As quickly as I catch a glimpse of Tetiaroa, I perceive why Marlon Brando fell head over heels for this South Pacific paradise greater than 60 years in the past. From the window of a twin-engine airplane, I gaze down on the colourful atoll and see 12 lush, tree-covered islets encircling a shimmering turquoise lagoon.
The scene appears like one thing a set designer would have dreamed up in Hollywood. However after the aircraft touches down and I step foot on dry land, I’m reassured that it’s very actual. I pinch myself, only for good measure.
After exploring French Polynesia aboard Star Breeze, Windstar company can now lengthen their trip—and expertise Tetiaroa’s magnificence for themselves—whereas staying at The Brando, a luxurious eco-resort on the late actor’s non-public island. The two-night package deal is accessible to company who e-book Star Breeze’s Proprietor’s Suites, in addition to its award-winning Broadmoor and Sea Island Suites. Day by day excursions, spa remedies, seashore actions and flights are included.
Interested in this new post-cruise extension? Right here’s what it’s like to go to The Brando.
First, a quick historical past of Tetiaroa
It was love at first sight when Brando noticed Tetiaroa whereas filming Mutiny on the Bounty within the early Sixties. In 1967, he bought the atoll with a purpose of preserving its cerulean waters and pristine reef islets, often known as motus.
After Brando died in 2004, his property teamed up with Pacific Beachcomber, a longtime hospitality firm with a number of inns in French Polynesia, together with InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa and InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa. The Brando opened in 2014, on the tenth anniversary of the actor’s dying.
During the last decade, the resort has welcomed dignitaries, celebrities, honeymooners, households and practically everybody in between. President Barack Obama famously spent a month right here writing his memoirs after his second time period in workplace; different stars who’re rumored to have stayed at The Brando embody Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian and Pippa Middleton. And, now, some Windstar company are becoming a member of their ranks.
Attending to The Brando
Located some 30 miles north of Tahiti, The Brando is distant—and that’s a significant a part of its attraction. It’s solely accessible by way of non-public flights supplied by Air Tetiaroa, which has a snug lounge at Tahiti Faaʻa Worldwide Airport.
The corporate has a fleet of 4 small plane that may accommodate between six and 15 passengers. Although the 20-minute flight is important for reaching The Brando, it’d as effectively be a sightseeing tour. I couldn’t tear myself away from the window, the place I had a wide ranging hen’s-eye view of the Pacific Ocean and the atoll. When you’re fortunate, you might even spot whales.
Beachfront villas provide complete privateness
The Brando’s lodging are distinctive. Most noticeably, the 35 non-public beachfront villas aren’t overwater bungalows like those supplied at different French Polynesian resorts. As a substitute, they’re set again from the water and nestled amongst shady timber, which not solely provides guests extra privateness, but in addition entry to their very own secluded part of the seashore.
Throughout my current go to, I stayed in a one-bedroom villa on the west aspect of Onetahi motu, an space The Brando has dubbed Turtle Seaside. The resort additionally affords bigger setups—together with the three,000-square-foot Teremoana Residence—however I discovered my 1,033-square-foot unit to be a lot spacious.
As soon as inside, I wandered by means of the primary residing space, the king bed room with an enormous image window framing the ocean, the humongous toilet and the comfy den. I slid open the floor-to-ceiling glass doorways and walked out on the deck, the place I discovered my very own non-public swimming pool, a shaded eating space, a hammock and a number of lounge chairs.
After slipping off my sandals, I jogged right down to the water and regarded up and down the seashore—not a soul in sight. A little bit of motion on the sand caught my eye and, upon nearer inspection, I observed a hermit crab slowly however certainly scooting down the seashore. Inside a couple of minutes, I additionally noticed a white tern, a couple of brown noddies, a wandering tattler and a Pacific reef heron.
Later, after unpacking my snorkeling gear, I paddled round a small coral reef only a few yards from the shore and noticed colourful fish, sea cucumbers and a noticed eagle ray. As a wildlife lover, I used to be in heaven.
Marlon Brando would have liked this meals
As a lot as Brando adored Tetiaroa, he might have liked meals much more—so it’s no shock that his namesake resort has a stellar culinary program. With a number of eating places and bars to select from, the hardest a part of staying at The Brando was deciding the place to eat and drink every day.
