Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - The Brando, French Polynesia - full transcript

All over the world,
there are remarkable hotels.

Born of bold vision and daring endeavor.

Wow. This is how I want to live.

Whether it's one of the remotest hotels
on Earth hidden on a Pacific island…

Or sumptuous resort on one of
the highest mountains in the Middle East.

What an incredible view.

The people running these hotels
strive to create the perfect sanctuary.

But what does it take to offer
once-in-a-lifetime experiences

in stunning locations?

Construction was a logistical nightmare.
No water, no source of power.

I'm a restaurant writer,
newspaper columnist, and critic.



I have opinions on just about everything.

He's not a very good driver, is he?

-Crazy!
-Crazy!

-Crazy!
-Crazy!

And I'm a chef who's worked at the top end

of the hospitality industry
for, well, over 20 years.

This is awesome! Whoo!

We'll travel to amazing hotels
in every corner of the world.

Enjoy.

To spend time getting to know
the people working away behind the scenes.

I polished Elton John's fruits.

You polished Elton John's fruits.

Do you recall life under apartheid?
Has it changed for you?

Nelson Mandela
was the first black president,



…gives me more inspiration
to achieve what I want in life.

-Join us as we venture inside…
-The world's most extraordinary hotels.

Lying in the middle of the South
Pacific Ocean is the atoll of Tetiaroa.

A necklace of 12 small islets or motus

surrounding a ludicrously
turquoise lagoon.

It's sheltered from the deep ocean waves
by an uninterrupted coral reef.

Tetiaroa lies 30 miles north of Tahiti
in French Polynesia.

Three flights and, well, over 24 hours
travel away from the UK.

It's pretty much as far away
from any land mass as you can be.

This Eden also attracts
the kind of marine life

that would have made Darwin's jaw drop.

And hidden in the shade of the atoll's
whispering palm fronds

is a breath-taking resort.

We're not on our way to any old hotel.

We're on our way to The Brando.

This place is considered to be one of
the most exclusive eco-conscious hotels

in the world.

It's very difficult for somebody
to live up

to the sort of expectations
I have about this

because this is the furthest
I've ever been anywhere in the world,

and I've been reading
Captain Cook on the way here

and the bounty
and the whole history of it,

the beauty people have gone on
for 300 years and how beautiful it is,

it's possible you could fly over
in a plane and go, "Eh?"

But I didn't. It was absolutely amazing.

It's not like it's always
been my dream to come here,

but now I've seen it,
I realize it should have been.

When the plane was coming down,
I was thinking, "Where is it?

Where is this resort?"
It's so beautiful. Lush, green, blue.

I was born in Samoa,
so I want to see the similarities.

It's a bit like coming home
and the culture

as well as the surroundings
are what I'm used to,

so it is special being here.

Thank you. See you later, love.

Time to go our separate ways
and immerse into hotel life.

The Brando's 35 villas,
restaurant, and spa

are all spread out across the atolls
only inhabited island, on Onetahi.

This eco resort is open all year round.

The most expensive room here costs
a gob-smacking 11,000 pounds a night.

Staff work round the clock to run
the five-star beach side restaurant.

Offering French and Polynesian cuisine

that uses ingredients
from the organic garden.

A state-of-the-art spa using
locally-sourced extra virgin coconut oil

and provides water sports
in the crystal clear lagoon,

alongside the chance to swim
with stunning marine life.

But perhaps, the most impressive of all,
each villa has its own secluded beach.

Privacy is pride so highly
that there's no reception,

a chauffeur whisks guests off to their
villas, feet barely touching the ground.

Seclusion is the ultimate luxury
for the rich and famous.

And since the resort is hidden
behind the tree line,

celebrities and US presidents alike
can't get enough of the place.

Before we get to work,
there's just time to check out our rooms.

So, Monica welcome home.
This is the magic key.

After you.

Rumor has it, this is mega star
Leonardo DiCaprio's favorite villa.

Well, it's been whispered
that Barack Obama prefers mine.

Look at that.

I don't think I want to go anywhere else,
I've got the perfect spot.

All the villas are made
with environmentally friendly materials.

Inside is a blend of old and new

as the roof is thatched
with local Pandanis leaves.

Yet the bespoke emperor-sized beds,
sexy outdoor bathrooms

and 24-hour high-tech butlering

show an attempt to deliver
the upmost contemporary luxury

and despite its remoteness
it's a super air-conditioned,

super comfortable, super high-spec room

that's simply bigger and more comfortable
than my actual house.

I'd almost say it's too high-spec,
it protects you a bit from the place

but the fact is the people
that can afford to come here

are so rich
that they inevitably expect it,

that's got to be the nature
of the tourism here.

There's such an emphasis
on personalized service here

that my chauffeur has returned
with a nostalgic gift.

Amazing. I was telling Ludo on the ride
over that as a child I used to eat this,

he said I'll find you one
and he's got me one here.

