The Brando

Once a favored retreat for Tahitian royalty, Tetiaroa
Island, along with its collection of motes, was discovered by actor Marlon
Brando while filming "Mutiny on the
Bounty." During the making of the film, Brando fell in love with the Polynesian
lifestyle and purchased the island in 1967. He built a lodge and marine station
with hopes of someday creating a sustainable luxury resort that also harbored
a scientific research center.

Opened in 2014, The Brando delivers on the actor's vision on
all levels. The low-profile resort blends into its surroundings and operates
with the highest level of sustainable practices. Villas are cooled by seawater, vegetables are grown on site, and there is a state-of-the-art
research center where guests can engage in lectures or participate in
excursions with scientists to view birdlife and marine life on the surrounding
small islands.

While learning about the biodiversity of the area is interesting,
most guests come to the Brando to relax and unplug. The all-inclusive, intimate
nature of the resort allows guests to vacation at their desired pace. Meals can
be taken at the restaurant or in the private villas. Days can be active or
leisurely. Each villa has a small plunge pool and a path that leads to a
private stretch of immaculately raked white-sand beach, but there's also a community
pool for those who prefer to be more social.

The calm waters of the sheltered
lagoon allow guests to explore the crystalline water via paddleboards or
outrigger canoes. Diving trips, tennis, Polynesian dance lessons, cooking
classes, and yoga are also available to motivate guests to rise from their lounge
chairs.

Located 30 miles north of the island of Tahiti, Tetiaroa is made
up of 12 motus (small islands) that encircle a turquoise-colored lagoon. Getting
to the Brando, which is located on the 193-acre Onetahi motu, requires a
20-minute flight via helicopter or aboard an eight-seat twin-engine turboprop plane
operated by Air Tetiaroa.

Before embarking on the flight, guests check in to a
departure lounge at a private terminal at Faa'a International Airport. Once on
the island, guests are given bicycles to pedal around the flat paths, or they
can request to be chauffeured from place to place in an electric buggy.

The Brando's 35 low-profile beachfront villas were intended
to blend in with their surroundings. The modern Polynesian-style design features
vaulted ceilings with thatched rooftops, muted color palettes, wood floors, and
floor-to-ceiling windows that allow indoor spaces to meld seamlessly with the
outdoors.

The majority (30) of the villas have one bedroom (1,033 square feet), and there are four Two-Bedroom Villas and one Three-Bedroom Villa available to house larger parties and
families. The villas are equipped with separate living spaces furnished with
ivory-tone sofas, a table and two chairs, and media areas with flat-screen TVs
and sound systems. The bedrooms feature king-size beds that face wide windows with
views of the lagoon through a screen of tropical vegetation. Walk-through
dressing areas with make-up vanities and closets connect the bedrooms to the spa-like
bathrooms which come equipped with sleek twin floating vanities, white
stone floors, and walk-in showers finished in wide slabs of white marble. Outdoors from the bathrooms are tubs set behind wooden privacy screens.

The outdoor space of each villa features a deck that leads to a private plunge
pool, and a separate outdoor dining room set on a platform beneath a tiki-style
roof. In lieu of parking spaces, each villa comes equipped with a pair of cruiser
style bicycles to be used to pedal the pathways of the resort.

Despite its small size and remote location, the Brando is
able to offer a long list of activities and services to entertain guests. One of the most popular pastimes involves languishing poolside and gazing out at the brilliant
blue lagoon, but there are also numerous water sports and excursions to enjoy.
Guests can take a self-propelled ride via paddleboard or kayak into the lagoon
and out to explore the uninhabited small islands in the atoll. On land, there are cooking classes, Polynesian dancing, yoga, tennis, and a well-equipped fitness
center.

Meals at the Brando are at the whim of the guest and can be
enjoyed anytime through room service, or on the beach. The
casual Beachcomber Café with tables overlooking the lagoon and beach serves
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The more formal Les Mutinés, overseen by Guy
Martin, chef at the two-Michelin star Le Grand Véfour in Paris, is a more
formal affair. The chic white decor and the barrel ceiling of the space sets
the stage for dishes that include salt-baked scallops and mahi-mahi with
ginger paired with wines from the extensive cellar. The hotel also features a vegan menu created by chef Kelvin
Au-Ieong, of Invitation V, Vegan Bistro in Montreal, Quebec. The menu incorporates
fresh vegetables from the resort’s organic garden. Tropical
fruits and honey are also produced on the island and fish is locally sourced.
After dinner, guests can enjoy music and movies at Bob's Bar on the beach.

Tucked away in a cluster of coconut palms is the Varua Spa, a collection of architecturally unique huts surrounding a tranquil lagoon. Traditional taurumi massage treatments incorporate local monoï oil while facials use Algotherm products. In addition to the cocoon-like spa suites, guests can opt for couples treatments in fare manu, a tree-house style suite perched in the tree canopy. The spa also has quiet spaces for relaxation, a steam bath, and a tea lounge.