The Brando

This was our fifth visit to The Brando. We began visiting The Brando six months after its' opening. From the arrival to The Brando air terminal until the departure from the tarmac onto the plane when leaving our stay was wonderful. Mr. Christophe Adam is the new General Manager at The Brando. He is absolutely lovely. He is extremely visible from the guest's arrival at The Brando until you depart. He met us at the plane and saw us off when we arrived at the tarmac to leave. He visited all of the guests during breakfast and his professionalism and experience is palpable. His smile is infectious. We brought a couple with us who travel the world; they truly enjoyed their stay and are planning a return visit. They loved their excursions and spa treatments. They are kosher and The Brando went out of their way to provide kosher meats and speak to the guests regarding their preferences at every meal. The staff is outstanding. Every answer to every question is a 'Yes'. No request is too much. We asked for popcorn to be delivered each late afternoon at the villa and it was delivered in a beautiful apothecary jar. It was our anniversary during our stay and we received a thoughtful handwritten edible card along with a beautiful and delicious anniversary cake. We saw Gigi on our last day; she was just returning from a week off and spent time visiting with us. She has been at The Brando since its pre-opening and she is such an enormous asset. Her beautiful smile and outgoing personality makes guests feel enormously welcome and special. We were as delighted to see her as she was to see us. The Brando is as special, unique, serene, private and welcoming today as it was when first opening. We can not wait to return.

I don't know what to think about this place in the end. The atoll and the lagoons are most probably amongst the best ones I have ever seen since I have had the chance to travel. The whole atoll is untouched, clear waters, beautiful landscape, quietness etc....everything is perfect from a nature point of view and in the end this is what you pay for when you go there. And there is a hotel there...we were promised paradise but we stayed on earth ! The hotel is clearly targeting the american guests and this is the only hotel where we stayed in Polynesia this year with so few local people employed. The mgmt team of the hotel clearly choses to target and talk to people who are regular visitors whilst newcomers like us were clearly of no interest to them. On many occasions we saw the people in charge talking to the 'regulars' at lunch or dinner times and completely ignoring us; in fact it did not happen at all and we never got the chance to talk to any of them. Departure was also a big disappointment, this is the only place where we did not get a shell necklace when leaving, in fact some of the other guests did receive one (regular visitors once again) whilst we were completely ignored again and hardly receiving a 'thank you for coming' except from the lady at the front desk who came and said goodbye to us. So yes indeed, the villas are nice, the rooms are big and nicely decorated and it is great to be there but overall this is not enough and we really felt that there were two class citizens in this hotel. And I did not even mention the fact that during our entire stay, our breakfast orders were never right, we never received what we had ordered correctly in the first place and we also had to ask several times before our food could be delivered. Overall we paid a fortune for a place which is not worth what you pay for. Believe me I have been traveling a lot and have seen a lot of beautiful places. There are beautiful hotels (including Polynesia) where you pay half the price of the Brando and where you get the service and attention that you should get there.

Unbelievable beauty! The island is virtually untouched. The beaches are secluded & private. You can truly see no one if that's what you choose. The dining is a culinary experience with the Japanese show cooking. We enjoyed the eco-friendliness of the resort, no plastic water bottles to pollute the beaches.

I am making my third trip back to the Brando in 3 weeks and could not be more excited. The location is pure paradise, and the staff take it to an even higher level. Swimming with whales, walking the beaches without seeing another soul, star gazing. . . It is like the anti-Las Vegas. Pure perfection

A wonderful hotel with great service, a delicious food and a wonderful beach. Thanks to everybody who made our journey unforgettable. We will be back soon