Merci.

There's just so many enormous
and beautiful and probably delicious fish,

I've only been here ten minutes,
I just want to strip off

and go and harpoon something.
Within the parameters that are acceptable

to the conservation project
in this area, of course.

I mean, like not a turtle.

The whole resort exists due
to the efforts of passionate visionaries

including lawyer-turned-hotelier,
Stan Rowland.

Tetiaroa's really a natural marvel,
it's one of the most spectacular places

I've ever been in the world

and I think one of the most
spectacular places in the world,

it's got a combination
of not only natural beauty,

but it's got a rich cultural history.

The charms of the region inspired the crew
of the 18th century ship HMS Bounty,

to mutiny against their captain
and go native.

Two centuries later, the island
mesmerized the superstar Marlon Brando

when he arrived to film
the Hollywood version of the story.

He fell in love with the island
of Tetiaroa and the leading lady

and he ended up with both of them.

Marlon Brando bought the atoll
in 1967 for 200,000 pounds,

and he soon began building
a primitive hotel

in the shape of a few wooden huts
calling it Tetiaroa Village.

I'm meeting up with Stan

to find out more about
Marlon's fascination with this place.

Actually his hotel, the Tetiaroa Village,
was on the far side of the island,

but he did, he loved this place,
the whole concept of the hotel

was actually conceived in early meetings
with Marlon Brando,

he provided a lot of the ideas
behind what we're doing today.

Some of them were fanciful,
the idea of generating electricity

with electric eels, which we haven't,
which we have not followed up on.

How was he planning for that to work?

A series of tanks and I guess,
some sort of extraction,

I'm not sure if it ever really came in
but he had ideas like that,

but he was, he was a great idea man.

He wanted to bring tourists to the island

to raise money to conserve it,
it was that the vision?

I think he wanted to bring tourists in but

he also had this vision of the University
of the Sea where he wanted people,

great minds of his time come together
and talk about major issues of his time.

The hotel has come a long way
since Marlon's day.

Back then, the place was very basic,

lacking in infrastructure
and infested with mosquitos.

In the late '90s,
Brando brought in hoteliers

to plan an upgrade of the resort
in keeping with his environmental ethos.

Construction of the new Brando hotel
began in 2007

involving hundreds of people.
The project was fraught with difficulties.

Construction, to be frank with you,
was a logistical nightmare, no water,

no source of power, no electricity,
we had to start from scratch.

But Marlon Brando's influence
on the new project was immense.

He was insistent on building a resort
that was carbon neutral.

Every decision made here was driven
by a desire to be eco sensitive,

such as using only sustainable timber
in construction,

and the carbon footprint was so light

the hotel has been given
a top environmental award.

The new resort eventually opened in 2014

but sadly Marlon Brando died
before ever seeing it finished.

It's 5:30 in the morning
and I'm off to start work.

Over 250 French and Polynesian staff
run this resort,

but every job here depends on this
far away island being fully stocked.

The man in charge of all deliveries
is French logistics manager, Nikolai,

he's been working here for six years.

I'm going to be Nikolai's first mate
as we travel to the hotels reef dock

to meet a ship
and collect crucial supplies.

There are two literally six foot
blacktip sharks there.

-They eat fish only.
-He's seen me.

He's obviously tasted Englishmen before.

These sharks are in fact only young
and are protected

by the surrounding coral reef.

The lagoon inside acts as a watery creche

as the reef keeps out
the bigger predators.

If it were cut wide open
allowing big boats in to deliver supplies,

the delicate ecosystem would be destroyed.

-So it's that the boat coming to meet us?
-Yep.

So the hotel's come up with
an eco-friendly way to receive deliveries.

-Is our breakfast on there?
-Yep.

The clever solution is a crane
on a platform constructed over the reef

and this crane not only lifts cargo
coming to the hotel

but also anything returning
to the mainland.

Giant massive bags with Brando
written on them.

Shaped much as he was in later years.

Big boats moor up on the outside
to unload,

while Nikolai's small barge
stays on the inside.

This way the reef remains intact
and the lagoon ecosystem is protected.

This one have less impact
on the environmental inside,

because if you dig a pass
there is a new current inside,

there's a lot of new species go inside

and you change all the things
inside the lagoon.

Your life would be much easier
if the boat could just sail in

and moor up at the hotel

It's just wonderfully incongruous

because they're basically dockers
in paradise,

in fact that's quite a good idea
for a documentary series.

It also makes you aware that it's all
very well to fly here to come on holiday

but someone has to do
an awful lot of work.

And that someone is now me.

I'm putting a hard hat on
I have to wear one,

I'm very relieved coz
this apparently weighs five tons,

if it fell on my head,
I'd wanna have a plastic hat on.

The geezer's got two hats on,
he's taking no chances.

Y-M-C-A.

Don't think he knows
what I'm on about, I should ask him.