Earlier than dinner my first evening, I made a pit cease at Bob’s Bar, an open-air, thatch-roofed hut on the seashore named after Brando’s long-time assistant and confidante. The bar itself is a duplicate of the one the actor constructed for himself not lengthy after shopping for Tetiaroa; the menu, designed to appear like a journal or log e-book, options historic photographs of Brando, in addition to his buddies and co-stars.
I ordered a Soiled Previous Bob—made with whiskey, pineapple juice, lime juice, mint, egg whites, bitters and honey made on Tetiaroa—and sat down to look at the sundown. A couple of minutes later, a bartender ran over and instructed me to control the horizon—he’d noticed a mom humpback and her child enjoying round. Positive sufficient, the calf started leaping out of the air—the primary time I’d ever seen a whale breach with my very own eyes. I couldn’t imagine my luck.
For dinner, I settled in at Les Mutinés, a fine-dining restaurant in a constructing designed to appear like an upturned boat. Whereas admiring massive Mutiny on the Bounty posters on the partitions, I savored a multi-course tasting menu with dishes like island herb ceviche and lobster cooked over sizzling coals. Later in my keep, I snagged one of many eight seats at Nami, the resort’s intimate Japanese teppanyaki grill, and watched the chef expertly grill veggies, shrimp, rooster and duck only a few toes in entrance of me.
Breakfasts and lunches have been informal affairs on the Beachcomber Cafe, the primary all-day eatery at The Brando. I couldn’t get sufficient of the refreshing acai bowls, the peerlessly flaky French pastries, the punchy poisson cru (Tahitian marinated uncooked fish) and the fragile crimson tuna sashimi. On the final evening of my keep, I sipped a glass of wine on the cafe’s oceanfront patio whereas watching a conventional Polynesian efficiency—which even included a stunning fireplace dancer.
The Brando may also manage non-public eating experiences, like seashore picnics and romantic sundown dinners. And in case you don’t really feel like going out, you may take pleasure in meals from the privateness of your villa.
Wildlife, sustainability and cultural actions
As tempting because it was to lounge on a seashore chair all day, I additionally wished to get out and discover throughout my time at The Brando. For an introduction to the atoll, I booked the Tetiaroa Final Tour, a guided tour led by the nonprofit Tetiaroa Society, which was established by Brando’s property to guard the atoll. Because the pontoon glided throughout the lagoon, information Thierry Sommers pulled out a map and gave a fast lesson on the atoll’s historical past, vegetation, animals and geology. As soon as we reached Reiono motu, we headed off into the forest for a fast hike—stopping to admire red-footed boobies, coconut crabs and lots of different creatures alongside the best way.
The following morning, I joined the Inexperienced Tour for a behind-the-scenes have a look at the resort’s eco-friendly operations. (The Brando was the primary resort on the planet to obtain the U.S. Inexperienced Constructing Council’s highest commendation, LEED Platinum.) Using round in a golf cart, I acquired to see the inner-workings of the progressive “seawater air con system”—or SWAC for brief—which pulls up chilly water from the chilly, darkish depths of the ocean to chill down the property’s inside areas. I realized the SWAC was a significant funding, however that it has allowed the resort to slash its air con vitality consumption by 90 p.c.
The tour additionally included The Brando’s vegetable backyard and bee hives; its water storage and remedy programs; its trash, recycling and compost program; and a fast overview of among the scientific analysis being finished on the atoll by means of the Tetiaroa Society. For instance, scientists are working to eradicate invasive species like rats, mosquitos and yellow-crazy ants.
Although windy circumstances canceled my Chook Discovery Tour and Reef Quest snorkeling tour, The Brando’s workforce sprang into motion and shortly organized a pair of cultural actions. Within the morning, I heard in regards to the Polynesian symbolism of sure colours and tie-dyed a pareo, a kind of wrap-around skirt or swimsuit cover-up. Later within the day, I realized in regards to the cultural significance of coconuts, in addition to the various makes use of of this ubiquitous fruit—from making ropes with its sturdy exterior fibers to harvesting its delicate flesh for oil, meals and milk.
Feeling Tetiaroa’s mana at Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa
After three magical days at The Brando, it was time to move dwelling. However earlier than packing my luggage, I handled myself to a conventional Polynesian remedy on the on-site Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa. Earlier than massaging my shoulders and again, my Tahitian therapist put into phrases the hard-to-articulate feeling I’d been experiencing ever since arriving on Tetiaroa. She defined the idea of mana, or the concept that each place has its personal therapeutic, non secular vitality. Tetiaroa’s mana had touched Marlon Brando deeply, and now, I spotted, it had finished the identical to me.
