Our opinion on Brando in French Polynesia: does the myth keep its promises?

The pitch | Welcome to the end of the world

It is a destination in its own right, very preserved, which you reach from Papeete (where you board from a terminal and a dedicated lounge) with the private company Air Tetiaroa and its plane adorned with the two blue seahorses emblematic of the hotel legend. Twenty minutes of flight and here emerge the twelve motus (coral islands born from a volcano 3 million years ago) of the breathtakingly beautiful atoll of Tetiaora, where certain seasons, we see majestic whales. The plane lands on a small runway surrounded by coconut trees and some 4,000 solar panels. La ora na ! (hello) warm to the sound of the PÅ“, a sacred shell, and welcome ukulele on the tarmac, and already a feeling of exception which shows: we are indeed at the “end of the end of the world” on this Onetahi motu of 78 hectares.

And we understand why Marlon Brando succumbed to the charm and authenticity of this Polynesian confetti in the 1960s, after having filmed Les Révoltés du Bounty in the archipelago. When he bought the atoll, he decided to build a heavenly hotel there, one of the most beautiful in the world, feet in the sand like a guesthouse, but above all it was a visionary idea that drove him year after year: fascinated by renewable resources, organic agricultural practices and natural sources. alternative energy sources, he would like to build a luxury eco-hotel cut off from everything, honoring Polynesian nature and culture, and which would have the least possible impact on the environment. Not being in the trade, he became close to Richard Bailey – with whom he would become a close friend – local hotelier and entrepreneur, connoisseur of Polynesia, who also thought about the idea of ​​sustainable high-end tourism.

Died in 2004, Marlon Brando unfortunately did not see his dream come true: The Brando was inaugurated in 2014, a resort of 35 villas and a residence, built by Pacific Beachcomber, Richard Bailey’s hotel group, thanks to permission he obtained from the Brando Family Trust. A place where luxury aims for harmony with nature. A refreshing place, sheltered from the tumult, where you can reconnect with yourself and where nature, wildlife, Polynesian tradition and culture interact.

How is the hotel?

The hotel in Polynesia does not seek effect and prefers discretion. The cozy luxury villas, from one to three bedrooms, measuring at least 96 m², are designed in (local) aito wood and dressed in natural materials. A hymn to intimacy, silence, and a desire to never seek to compete with their extraordinary environment, but rather to integrate into it: set back from the beach and drowned in vegetation, the seaside villas are designed to never see each other, the lagoon turquoise and crystalline as the only witness. Weathered furniture, a writer’s desk, works of art, paintings, canoe paddles on the walls create a traveling, Polynesian atmosphere with elegance and authenticity.

The living room houses a minibar stocked with wines and champagnes replenished once a day (in an all-inclusive formula), a media room with television, Bluetooth amplifier, desk and sofa invites private entertainment, the bedroom with a view of the Pacific adjoins a dressing room with dressing table and the huge bathroom with indoor shower opens onto an attractive bathtub exterior on a deck among the coconut trees. The spaces create a fluid dialogue between interiors and exteriors.

 

 

In front of each villa, a private swimming pool and sunbedsa table under a straw hut for lunch out of sight, then further on, a hammock stretched between two coconut trees, provide a gentle transition to the beach, immaculate and deserted, where meeting other customers is a feat. Because this is also the singularity of the place: learning that most of the villas are occupied, but never seeing anyone, except at breakfast (and again!) or when leaving the spa. You get on your bike to explore the sandy paths of the resort, reach the green tennis court or one of the courses in the “jungle” (areas of the resort left wild), before tirelessly returning to this splendid beach and its crazy lagoon…

Quelle villa ? 

The villas for rent are spread over two coves: the Baie des Sirènes, (villas numbered from 100) where the sun rises, and the Plage des Tortues, calmer, where it sets (villas 200 and more). Our heart is set for the Sirens, with exceptional morning light and its more “wow” beach. As in any hotel address of this standard, the resort houses an exceptional villa, La Résidence (villa 305), of 560 m², offering three bedrooms (plus one for the staff or a security guard). body), a living room, a kitchen, a very large private swimming pool, etc. and an exclusive beach inaccessible to other guests of the Brando A villa which has hosted Taylor Swift, Barack Obama, Beyoncé, Leonardo DiCaprio… who came to recharge their batteries in complete discretion, the hotel ensuring ultra-high confidentiality.