The Brando

The Brando is, by wide agreement, the most exclusive resort in the South Pacific — Marlon Brando's own atoll of Tetiaroa, a ring of a dozen private motus around a three-mile lagoon some 30 miles north of Tahiti, reachable only by a 20-minute private Air Tetiaroa flight from Papeete with no public access. Opened in 2014 as the realisation of Brando's dream of a luxury resort co-existing with a centre for science and conservation, it was the first property in French Polynesia to earn LEED Platinum certification, and it runs largely on solar power and deep-sea air-conditioning. There are just 35 villas on Motu Onetahi — one, two and three bedrooms, from around 1,000 to 6,800 square feet — each with a private plunge pool, an outdoor tub, a living room and a stretch of secluded white-sand beach with lagoon access frequented by turtles, fish and seabirds. Dining is a genuine draw: Les Mutines is the fine-dining room, overseen by Guy Martin, whose Paris restaurant Le Grand Véfour holds two Michelin stars, ringed by a moat that leaves you feeling afloat and backed by a climate-controlled glass wine cellar; the all-day Beachcomber Cafe serves Polynesian and classic French dishes on the sand; and Nami is an intimate eight-seat teppanyaki counter run by Japanese chef Kaito Nakamura. Bob's Bar, Marlon's original beachside haunt, still pours his signature drink. The Varua Te Ora Polynesian Spa sits on a pond at the heart of the motu, with a Fare Manu treetop couples' suite and taurumi massage using local and deep-sea minerals. The stay is ultra-all-inclusive — gourmet meals and Champagne, a daily 50-minute treatment per villa, excursions, bikes, tennis and fitness all included — and conservation is woven through it: the on-site Tetiaroa Society runs naturalist-led research and excursions, from the Queen's Bath and Bird Island to a lemon-shark nursery and a green-turtle nesting beach, while Kids' Kingdom and a Lagoon School keep younger guests busy.