba diving, and inter-island voyages — a nod to the very journey that first brought De Niro to Barbuda’s shores.
For those seeking a more permanent connection to the island, Nobu Beach Inn will also include 25 beachfront residences, designed for effortless turnkey ownership. Each four- or five-bedroom beachfront bungalow can be fully customized, and owners will have access to all hotel amenities and services, with the option to participate in the resort’s rental program. Residences are priced from $12 million.
Access to Barbuda has improved considerably in recent years. Burton Nibbs International Airport, which opened in October 2024, provides direct private jet access and smooth inter-island transfers. For those flying commercially, V.C. Bird International Airport in neighboring Antigua is well served with nonstop flights from North America and Europe — placing Barbuda roughly three hours from Miami, four hours from New York or Toronto, and seven and a half hours from London. From Antigua, a ten-minute helicopter transfer completes the journey to Nobu Beach Inn.
Further information is available at thebeachclub.com.
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