Marlon Brando’s Island Revealed

Today’s Guest Post comes from tropical French Polynesia as adventure travel writer Roxana explores Hollywood legend Marlon Brando’s paradisical island, an island which has been crafted into an innovative eco-friendly resort, an island secluded in the turquoise waters of the Pacific and only accessible by plane or helicopter. 

Read on if you can cope with the impending wanderlust!

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This is the secret island of Marlon Brando, revealed for the world to say in this exciting article! It is paradise found.

My husband and I love to travel. We’ve long dreamed of an idyllic summer escape, something to make even our neighbours green with envy. Being nouveau riche as we are, nothing was off limits for our next expedition. That’s why they are building a tonne of statues. All over the place.

Over a nice cup of tea, my close friend confided of a trip they took to French Polynesia. Sunshine, a relaxed atmosphere, perfect food and lots of sandy beaches. Her photos looked spectacular and I knew at that very instant what I needed to do.

I got to work. I found my laptop and fired up a quick google search. After countless minutes of extensive search, I finally found our next summer spot. The Brando at the gorgeous Tetiaroa Island. The pictures completely pulled me in. It’s the island my husband and I had always dreamed. This was it. The perfect place to escape to.

Marlon Brando Island Revealed

Sandy beaches that stretch like cremé on a pie, thick shade from coconut palms that sway blissfully in the sunset lilac sky, sweet melodies by chirping birds, and the turquoise lagoon- these are words that still fail to do Tetiaroa justice.

Marlon Brando Island Revealed

The Brando is a luxurious resort, built by modern-day Polynesians, for Marlon Brando. The first time he came to Tetiaroa was when he was trying to scout locations for the movie Mutiny on the Bounty. Something gripped his soul, his chest expanded and he felt closer to paradise and to god’s truth. So the saying goes. Inspired by the love of his life, the lady Tarita, he decided to purchase this island in 1967. A few years later, Marlon asked Richard Bailey in 1999 to help him create the world’s first post-carbon resort. One with technologies from the future that would not tarnish the pristine quality of the island.

Marlon Brando Island Revealed

The result is the resort of your dreams. There’s a private air company called Air Tetiaroa that let’s you fly to the island from the Faa’a International Airport in Tahiti. The flight takes a quick 20 minutes full of breathtaking views.

Marlon Brando Island Revealed

There are plenty of activities on and around the island. There’s a gym, and an aqua gym. I went snorkeling in the coral gardens, and hired a kayak to explore the lagoon. You can even book a bird discovery tour with the resident, onsite researcher. And then there’s the ultimate tour of the lagoon, a discovery of beauty on a roofed boat. 

There are also the boring options of tennis and biking, but who wants to do that in paradise? 

Marlon Brando Island Revealed

Feeling frisky? There are Polynesian dance, music, and pottery lessons. Love food? Then you’ll love the cuisine, cocktail and wine class – all of it local. You’ve never done yoga before you’ve done done it at the Varua Polynesian spa. It’s the best. 

The most epic thing my husband and I did was whale watching. It’s only available from July to October but it’s breathtaking. Literally – we scuba dived with a professional guide and watched the majestic creatures. In the evening we settled for a private romantic dinner on the beach, and laughed about memories past. And looked forward to making memories future. We settled at Bob’s Bar (perfect name) and watched a movie at the outdoor lounge on the beach.

The end of our trip was bitter-sweet, as we vowed to return to this pocket of paradise once more in our lifetime. It was truly spectacular.

Roxana Oliver

Roxana is a travel enthusiast and lifestyle consultant from Sydney and she loves to write about her adventures. She is all about the healthy lifestyle, loves to run with her husband and dogs and has fun cooking exotic meals for her family. Being a typical Aussie, she often hits the waves and loves beaches and sunshine! You can find out more about her writing by following her on twitter.