The Brando

July 1st, On the 10th anniversary of The Godfather actor’s death, The Brando will open on one of the twelve motus (islands) of Tetiaroa, a breathtaking atoll also known as Marlon Brando’s private island, located just 30 miles north of Tahiti, French Polynesia.

The all-inclusive resort will will combine luxury and environmental sustainability to create one of the finest eco-friendlyresorts in the world.

It will be 100% energy independent and support a number of research and conservation initiatives.

The Brando Resort will boast 35 deluxe villas, each one carefully designed with comfortable furnishings and deluxe amenities including a with a plunge pool and private beach area.

Rates start at 3,000 euros for a one-bedroom villa, with a minimum stay of three nights.

The Brando:

“The Brando Resort will combine luxury and environmental sustainability to create one of the finest eco-friendly resorts in the world. Located on the Tetiaroa atoll, also known as Marlon Brando’s private island, this resort is meant to carry out his vision and his legacy.

The Brando Resort will feature 35 private villas located along the coast of Motu Onetahi, set back from the beach for maximum privacy. Each one will be carefully designed with comfortable furnishings and deluxe amenities including a private pool. The resort will offer two gourmet restaurants, two hotel bars, a luxurious overwater spa, and an organic fruit orchard and vegetable garden.

Access to The Brando is by Air Tetiaroa which operates daily fifteen minute flights from Papeete. Flights operate from Papeete to Tetiaroa at 8:30AM or 2:30PM and return to Papeete at 11AM or 4PM. A minimum 2 hour connection is recommended for inter-island flights and a 3 hour connection is recommended for international flights.

The Brando is an exquisite luxury resort on French Polynesia’s breathtakingly beautiful private atoll of Tetiaroa, just 30 miles north of Tahiti. Tetiaroa is comprised of a dozen idyllic islands surrounding a spectacular lagoon.

Tetiaroa has always been a place of stunning beauty, tranquility and rejuvenation – first for Tahitian royalty, who chose this island above all others for their summer retreat, and later for Marlon Brando who chose it for his personal sanctuary.

With access provided by private plane, the resort offers carefree luxury in the midst of pristine nature.

The all-inclusive resort features 35 deluxe villas each with its own private beach area and plunge pool, restaurants showcasing Polynesian and French cuisine, a luxurious Polynesian spa, a lagoon-view bar, beach bar, pool, organic garden, library, boutique and water sports.

The Brando is unique in concept and scope, combining environmental purity, luxury and Polynesian charm into an enriching experience.

Tetiaroa’s 12 Motus (Small Islands):

• Onetahi: The Brando Resort is located on the motu that was once the favored retreat of Tahitian royalty.
• Honuea: Venture the short distance by outrigger canoe to explore white-sand beaches and a shallow, crystalline lagoon.
• Tiaraunu: The largest of the motus with an abundance of coconut palms.
• Tauini, Tauroa & Hiraanae: The northernmost cluster of motus are separated only by little hoa (breaks in the coral reef) and the location of lemon shark nurseries.
• Oroatera: An island paradise with spectacular beaches and a lagoon along with a seahorse-shaped pond which spawned an ancient legend.
• Aie: The smallest of the 12 motus.
• Tahuna Iti & Tahuna Rahi: A sanctuary for birds such as red-breasted black frigates, phaetons, brown gannets, and other petrels.
• Reiono: The only motu that has preserved its primitive, original rain forest. Reiono also serves as the wilderness home for Kaveu (coconut crabs).
• Rimatuu: The first of these motus to be inhabited by Europeans, Rimatuu was once a coconut plantation islet with its own village and dock.

Location:

Tetiaroa is located 30 miles (60 km) north of the island of Tahiti and is surrounded on all sides by the great blue expanse of the South Pacific. The Brando is located on Onetahi a motu spanning 78 hectares (193 acres).

Access:

Tetiaroa is completely private with its own airfield. Two or more roundtrip charter flights a day are planned or will be organized aboard one of two 8-passenger Britten Norman airplanes (turboprop twin-engine), duration of approximately 20 minutes, between a private terminal at Tahiti’s Faa’a International Airport and Motu Onetahi. After landing at Motu Onetahi on Tetiaroa, guests will be greeted by a representative of The Brando and escorted by electric vehicle to their private villa.

Accommodations:

The 22 villas along West Turtle Beach and 13 along South Mermaid Bay have been carefully designed to reflect the Polynesian lifestyle and traditions, with luxurious furnishings, deluxe amenities including a private plunge pool, and windows as big as doors that let guests indulge in the sun, the breeze, and lagoon views.

The villa’s timbered walls and native gardens are surrounded by exquisite scenery.

The resort has been designed around clean, renewable energy sources, to protect this island paradise for generations to come.

• One-Bedroom Villas (30 Villas):

The interior of each 1,033-sq.-ft. (96-sq.-m) villa has been designed to enhance the serenity of the surroundings, with the feeling of the indoors and outdoors merged together. Pass beneath a covered porch and stroll the boardwalk that leads to the front door.
Enter into a cozy sitting room in tasteful shades of ecru and taupe, furnished with soft and comfortable chairs and sofas. To the side is a media room to listen to music and watch movies on the TV/DVD. WiFi is accessible throughout the villa and its exterior sun decks.
A walkthrough dressing area adjoins the spacious bedroom, where a king-size bed invites you to relax and gaze through a large window at the lagoon, visible through a screen of pandanus, miki miki, and coconut trees.
The adjoining bathroom features an outdoor bathtub, set behind a wooden screen.
Outdoors, the villa’s private, 603-sq.-ft. (56-sq.-m) terraced deck adorned with chaise lounges, leads to a 107-sq.-ft. (10-sq.-m) plunge pool. To the side, is a shaded table and chairs.
Just beyond the natural boundary of the villa is private access to the white-sand beach.

• Two-Bedroom Villas (4 Villas):

All the appointments of a one-bedroom villa—plus many built-in extras—in any of the four, 1,808-sq.-ft. (168-sq.-m) two-bedroom villas.
Inside, a large, airy living room combines all the features of the one-bedroom villa’s sitting and media rooms. The living room also provides a private dining area with seating for six, a kitchen for the resort’s chef to use for private functions for villa guests, and a wide entryway onto a large, two-tiered deck. In these villas, the second bedroom is situated directly above the first.
The downstairs bedroom features a private dressing area. Upstairs, as you gaze out over the lagoon, you’ll experience a sensation of floating above this opulent tropical vista. This bedroom also features its own dressing area, bathroom, and outdoor bathtub. Outside, the villa’s 1,658-sq.-ft. (154-sq.-m) private yard has a larger deck area and 140-sq.-ft. (13-sq.-m) plunge pool.

• Three-Bedroom Villa (1 Villa):

The 2,648-sq.-ft. (246-sq.-m) three-bedroom villa provides an opportunity for friends or a larger family to stay together. This villa has all the features of the two-bedroom villa but on an even larger scale. The third bedroom is separated from the main villa by an above-ground walkway,
and includes its own dressing room, bathroom, and outdoor bathtub. The furnishings are upgraded in the private outdoor space, which includes an expanded deck and a 236-sq.-ft. (22-sq.-m) pool.”

Photos by: Pacific beachcomber & Tim McKenna Photography