The Brando

My family and I experienced an unforgettable getaway at the Brando on Tetiaroa. We spent 5 amazing days enjoying different activities and simply relaxing in the villa. The friendly and efficient staff makes the whole experience in itself. It's really the place you want to go feel like you are on holidays.

Beautifully appointed villas and facilities. Carefully considered materials and craftsmanship in all buildings. Aesthetics are very good. Grounds maintained perfectly. Clean and tidy rooms. Lovely lagoon, shallow and you can walk, canoe and paddle board for miles around the shore. Lovely couple of excursions, Hugo was a great guide, fun and very knowledgeable. Trip to see the crabs and birds was memorable. Spa was very good, great service and high quality treatment and facility. It's very much a relaxing vacation. Snorkeling was limited in that the coral is poor inside the lagoon. Service at the pool and bar good. Otherwise service was somewhat patchy. Our personal butler gave the impression of going through a process for the 99th time that week and perhaps it was but for us it was supposed to be special. Beyond that our butler was vacant, promising to organise things but never confirming anything , the dinner and trip never materialised nor did an explanation. Food at the main restaurant was average, poor on occasion. The same thing ordered across multiple days varied from very flavoursome to bland. Service at the restaurant went from a bit odd to a running joke with something wrong each serving morning, lunch and evening. Hot milk served cold, omelette served plain not with fillings, signature cocktail with no spirit in them, wine spilt on serving not cleared, main course served while my partner eating her starter, set dinner served cold, beef over done. First world issues but this is supposed to be a first class venue and you're paying for it. At the end of the day it's always people that make the difference. In summary we had a lovely time, but we had to ignore service issues.

The island is beautiful - the villas are expansive with plenty of amenities such as an outdoor tub and private pool. The spa was wonderful! The nature guides are very informative - they work for the Tetiaroa Society (not the hotel) and are quite passionate about the conservation work the society does. The food at the Brando was mixed - lunch was our best meals by far, delivered to our villa's outdoor dining table. Dinner at the French restaurant was quite disappointing, even with the add on Chef's menu. Service was mixed - much of the staff (other than the pool and cultural team) are very inexperienced, and don't seem to have adequate training for a resort of this intended level. I wrote the GM with several very specific items, and he responded quickly with what seemed to be a sincere interest in improving. However, two main points he made were that a) he was not on property the week I was there; and b) a new executive chef started the following week. Both of those comments are concerning to me - a well managed property should run seamlessly if a key person or two does not happen to be on site for the day/week.

My husband and I have been to the Brando in the past to celebrate our birthdays. This year we returned with our multi generational family, our married children and their 7 , 7 10,10 year old children. We stayed in one Villa and two Family Villas next to each other on Turtle Beach. The accommodations were outstanding and beautifully appointed with Tahitian feel throughout. We loved the ability for everyone to walk out of their villas into the lagoon where the children could safely swim and snorkel. The excursions ( Bird Island, Ultimate Tour and a private snorkel experience) were all outstanding as were the boats and the guides. All staff were very attentive and welcoming not only to us but to our children and grandchildren . The Brando provides excellent snorkeling equipment as well as bicycles for all. Our grandchildren had their first taste of autonomy riding their bikes on the island and walking on the beach to the restaurants. The daily massage in the most beautiful tranquil of Spas were equally outstanding, As was the Tahitian Dance and Fire Show. The menu was equally flexible to meet the needs of adults and children and everyone loved the Teppanyaki experience with seating for 8. Each family had room service outside of their Villas and felt that this was their most favorites of trips… our children and grands wanted to make this a yearly get away.

I am a resident of French Polynesia, and I was fortunate enough to receive a stay at this sanctuary as a gift for my 50th birthday. As someone already accustomed to the excellent hotels available on Bora Bora (the Conrad, the Four Seasons, etc.), I must admit I had always been skeptical regarding the price difference at The Brando. This was because, in reality, I had been focused on comparing service standards rather than the very nature of the experience itself. Beyond the high level of service (exceptional for French Polynesia), beyond the fantastic quality of the food—remarkable for such a remote location—and beyond the comfort and immaculate cleanliness of the villas, what truly stays with me is the extraordinary sense of exclusivity. Intertwined with this feeling is an incredible closeness to the local biodiversity. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work of the Tetiaroa Society, which has been working on these islands for years to help restore them to their pristine, natural state. The true added value of this experience lies precisely there: a return to one’s roots, a sense of profound relaxation, and a deep connection with one’s inner self. And that—I have never experienced anywhere else in my entire life. I would like to give a special mention to the exceptional work of the Spa Therapist (Chloé); her massage techniques far surpassed anything I have ever experienced at any hotel, anywhere in the world. It was truly of "Palace" standard. I would also like to commend Kealoha, our guide from the Tetiaroa Society, for the archaeological excursion; I have rarely met anyone so knowledgeable and passionate. In conclusion, for anyone who is still hesitating: don't.