Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
NOTA BLU MARBELLA
Location: Málaga, Spain
Designer: Astet Studio
On Offer: Tucked between bustling Málaga and the Strait of Gibraltar, with the rolling foothills of the Sierra Blanca on one side and the Mediterranean on the other, the city of Marbella is also now home to the Casanis Group’s latest restaurant Nota Blu. Barcelona-based firm Astet Studio took care of its interiors, which nod to the white and azure surroundings without succumbing to coastal kitsch. A walkway suspended between pools of water leads to a lobby defined by wood arches intertwined with long, foliate details; they lighten the flooring, which references a stone path. Deeper in, Astet’s gracious furnishings—creamy, curving banquettes; a sumptuous marble bar—rest between screens and overflowing ceiling fixtures carrying the leafy theme.
Standout Amenities: Chef Fabián Cangas has devised a menu that lends a touch of the nearby sea to timeless French cuisine, and guests can watch his team whip up dishes like a Josperised lobster au gratin or a cauliflower salad with caramelized walnuts and sumac in the open, 3,700-square-foot kitchen. The Blue Bar offers a beverage program by Colo Linari, including the Mediterranean Collins (Bombay Citron Pressé, ginger liqueur, sherry wine, line, cucumber syrup, and tonic) and mocktails like a martini of Vibrante and pink grapefruit soda. Up to ten guests can sup privately among the wine cellar’s 3,000 bottles, and of course try a few. But the place to be is the outdoor terrace, surrounded by verdant trees, under the Mediterranean sky.
