The Brando

The Brando is a unique luxury resort on French Polynesia’s breathtakingly beautiful private island of Tetiaroa – an atoll composed of a dozen small islands surrounding a sparkling lagoon 30 miles north of Tahiti. The Brando offers carefree luxury in the midst of pristine nature. With access to the island by private plane, the resort features 35 villas on white-sand beaches frequented by sea turtles, manta rays, and exotic birds. The resort was designed to reflect the Polynesian lifestyle and culture. Each luxurious villa has its own plunge pool and private beach area. The all-inclusive resort offers two restaurants showcasing Polynesian and French cuisine, a beautiful Polynesian spa overlooking a lily pond, an organic garden, diving and other water activities, a large lagoon-side pool, a lagoon view bar, a beach bar, tennis courts, a library, and a boutique. “Tetiaroa is beautiful beyond my capacity to describe. One could say that Tetiaroa is the tincture of the South Seas.”- Quoted by Marlon Brando.

In addition to being a luxury resort, The Brando is a pioneering sustainable technology model with seawater air-conditioning and energy from the sun and coconut oil. Protection of the abundant tropical fish and other marine life is core to the resort’s mission, and there is an eco-station for scientific research that guests can visit. With deep respect for its cultural legacy and the use of historical practices and new technologies to provide extraordinary luxury in an environmentally friendly manner, the Brando brings the past and future together into a place beyond time, invigorating the spirit and enriching and changing all who visit.

Tetiaroa Atoll Island – This is the island you dreamed of as a child when the storybook was closed. It’s as if you created your own private world and stepped barefoot into your imagination. With its white-sand beaches, swaying coconut palms, colorful birds, and sparkling lagoon, Tetiaroa is a dream paradise. Beyond its breathtaking beauty, Tetiaroa is a place of rare biodiversity and a natural sanctuary for birds and marine life. Preserving and protecting this rare habitat and its plant and animal life is critical to us. Working on several programs to preserve this sanctuary and help restore it and help it flourish. Tetiaroa has a special place in Polynesian history and culture. It was the exclusive and favored retreat of Tahitian royalty for centuries. Ancient marae (temples) built on the atoll by early Polynesians can still be found there today. With its rich history and ethereal beauty, it will always have a special place in the heart of Polynesians. Marlon Brando – “My mind is always soothed when I imagine myself sitting on my South Sea island at night. If I have my way, Tetiaroa will remain forever a place that reminds Tahitians of what they are and what they were centuries ago.”

The Mission – The mission is to provide one of the most luxurious, authentic, and enriching travel experiences available anywhere in the world in an environmentally sensitive, sustainable, and culturally rich manner. Being committed to preserving and protecting the natural splendor and precious biodiversity of Tetiaroa; respecting and supporting Polynesian culture, hospitality, and traditions; and achieving a negligible carbon footprint. Supporting research, education, and outreach aimed at increasing the knowledge of and appreciation for the natural and cultural heritage of tropical islands and their people. The use of encouraging and supporting innovation to address local and global environmental and sustainability issues. As stewards of Tetiaroa, is committed to preserving and protecting the atoll and being a responsible member of both the local and global communities. Dealing fairly and honestly with the staff and suppliers in an atmosphere of mutual trust, accountability, and reward. Striving to be a model for the rest of the world. Leaving Tetiaroa a better place than when coming here and continually seek to enhance the lives of all those who visit.

Dining – The resort’s first two restaurants showcase Polynesian-inspired dishes, East/West fusion, and classic French cuisine, designed by the Executive Chef Pierre Lecorne. You will enjoy the freshest of ingredients as the Chef will select fruits and vegetables naturally grown in the gardens and orchards and will serve you delicious and fragrant papayas, bananas, lemons, herbs, cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, and eggplants. Most featured fish come from Polynesian waters. Lastly, the chef Kaito Nakamura awaits you at the newest restaurant, the Nami teppanyaki restaurant, to journey to Japanese flavors.

Vegan option – The Brando commissioned the renowned Chef Kelvin Au-Ieong, chef and owner of the celebrated and revolutionary Invitation V, Vegan Bistro in Montreal, Quebec, to design an innovative and sophisticated vegan menu for The Brando. The menu is inspired by Chef Au-Ieong’s travels around the world and incorporates fresh vegetables handpicked from the resort’s own organic garden. He spent time at the resort, expertly training The Brando’s chefs on each vegan offering. The vegan menu is available at Les Mutinés fine dining restaurant, the Beachcomber Café, and in-room dining.

”Beachcomber Café” – The Beachcomber Café restaurant offers exceptional lagoon and ocean views, whether you decide to dine indoors or on the beach. Dishes include a varied menu of Polynesian-inspired dishes alongside classic French cuisine. ”Les Mutinés” – This intimate venue features elegant décor in beautiful tones of tropical light and sand. A moat that surrounds the restaurant provides the sensation of floating on a lagoon. The restaurant also includes a world-class wine cellar in a carefully climate-controlled glass enclosure.

