Blissful Beauty and Benevolence at The Brando
There are precious few remaining places in the world that harbors not only an intrinsic sense of place and time, but that also creates a sustainable safe harbor for all that makes it so inviting, unique, and magical. One such place is Tetiaroa, a private atoll in French Polynesia comprised of 12 small islets – called motus – only one of which, Onetahi, is inhabited.
Tetiaroa was once the aristocratic enclave of Tahitian royalty. In the early 1960’s, while filming “Mutiny on the Bounty” on nearby Mo’orea, Marlon Brando became enamored with Tetiaroa, ultimately becoming its owner, while dreaming of the genesis of a carbon neutral, eco-friendly, slice of paradise. This gave rise to The Brando, opening in 2014, 10 years after Brando’s passing. Without doubt, it has emphatically fulfilled the very essence of Brando’s dream.
Journey to Perfection
Having spent most of my childhood and young adulthood in the Hawaiian Islands, and then reporting from much of the South Pacific, I am no stranger to beautiful islands, to clear, balmy aquamarine Pacific waters, or to the generosity of the Polynesian spirit. Even so, there is something so transcendent, so meaningful, so imposing of a certain je ne sais quoi, that one will only find at The Brando.
After arriving Tahiti’s Faa’a international airport, guests are whisked away to Air Tetiaroa’s elegant private hanger and board a Viking DHC6-300 transporting a maximum of 15 passengers for the 20-minute jaunt that starts the journey with ease and comfort.
Flying over this part of the Pacific at 1,800 feet altitude, the color pallet is so intense that hues appear broad stroked with huge brushes by unrealistically whimsical pop artists. Blues of every conceivable hue warmly hug the whitest sands, all deeply kissed by verdant, emerald swaying palms.
A Regal Retreat
The 178-acre Onetahi has 36 enormous, private one and two-bedroom villas, one three-bedroom villa, and one three-bedroom residence that has additional small staff quarters. All villas contain spacious living rooms, bedrooms with dreamy high-count sheets, hide-a-way flat screen television, dressing rooms, massive bathrooms with rain showers and outdoor bathtubs set amid verdant foliage.
Beautifully decorated and furnished with natural color palettes, these villas contain every conceivable amenity assuring all earthly comforts: Nespresso machine, teapot, fully stocked fridge including Baron de Rothschild champagne, and fine baked goods delivered every afternoon.
Villas also have strong WiFi and a separate large media room with an additional flat screen television, a work desk for those who must stay connected – though with the jaw-dropping views and all on offer at The Brando, attempting to work is folly. Though when former U.S. President Obama came to Tetiaroa following his White House tenure, he managed somehow to write his memoirs here.
Each villa has an ocean-facing plunge pool with loungers, a hammock, and a deck giving private access to the white sand beach of one’s sweetest dreams. As the villas are situated for privacy, not once during my four days stay did I see anyone on the beach fronting my villa. A lovely ocean view dining area on the deck permitted unheralded pleasure with 24-hour room service, making mealtime or snack time anytime the mood struck.
Divine Dining
Even though there are only 100 maximum guests at The Brando, food boredom isn’t possible. In addition to impeccable 24-hour room service, the oceanfront Beachcomber Café serves western, Polynesian, and Asian fare during breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. There’s fresh fish, hearty steaks, mouth-watering baked goods, house made ice creams and made-to-order pretty much anything you fancy.
There are two bars, the romantic Te Manu in the main pavilion upstairs with outdoor seating providing sensations of suspended animation over the Pacific, indoor seating with a pool table, and a humidor with Cohiba’s and Montechristo’s.
The other watering hole is Bob’s Bar at the beach named after Marlon’s film set assistant. Lunch is also served at Bob’s, however, looking at the menu requires removing one’s eyes from those gorgeous ocean vistas long enough to order something delicious. Some challenges in life while quite difficult, are very worthwhile.
If you order only two desserts at The Brando, one must be The Bounty – a heavenly frozen coconut purée topped with thick creamy chocolate served in a coconut shell. The other is their cheesecake which will have you question anything you’ve ever previously tasted in New York.
Le Nami serves Japanese teppanyaki and other delights proudly prepared table side by Chef Kaito Nakamura. In two evening seatings, delicious dinners are served in this delightfully warm and intimate setting.
