As soon as I catch a glimpse of Tetiaroa, I understand why Marlon Brando fell head over heels for this South Pacific paradise more than 60 years ago. From the window of a twin-engine airplane, I gaze down at the colorful atoll and see 12 lush, tree-covered islets encircling a shimmering turquoise lagoon.
The scene looks like something a set designer would have dreamed up in Hollywood. But after the plane touches down and I step foot on dry land, I’m reassured that it’s very real. I pinch myself, just for good measure.
After exploring French Polynesia aboard Star Breeze, Windstar guests can now extend their vacation—and experience Tetiaroa’s beauty for themselves—while staying at The Brando, a luxury eco-resort on the late actor’s private island. The two-night package is available to guests who book Star Breeze’s Owner’s Suites, as well as its award-winning Broadmoor and Sea Island Suites. Daily excursions, spa treatments, beach activities and flights are included.
Curious about this new post-cruise extension? Here’s what it’s like to visit The Brando.
First, a brief history of Tetiaroa
It was love at first sight when Brando spotted Tetiaroa while filming Mutiny on the Bounty in the early 1960s. In 1967, he purchased the atoll with a goal of preserving its cerulean waters and pristine reef islets, also known as motus.
After Brando died in 2004, his estate teamed up with Pacific Beachcomber, an established hospitality company with several hotels in French Polynesia, including InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa and InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa. The Brando opened in 2014, on the 10th anniversary of the actor’s death.
Over the last decade, the resort has welcomed dignitaries, celebrities, honeymooners, families and nearly everyone in between. President Barack Obama famously spent a month here writing his memoirs after his second term in office; other stars who are rumored to have stayed at The Brando include Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian and Pippa Middleton. And, now, some Windstar guests are joining their ranks.
Getting to The Brando
Situated some 30 miles north of Tahiti, The Brando is remote—and that’s a major part of its appeal. It’s only accessible via private flights offered by Air Tetiaroa, which has a comfortable lounge at Tahiti Faaʻa International Airport.
The company has a fleet of four small aircraft that can accommodate between six and 15 passengers. Though the 20-minute flight is necessary for reaching The Brando, it might as well be a sightseeing tour. I couldn’t tear myself away from the window, where I had a breathtaking bird’s-eye view of the Pacific Ocean and the atoll. If you’re lucky, you may even spot whales.
Beachfront villas offer total privacy
The Brando’s accommodations are unique. Most noticeably, the 35 private beachfront villas are not overwater bungalows like the ones offered at other French Polynesian resorts. Instead, they’re set back from the water and nestled among shady trees, which not only gives visitors more privacy, but also access to their own secluded section of the beach.
During my recent visit, I stayed in a one-bedroom villa on the west side of Onetahi motu, an area The Brando has dubbed Turtle Beach. The resort also offers larger setups—including the 3,000-square-foot Teremoana Residence—but I found my 1,033-square-foot unit to be plenty spacious.
Once inside, I wandered through the main living area, the king bedroom with a massive picture window framing the ocean, the humongous bathroom and the cozy den. I slid open the floor-to-ceiling glass doors and walked out on the deck, where I found my own private swimming pool, a shaded dining area, a hammock and multiple lounge chairs.
After slipping off my sandals, I jogged down to the water and looked up and down the beach—not a soul in sight. A bit of movement on the sand caught my eye and, upon closer inspection, I noticed a hermit crab slowly but surely scooting down the beach. Within a few minutes, I also saw a white tern, a few brown noddies, a wandering tattler and a Pacific reef heron.
Later, after unpacking my snorkeling gear, I paddled around a small coral reef just a few yards from the shore and saw colorful fish, sea cucumbers and a spotted eagle ray. As a wildlife lover, I was in heaven.
Marlon Brando would have loved this food
As much as Brando adored Tetiaroa, he may have loved food even more—so it’s no surprise that his namesake resort has a stellar culinary program. With several restaurants and bars to choose from, the toughest part of staying at The Brando was deciding where to eat and drink each day.
