Robert De Niro interview: on sailing the Caribbean and his most exotic movie locations

The revered American-Italian actor, currently starring in The Irishman, is also a successful restaurateur and hotelier. In a rare interview, Condé Nast Traveller sat down with the double Oscar winner at the opening of his latest property, Nobu Hotel Los Cabos in Mexico, to talk all things travel.

What’s your favourite city in the world?

‘I like Paris, and Buenos Aires runs it close – that is an absolutely beautiful city. But it has to be New York for me.’

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Tell us about a great little place you know there?

‘There’s a restaurant I love to go to on the Upper East Side called Sistina. That’s a really nice place – old-school Italian. Ask for the owner, Giuseppe, he’s Neapolitan. I like going to Locanda Verde in Tribeca too, of course, and Minetta Tavern in Greenwich Village. It’s that kind of situation where you don’t really want to talk about these places though, as you don’t want everyone else knowing about them…’

Tell us about a recent memorable trip?

‘A few years back, I took a yacht from the Grenadines all the way up to Saint Martin. I’d been thinking for a long time that I’d love to create a hotel somewhere in the Caribbean, if only I could find the right spot – somewhere really special that would be worth all the effort. So I decided to take this trip and look up any possible places to buy. The idea was that if there were any stunning spots for sale, we’d sail there and check them out.’

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Did you find what you were looking for?

‘That’s the thing. We had all these spots lined up and a route planned – but I kept thinking about Barbuda. About 30 years beforehand, I’d stayed at Jumby Bay in Antigua and had taken a day trip over to Barbuda and I always remembered it. There was a place there back then called the K Club, owned by this woman, Mariuccia Mandelli, a fashion designer. It was just an amazing place. So on this recent trip we wound up taking a detour and anchoring at the same spot. And then we found this spectacular place that was just perfect for us. Honestly, it’s one of the most beautiful places I have ever laid eyes on. So then we had to get in touch with the government and track down the owners and see if they would sell.'

And after you made them an offer they couldn’t refuse?

‘We finally bought it. And now, at last, we have this absolutely incredible Caribbean property. I want to do a Nobu Beach Club there – to curate it in a very nice way. A landing strip is going in at the moment, so people can fly there direct from the US East Coast, rather than have to go via Antigua – that’s key. I’m going down in December to make sure it’s moving along properly. We’re going to do a little pop-up there around Christmas.’

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Where’s the most exotic location you’ve ever travelled to for a movie?

‘When I did The Deer Hunter I flew up to northern Thailand and we shot scenes on the River Kwai. Back then, more than 40 years ago, it was so different to the way it is today: it had a lovely tropical mystery about it. The Mission was another one – we shot that in Colombia. After hearing all the stuff that happened in the jungle with Apocalypse Now, I was worried that we were going to be there for a very long time. With Francis [Ford Coppola] and the Apocalypse guys, these monsoons would come in and they would have to stop filming and then start again from scratch, and I was worried the same thing could happen to us, but The Mission ended up going pretty smoothly. We shot on schedule and went down to Iguazu Falls for some scenes, which was just magical – I still look at the photos I took from there, even now. It was because of The Mission that I met Nobu [Matsuhisa – his business partner] actually. The director of the movie, Roland Joffé, took me to Nobu’s restaurant in Beverly Hills and introduced us. That’s how this whole thing began.’

What’s your best cure for jetlag?

‘It is what it is; jetlag is a killer. The only way you can truly counter it is by knowing your limits – and with clever diarising. The further east I fly, the further back in the day I push my meetings. So if I’m headed to London, I want my meetings in the middle of the day – and even further east, even later in the day. Some people deal with jetlag better than others, but for me it’s all about being clever with the diary when you’re travelling.’

We’re sitting in your latest Nobu hotel, on the Baja California Sur peninsula. Is this a part of the world you’re particularly fond of?

‘I have to be honest – it’s only my second time here. But it’s an absolutely wonderful spot, yes. I’ve been following the progress of the hotel from the start, seeing pictures and photos during the entire construction process, and it’s been fantastic. It’s very, very beautiful here. The sunsets are incredible.’

Is there anywhere in the world you haven’t been that you’d like to go?

‘I’m really curious to go to the Nordic countries: Norway, Finland and particularly Sweden. I’m fascinated by the concept of these ice hotels. I’d really like to take my kids up there, it looks fantastic. Borneo is another place that’s high on my wish list.’

Doubles at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos start from £250 per night, loscabos.nobuhotels.com

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