Manifesting Billionaire’s Pool | The Brando, Tahiti

36-ish hours. That was all the time I got to spend at The Brando in Tahiti. I was coming off a week on the Paul Gaughin and the same PR team that arranged that trip arranged a brief stopover at The Brando which had only opened a few months before.

Upon landing I was greeted with the requisite tropical cocktail and a handsome ukulele-playing Tahitian. From the second I stepped into my one-bedroom villa, I knew I was never leaving.

Since I’m currently writing this from my home in Orlando, you know how that went. But I did seriously contemplate missing my flight off the island. All though it’s a private plane (a 6-passenger Britten Norman operated by Air Tetiaroa — the exclusive provider of passenger service to the island) so I imagine they would have held it for me. But I digress.

Home to The Brando Resort, the Tetiaroa Atoll is comprised of 13 coral islets located 30 miles north of Tahiti. The islets surround a 4.5-mile wide crystal clear lagoon, completely enclosing it.

Rich with history, the atoll was once the summer residence of kings and chiefs of Tahiti and was purchased by Marlon Brando in 1966 for $270k (a steal if you ask me!) Brando sought to keep the atoll pristine and pictured it as a sustainable, ecological habitat.

His namesake resort, The Brando, opened in July 2014 and holds true to those ideals. Sea Water Air Conditioning cools the resort using the water temperature of the deep ocean with no impact on the environment. The resort also practices a wealth of other climate-focused, ocean-based initiatives.

On my only full day on the island, I took part in the Tetiaroa Ultimate Tour. That morning I boarded a covered boat with two other guests and toured the lagoon. We visited various islets, learned about the local birds and crabs, snorkeled in the lagoon, slathered ourselves in mud on Oroatera (one of the islets), and finally ended up at Billionaire’s Pool.

Legend has it that the natural pool was so named by Leonardo DiCaprio, who is reportedly a fan of the resort. (Other famous resort guests are former President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Pippa Middleton, Tom Hanks, and Oprah.)

There’s something magical about the resort and the atoll as a whole, but Billionare’’s Pool has its own special magic. Maybe it’s the odd juxtaposition of the bare tree plopped in a stunning expanse of lagoon or perhaps it’s the feeling that you probably have to be an actual billionaire (and not just a travel journalist) to see it in person.

Rates start around $3800 per night for a one-bedroom villa (low season/two-night minimum) and can climb as high as $13,800 for a three-bedroom villa (high season/ five-night minimum). The price is, thankfully all-inclusive, with the exception of your flight to the island. That’ll run you another $500 round-trip.

All too soon I was back in Papeete, waiting to board a flight back home. And I was still not a billionaire. Heck, not even a millionaire. But that doesn’t stop me from dreaming of the day that I’ll get back to the Brando.

So this is me, manifesting that sh!t!