Before dinner my first night, I made a pit stop at Bob’s Bar, an open-air, thatch-roofed hut on the beach named after Brando’s long-time assistant and confidante. The bar itself is a replica of the one the actor built for himself not long after buying Tetiaroa; the menu, designed to look like a journal or log book, features historic photos of Brando, as well as his friends and co-stars.
I ordered a Dirty Old Bob—made with whiskey, pineapple juice, lime juice, mint, egg whites, bitters and honey made on Tetiaroa—and sat down to watch the sunset. A few minutes later, a bartender ran over and told me to keep an eye on the horizon—he’d spotted a mother humpback and her baby playing around. Sure enough, the calf began leaping out of the air—the first time I’d ever seen a whale breach with my own eyes. I couldn’t believe my luck.
For dinner, I settled in at Les Mutinés, a fine-dining restaurant in a building designed to look like an upturned boat. While admiring large Mutiny on the Bounty posters on the walls, I savored a multi-course tasting menu with dishes like island herb ceviche and lobster cooked over hot coals. Later in my stay, I snagged one of the eight seats at Nami, the resort’s intimate Japanese teppanyaki grill, and watched the chef expertly grill veggies, shrimp, chicken and duck just a few feet in front of me.
Breakfasts and lunches were casual affairs at the Beachcomber Cafe, the main all-day eatery at The Brando. I couldn’t get enough of the refreshing acai bowls, the perfectly flaky French pastries, the punchy poisson cru (Tahitian marinated raw fish) and the delicate red tuna sashimi. On the last night of my stay, I sipped a glass of wine on the cafe’s oceanfront patio while watching a traditional Polynesian performance—which even included a dazzling fire dancer.
The Brando can also organize private dining experiences, like beach picnics and romantic sunset dinners. And if you don’t feel like going out, you can enjoy meals from the privacy of your villa.
Wildlife, sustainability and cultural activities
As tempting as it was to lounge on a beach chair all day, I also wanted to get out and explore during my time at The Brando. For an introduction to the atoll, I booked the Tetiaroa Ultimate Tour, a guided excursion led by the nonprofit Tetiaroa Society, which was established by Brando’s estate to protect the atoll. As the pontoon glided across the lagoon, guide Thierry Sommers pulled out a map and gave a quick lesson on the atoll’s history, plants, animals and geology. Once we reached Reiono motu, we headed off into the forest for a quick hike—stopping to admire red-footed boobies, coconut crabs and many other creatures along the way.
The next morning, I joined the Green Tour for a behind-the-scenes look at the resort’s eco-friendly operations. (The Brando was the first resort in the world to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest commendation, LEED Platinum.) Riding around in a golf cart, I got to see the inner-workings of the innovative “seawater air conditioning system”—or SWAC for short—which pulls up chilly water from the cold, dark depths of the ocean to cool down the property’s interior spaces. I learned the SWAC was a major investment, but that it has allowed the resort to slash its air conditioning energy consumption by 90 percent.
The tour also included The Brando’s vegetable garden and bee hives; its water storage and treatment systems; its trash, recycling and compost program; and a quick overview of some of the scientific research being done on the atoll through the Tetiaroa Society. For example, scientists are working to eradicate invasive species like rats, mosquitos and yellow-crazy ants.
Though windy conditions canceled my Bird Discovery Tour and Reef Quest snorkeling excursion, The Brando’s team sprang into action and quickly organized a pair of cultural activities. In the morning, I heard about the Polynesian symbolism of certain colors and tie-dyed a pareo, a type of wrap-around skirt or swimsuit cover-up. Later in the day, I learned about the cultural significance of coconuts, as well as the many uses of this ubiquitous fruit—from making ropes with its sturdy exterior fibers to harvesting its soft flesh for oil, food and milk.
Feeling Tetiaroa’s mana at Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa
After three magical days at The Brando, it was time to head home. But before packing my bags, I treated myself to a traditional Polynesian treatment at the on-site Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa. Before massaging my shoulders and back, my Tahitian therapist put into words the hard-to-articulate feeling I’d been experiencing ever since arriving on Tetiaroa. She explained the concept of mana, or the idea that every place has its own healing, spiritual energy. Tetiaroa’s mana had touched Marlon Brando deeply, and now, I realized, it had done the same to me.
