Let’s escape for a few minutes, shall we? The legendary Marlon Brando first came to Tetiaroa while filming Mutiny on the Bounty over 50 years ago. He was taken by the island’s unspoiled beauty and the sense of peace it gave him. He fell in love with Polynesian way of life – and his leading lady Tarita – and wanting to escape Hollywood, he resolved to find a way to own this piece of paradise. He bought the whole island in 1967 for about $270,000 and he was convinced that this place could bring good to the whole planet. It became his life’s mission. In 1999 he asked Richard Bailey, a long-time resident of Tahiti who had created some of the region’s finest resorts, to help him come up with a plan that would help him achieve his dream. Together they pursued a vision of creating the world’s first post-carbon resort — an island where new technologies would enable a self-sustaining luxury environment for hotel guests and invited scientists to do research. (Like pumping cold seawater through pipes to cool the entire resort) The Brando was born. In the current issue ofDepatures magazine, Ned Zeman writes an fascinating cover story that goes in depth about the history of the project and Brando’s love of Tetiaroa. Film exec Mike Medavoy met Brando while collaborating on Apocalypse Now and The Missouri Breaks, was friends with the actor until his death;
“Tetiaroa was Marlon’s way to get away from all the things you and I do every single day in Hollywood—talking to people, constantly moving. I always remember the e-mail he sent when I was given a star on Hollywood Boulevard. I called him up, and I said, ‘Marlon, they’ve asked me to get a couple of my friends to write a nice letter about me.’ And he wrote me a letter that read: ‘I’m going to be laying on a beach in Tetiaroa. I’m going to be looking at the stars and thinking about all the birds shitting on your star. You don’t need a star to tell you who you are.’”
That quote pretty much sums up Brando’s attitude about Hollywood and fame and his love for this island. And beyond that, 10 years after his passing, this destination looks to be THE honeymoon hotspot on the planet – that is, if you have $2500 a night. Whether you have the dough or not, you can fantasize here, anyway…