”Nami teppanyaki” – Chef Nakamura will be happy to take you on a journey to Japan’s most subtle flavors in the elegant and intimate setting of the Nami teppanyaki restaurant. With three different menus designed around specialties of the land, the sea, and a mix of both, the meals are prepared in front of guests and cooked on a teppanyaki iron griddle. The Nami restaurant also features a selection of sake wines, Japanese beers, and a large selection of worldwide wines.

Bars – ”Te Manu Bar” – Located on the second floor, this open-air bar features spectacular views of the lagoon and sunsets. In addition to the main lounge, several private tree-top seating areas can be reached on walkways through the palm canopy. ”Bob’s Bar” – This is a relaxed and casual setting on the beach for conversation and making friends. The bar is named for Marlon Brando’s factotum on film sets. At the end of many days, Brando and Bob would wind up at the bar for long talks and laughs. Having named the bar in honor of Bob and all others who have worked, and continue to work, anonymously to bring Brando’s visions to life.

Wellness – Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa is a unique haven of tranquillity nestled on a restful pond in the heart of the atoll of Tetiaroa. Varua, meaning “the Soul,” perpetuates the tradition established by the Royal family, who used to retreat here to relax and indulge in beauty rituals. Blending into the lush vegetation, it is a hidden oasis at the end of a path through the tropical undergrowth. The Spa is in harmony with its surroundings of plant life, water, and wood. Aware of the need to preserve its pure and unspoiled habitat, it offers unrivaled holistic treatments inspired by international and ancestral Polynesian techniques in a truly exceptional setting. The Spa suites offer amazing views of over 2000 sqm of natural landscape on an islet covered in abundant vegetation. And high above in the trees sits Fare Manu, an exceptional suite nesting like a cocoon between heaven and earth. The Spa also has quiet spaces for relaxation, including a steam bath, a waterfall, a tea lounge, and the Fare Mana, which sets aside for gentle energies. Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa, the life and soul of Tetiaroa, is a truly Polynesian sanctuary. In perfect accordance with the magnificent surroundings, it allows all to rediscover harmony, relaxation, and inner peace.

Explore – At The Brando, you will find an abundance of activities from bicycling, snorkeling, and bird watching to diving and paddleboarding. Here you are not just observing nature; you are in it. Put on a snorkeling mask and witness underwater life at a coral garden firsthand, encountering such marine life as sea turtles, rays, reef sharks, and a dazzling array of tropical fish. Or you can explore the spectacular lagoon or other Motus by Polynesian outrigger canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. Or swim at Mermaid Bay or relax on the beach or by the pool. Inviting you to visit the Library and Explorer Center, where you can read books about French Polynesia and attend lectures and demonstrations about Polynesian culture, history, and lifestyle. And the onsite research scientists will also be delighted to talk about their research and the amazing birds and marine life found on the atoll.

Outdoor and Sports Activities – Snorkeling in the coral gardens and entire lagoon. Explored the lagoon by kayak, Polynesian outrigger canoe (va’a), or a stand-up paddleboard. Scuba lessons in the lagoon and open ocean scuba diving outside the reef. (To be booked as early as possible, as availability is minimal. Scuba lessons are not available during the whale watching season from mid-July to mid-October. Please kindly confirm all scuba diving lessons with the concierge team. Biking, Deep-sea fishing, Fitness coaching, and fitness classes: aquafitness, circuit training, body sculpting, body dance, body attitude. Private classes available upon request. Whale Watching – Whale watching tours mid-July to mid-October with a naturalist guide and a professional scuba diver (upon request, to order at least 48h in advance).

The History & Culture – The stars have been guiding explorers to French Polynesia for millennia. The first people to follow guiding stars to Polynesia left from Southeast Asia about 4,000 years ago, reaching the most easterly Society Islands by around 1100 AD. They came in outrigger canoes with coconuts, bananas, breadfruit, chickens, pigs, and new gods. Much later, the Europeans followed, searching for knowledge. Most famous among them was Captain James Cook, who first came to Polynesia in 1769. His second in command of his third voyage, Lieutenant Bligh, returned years later on the Bounty as Captain Bligh retrieves the local breadfruit plant to feed the far-flung British Empire and was overthrown by his crew, as recounted in “Mutiny on the Bounty.”

Despite these interruptions by European explorers, Tetiaroa remained sacred to the local people. They created a sanctuary, ritual, and tapu (taboo) on Tetiaroa, where the gods and ancestors were said to come down to earth to visit the marae (temples). Tetiaroa was also the favored retreat of Tahitian high chiefs. While Tahitian ma’ohi (young chiefs) competed in archery tournaments and sharpened their war skills, the arii vahine (princesses) retreated to the deep shade of the coconut trees to be pampered. These were the sacred pleasure gardens of the Tahitian high chiefs. Because of its rich history, Tetiaroa will forever be replete with meaning for Polynesian people.