About eight hours by direct flight from the seen-and-be-seen restaurants and red carpets of Hollywood is a resort on a remote speck of a private island. It was there that Barack Obama wrote his post-White House memoirs, where Kim Kardashian threw her controversial pandemic-era 40th birthday bash (to the tune of $1 million) and where Britney Spears enjoyed the calm before the storm ahead of releasing her memoir.
The locale? The Brando, about 30 miles north of Tahiti on the 12-island atoll of Tetiaroa, which Marlon Brando bought after he fell in love with the region while filming 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty. Now over a decade old, the resort has a storied history filled with star turns. Villas start at $4,000; more booking and price options at Hotels.com and Expedia.com.
Related: Throwback Thursday: Marlon Brando Fell for Tahiti in the 1960s
Long a sanctuary for locals, Tetiora was the private vacation home for Brando’s family. In 1999 (five years before he passed away at 80), The Godfather actor partnered with Pacific Beachcomber CEO Richard Bailey to reimagine the island as an eco-forward, sustainable resort. Ten years to the day after its namesake’s death, the Brando began welcoming visitors — all arriving via private plane — when it opened on July 1, 2014.
The Brando immediately became a beloved oasis among celebrities and wealthy guets for its complete isolation and discretion — not to mention its outrageous natural beauty, luxury and a futuristic approach to sustainability. An A-list roster of past guests also includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres — and on and on.
Inside a villa at The Brando
Alesandra Dubin/THR
The island is accessible exclusively by private plane. And it’s as isolating as guests want it to be, with just 35 villas set back from the ocean (a purpose-driven departure from Bora Bora’s famous overwater bungalows, in the name of coral protection). Look up and down the beach and you’re unlikely to see another soul at a given hour on the pristine island, lush with coconut palms and ringed by crystalline lagoon waters.
Related: Eco-Resort to Open on Marlon Brando’s Tahitian Island
Nestled along the coastline and surrounded by vegetation, the villas have spacious living areas, private plunge pools, and direct beach access, plus outdoor dining pavilions and dreamy hammocks for reading or napping amid birdsong and the distant rhythm of waves crashing outside the lagoon. The design blends luxe, modern amenities with traditional Polynesian aesthetics.
Solitude and serenity are plentiful outside the villas: Take a serene ride on bikes provided for guests to use and explore the island. (You can’t get lost as long as you stay on the concrete path, and you’ll eventually make a complete loop.) Or visit the sprawling Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa, tucked right into the natural environment, with locker rooms and treatment spaces constructed to look like delicate curvilinear birds’ nests.
Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa at the Brando.
Alesandra Dubin/THR
When guests feel ready for interaction, there’s a more convivial atmosphere in the resort center, with a pair of shops, two distinct bar environments (one modeled after Brando’s original beach shack, and one an elevated affair with a pool table and second-floor perches over the beach), plus a trio of restaurants.
The Beachcomber Café offers a casual, all-day dining option with indoor and beachfront seating. Nami offers an eight-seat teppanyaki Japanese dining experience. And the fine-dining spot Les Mutinés dishes up elevated French cuisine in a jewel-box-like space set over water. (Private in-villa dining is also available.)
Most guests choose the Brando’s inclusive pricing model (to the tune of about $4,000 nightly per couple or $6,000 for a family of four), which includes meals and activities like snorkeling excursions, boat trips around the atoll, spa and Polynesian cultural activities like pareo dying and ukelele lessons.
A serene spot for meditations, sound baths and more at the Brando in French Polynesia.
Alesandra Dubin/THR
Alesandra Dubin/THR
Beyond just discretion and luxury, the Brando’s — authentic, holistic — commitment to sustainability is a boon for the Hollywood crowd. The resort employs innovative eco-friendly technologies, including a deep seawater air-conditioning system. Renewable energy sources, such as solar power and coconut oil biofuel, supply a significant portion of the resort’s energy needs. Additionally, The Brando supports conservation initiatives and scientific research programs to preserve the atoll’s unique ecosystem. Guests can get a closer look at all of these processes as well as the research lab on a guided “green tour” by bike.
Every bit the otherworldly escape from the Hollywood grind (and the 405), the Brando is surprisingly accessible by direct flight from LAX, followed by a quick 15-minute interisland transfer from Tahiti’s international airport. So — apart from the A-list-friendly price point — we’d call it a no-brainer for your next vacation.
Planning your next A-list-inspired getaway? Book The Brando online at hotels.com and expedia.com, and shop vacation-worthy essentials below.
EltaMD UV Clear Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 46
Lululemon All Sport Wide-Brim Hat
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