Chef Jean Imbert oversees the Brando’s signature restaurant, Les Mutinés, resembling a ship surrounded by water with an entry poster of Marlon playing First Lt. Fletcher Christian when he was just 23. It houses an ultramodern wine cellar and Imbert prepares both a multi-course, ‘around-the-world’ tasting menu option with curated wine pairings, or a la carte delights using the freshest ingredients.
Extraordinary Excursions
Preservation, protection, and research are the guideposts of the Tetiaroa Society, a non-profit organization that works in partnership with The Brando managing the motus in the atoll. There are several excursions where guests experience first-hand the depth and breadth of this commitment, all while being fascinated by nature and the hands which work to ensure its healthy existence for generations to come.
One such excursion is the Bird Tour. Taking a 34-foot boat to Tahuna Iti on Tetiaroa’s south eastern side, we bore witness to some of the atoll’s 9,000 birds, the highest concentration of which is the brown noddy, boasting 2,000 couples. There are 17 species total on Tetiaroa, 11 of those are sea birds, and the remaining are shore birds. With seven species on Tahuna Iti alone, we also saw red-footed boobies, crested terns, and lesser and great Pacific frigates.
Another day the Ultimate Tour brought us to Reiono, Tetiaroa’s most southern motu four miles away. Here massive, resilient cabbage trees spread its seeds by sticking to anything it encounters. On decomposition, these seeds combine with bird droppings to produce rich, fertile guano. Here a plethora of hermit crabs, common land crabs, and massive, multi-colored coconut crabs in shades of blue, orange, and beige reside in crustacean castles amid rocks surrounding flourishing vegetation. Also on Reiono are three of Tetiaroa’s working bee hives producing honey for all of The Brando’s needs.
During the Rimatu’u motu exploration we saw old structures that once housed the daughter of Canadian Johnston Williams, then Tahiti’s only dentist. In the center of Rimatu’u is a brackish lake while lazing about nearby were several enormous, otherworldly-appearing Tupa crabs.
The Brando’s Green Tour was seriously impressive. Here guests see the “back of the house” and are able to fully grasp The Brando’s commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality. It has invested heavily in SWAC – sea water air conditioning – with an initial $12 million investment, thus reducing by 90-percent its air-conditioning energy consumption costs.
It also has 4,600 solar panes – the largest field in all of French Polynesia providing 60-percent of its energy needs – a recycling center that includes a mechanical composter and glass crusher, a sewage plant, and reverse osmosis desalination plant so large its internal filters are almost 18-feet long. And of course there is a vegetable garden.
Without a doubt, part of The Brando’s panache is its ability to move forward with preservation, sustainability, and education, without ever losing the very essence of Marlon’s perfect tropical Eden.
Fitness, Relaxation and Rejuvenation
The 24-hour fitness center houses state-of-the-art equipment with private trainers available. Each villa comes with beach cruisers for tooling around Onetahi, and there’s a tennis court, kayaks, paddle boards, discovery walking trails with water stations, and naturally, fabulous snorkeling.
At Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa, guest cannot help but relax while sensing they’ve stepped squarely into William Dafoe’s Robinson Crusoe. The central view is a meandering freshwater pond with lilies, pads and tilapia, surrounding by swaying palms. The creatively constructed changing rooms resemble large, superhuman-sized birds nests due to their import to the atoll. Two steam rooms and a cold plunge complete the 21,500 square foot blissful expanse. Here I had one of the best deep tissue massages ever experienced anywhere using Algotherm marine-based products.
Parting thought
Until my next return to this slice of heaven – even if one is not a stargazer or otherwise astronomically inclined, guests will be completely bowled over by the exquisite nightly extravaganza of stars and constellations on full display in the southern hemisphere closer to the equator than Hawaii is in the northern hemisphere.
These nightly displays will serve as an earthly reminder of our teeny, tiny place in the grand scheme of the universe and the ever-present grace of nature’s dominance over our earthly existential state. In addition to everything else The Brando gives those fortunate enough to experience it, this realization alone makes any sojourn to the marvelous foresight and exalted legacy of Marlon Brando an utterly transformative experience. One that will indeed be forever savored. Happy travels!
Julie L. Kessler is a journalist, attorney, and the author of the award-winning memoir: “Fifty-Fifty, The Clarity of Hindsight.” Her work has appeared in several major publications around the world, including The LA Times, The SF Examiner, The Asia Times, The Jerusalem Post, The Vancouver Courier, The Daily Journal and The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, among many, many others. She can be reached at Julie@VagabondLawyer.com
