Hi, Melissa!
Both are great candidates
But I will just nitpick here...
I've been to both and have sent clients to both (extra data points).
They are lovely but here are some thoughts if I'm to choose/advise between the two...
I like Pulo's snorkeling, beach and water quality a bit better than The Brando.
I like nearly all else better at The Brando over Pulo.
For Amanpulo, unless you're getting a Villa, I just cannot compare any of the Casitas to the quality of the Villas at The Brando. It's very apples to oranges in terms of hard product and pricing between the two. Even comparing the one bedroom villa #32 at Amanpulo vs. The Brando Villas, I'd still give the edge to The Brando.
The Brando Villa's living room is inside with AC and I think that's an obvious plus/must for most. The Media room is also great as it can be turned into a second bedroom for young children. A perfect fit for families of 3 or 4. And they will eat/stay for free.
The villa's plunge pool at the Brando is small and that's a negative. Villa pool at Amnapulo is better.
However, the main pool location at Amanpulo is terrible and away from the beach. Located by/within the main restaurant with no real views. There's one cabana by the main pool that has a bit of sea view and no one's ever there, usually. But you can definitely feel the far distance from the beach.
Brando's main pool is by their beach and bar. A much better setup.Brando's main pool is shallow (3ft - 5ft) which is good for some but not all.
Honestly, neither main pool is that fun to swim in, though.
I've found Brando to be great during Nov/Dec period. The value for families are great. I think their turtle hatching is usually around last week of Nov - first two weeks of Dec.
Logistics for Brando is a bit annoying as the international flights out of PPT to return home would likely require you to fly out late in the evening and have to book a room in Tahiti (Intercontinental) just to kill some time.
Of course with Pulo, you'd have to fly longer/connect to get to HKG/MNL (likely an extra stop). So the edge still goes to Brando from the West Coast. Especially with little ones.
Anyway, can rant on about it more but I think Brando has the edge/value over Amanpulo. Factoring rate differences and all.
Also, in 2019, I had a few clients return to Amanpulo with great memories but found that it has declined since their initial visit.
My last visit was 2017 and I did really enjoy it. Visit to Brando was 2018 Dec and absolutely loved it!
But regardless which you end up, I'm sure you guys will have a great time