Larkin

Has anyone stayed at the Brando yet? Thinking of going next summer.

bhrubin

I agree. They will need quite the service track record and plenty of included activities (like scuba diving, which is obliquely mentioned but not with any detail on the website) to warrant such a room rate. I agree with a previous poster that for that much money, I'd be more inclined to travel all the way to the Maldives for the Cheval Blanc--or any of a number of Aman properties like Amanpulo, Amanraya, etc.

I suppose the first reviews on tripadvisor and here will start to tell the tale--those on TA.com are largely vague and from reviewers with so few contributions that I find them less trustworthy (and none give ANY good details about dining quality or scuba diving, which I find curious).

I remember when Cayo Espanto in Belize first opened with excessive rates that finally dropped to a more sane level in about a year.

chinmoylad

A friend of mine went recently. Said they've done a good job with the eco-tourism and place is gorgeous, but service needs massive improvement. Stated quite a few incidents that they all completely messed up.

aa213bb

Any mentioned service recovery, deathscar?

CanfordCliffs

Im looking into going there, it would be good to make a fair comparison with this against other hotels and know what you get for your money!

flyertalker00156

A client went there and told me it was not worth the $$$…however said they had an original concept. He also went to a couple of Aman's in India and Bali and rated them higher...

bhrubin

We've considered the Brando as a destination, in concert with the St. Regis or FS Bora Bora or possibly even a cruise on the Paul Gaugin. But with rates as high as they are at the Brando, and the cost/benefit still in doubt relative to other comparable isolated tropical properties (Wakaya, Amanpulo, etc), we won't bother for the time being. Maybe once the property has more of a track record of excellence--and as a site for world class diving in style.

TRAVELSIG

In general service in India is very good and Bali have a long period of experience in hospitality at the luxury levels- this place does look interesting however the price is somewhat off-putting IF the service and F&B do not weigh up to the level being charged.

Pausanias

I've yet to go to The Brando. However, as a regular visitor to French Polynesia and the South Pacific for 30-odd years I can say that service standards have never been up to the best of Asia and probably never will be. It's more like the Caribbean - you know, island time.

What I will say is that, for me, the landscape of French Polynesia knocks spots off any Maldive island you might mention - there is a faraway-ness, a colour palette and an exoticism down there in the South Pacific that I haven't encountered anywhere else.

If you want snip-snap service, plasma TVs, spas, tasting menus served underwater, then go to the Maldives. Another great thing about The Brando, which is a huge plus for me, is the lack of overwater bungalows - I regard them as environmentally damaging, aesthetically displeasing, culturally misplaced and a total rip-off and I haven't stayed in one since the good old days of the Hotel Bora Bora.

There's nothing quite so disappointing as gazing out across a limpid lagoon, home of a dozen different hues of blue, towards, say, the volcano of Bora Bora, and having that view ruined by scores of wooden huts on stilts which always remind me of the communal lavatories in the offshore islands of Papua New Guinea.

chinmoylad

None mentioned at all, which obviously drew comparisons with good ol' Aman. Apparently they were made promises that they couldn't keep, and didn't do much to keep them once the guests realised that they couldn't be kept.

aa213bb

That's a shame. I wouldn't pay the current prices of €1800, much less their inflated €3000, to suffer that sort of nonsense.

It's a shame, as the property looks wonderful … I supposed the "good news", such as it is, is that we are in the early days, so service levels have a good chance of rising.

offerendum

3000 € is really ambitious.

Kagehitokiri

something that can be valuable to me as well

any chance any of the beaches will compare to amanpulo?

maldives and bora bora do not offer low density at high price

re south pacific, sounded like Baghoarder had good stay at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...ip-report.html

agreed

privacy is a hard cost (plus most aman for example targeted lower occupancy)

would certainly agree € rates are better for €/£-earners though, vs $-earners

amanpulo high season (7 night minimum from dec 20 - jan 5, with high occupancy)
$2640 pool villa (although does include dedicated staff)
$2125 beach casita (no pool) incl board (not alcohol) 3 activities in 5 nts then 1 per nt

cheval blanc transfers now $4636 per couple peak season
they do now publish transfers on regular plane for $2318

cheval blanc high season (xmas/nye MUCH higher than this)
$3294 water villa
$3843 garden water villa
$4026 island villa
plus very expensive F&B
rates include breakfast

i bet no low-density in maldives because only leasehold & joint-venture, and perhaps sea level

$3037 looks like current rate for FS golden triangle, and IIRC its F&B is poorly regarded here

lb8001

My TA was there about a month ago - very pleased and said I'd like it - private, diving, very good food, not many people.

ThudAndBlunder

There was quite a big write-up in the Financial Times this weekend, covering the history of the project and a visit to the resort (paywalled): FT write-up