-I need your help, Giles.
-Oh, sorry, he needs my help.

The team shifts nearly two and a half
thousand tons of goods a year.

Today we're collecting
amongst other things,

tanks of coconut oil biofuel
to run the resorts eco generators.

Like that?

Be careful with your, your hand. Okay.

As well as materials for villa repairs

and resupplies of quality meat
from Tahiti and beyond.

We're even picking up bikes to be used
by guests to explore the island.

By 7:30 a.m., the housekeepers
are also well into their working day.

If I see it, somebody else can see it.

You can definitely see there is not,
that's not really clean.

You want to see perfection?
I'm a bit crazy for that.

In charge
is executive housekeeper Stephanie…

Look. This is great, that's nice.

…who learned her trade
at The Ritz in Paris

and has been at the Brando
for three years.

That's the difference
between four-star and five-star.

That's okay?

I'm joining Stephanie and her crew
to learn how they try

to deliver the highest standards
to the most exclusive guests in the world.

Happy birthday, cherie.

You get the best out of your team
when they're happy.

All the time what I say to them
if you have any problems,

anything you want just come and tell me
and we arrange something,

we try to organize whatever they want.

Stephanie's 34 eco cleaners
use only natural products

and no damaging chemicals.

Right, so into the room, we go?

-Yes? Okay.
-Let's go.

Every morning, the pressure is on

to make all 35 villas spotless
in just a few hours.

And we're doing it barefooted
so we don't drag in sand.

We just want, I just want to,
to move it, we've got a nice decoration

and this is really shiny
and that's perfect.

It's beautiful.
So beautiful, this is amazing.

This room that we're preparing this
is going to be for some Hollywood VIP?

Come on, Steph, give me something to go.

-No.
-It's so professional.

No, it's not really, yeah,
that's maybe professional

but it's just normal, you know,
they come here to be part

of whole life,
just sharing with us this paradise

and we definitely,
we can't tell you the names.

To work at this hotel, staff must sign
a confidentiality agreement.

-Monica we need to work now.
-Okay, okay.

Help. This is so ridiculous,
I'm asking for help to fold a towel.

As I feel hopeless.

There we go.

-It's nice.
-Oh yes, of course.

I do all my towels like this at home
and does that go to the back?

Exactly. It's even better than me,
you make it perfect.

I get you start tomorrow, Monica.

We have a problem with something now,
has something happened.

And I can say something wrong with it.

So always like this, just make sure.

Because like this look what I find, a fly.

-But you see everything.
-Yeah.

I wouldn't be happy if my room had that.

For housekeeping,
it's one villa down, 34 to go.

On the hotels reef dock I've been such
a help getting deliveries off the ship

that Nikolai has promoted me.

I can't really believe that I'm operating
a crane on my own for the moment on a reef

surrounded by literally
shark-infested waters.

-Now we move really slowly.
-I want to go that way a bit, don't I?

So this one's going to go left.
It's like some hideous game show.

Is it not swinging too much?

Would you normally have
somebody there to help?

-Yeah.
-Do you want me to do that?

-Yes, sure.
-Shall I do that?

The last container needs to be dropped
on to the barge,

and with the shipping having left,
it falls to me to guide it into position.

I'm just gonna help him to maneuver
the crane into the space,

'cause it was either him do it
and me lower it and squash him

and kill him or vice versa
without the squashing and killing.

Big gust of wind and it's early lunch
for the sharks.

-C'est bon?
-Yeah, good. Good worker.

Job's a mighty fine one.

This is man's work, it's very really quite
embarrassingly thrilling.

The thing is if you're some geezer

spending 4,000 pounds a night
on this hotel,

you'd still be in bed having croissant

and flicking through Instagram
or something, instead of out here working,

seeing amazing sunrises, amazing views
that normal people simply don't get.

I'm back in time to deliver supplies
to the hotel's kitchen before breakfast.

-Here you go.
-Giles, thank you very much.

-You're welcome. See you later.
-Thank you.

It's fast approaching, check-in time.

This is the best job ever.

I'm helping the housekeepers
with some artistic final touches.

So it's a VVVIP having a first wedding
anniversary, there's a clue.

Adornment with native flowers
such as the tiare

signifies welcome in Polynesian culture
and is learnt from a young age.

Oh, shit.

There we go.

She's got me paranoid
like picking up every little thing now.

Wee?

You have to go?

-Yes.
-Okay. See you after, thank you.

Okay, she's gone shall we have a drink
in the minibar before?

It was a joke.

28-year-old Heitiare who Tahitian name
means bouquet of flowers

has been cleaning villas for three years.

She works eight-hour shifts
and lives on the island

in staff quarters away
from the guest's private beaches.

The villa is ready
with five minutes to spare,

so I persuade Heitiare
to join me for a paddle.

Ah, look at that. Hello.

-It's like a sea, a sea cucumber.
-And you don't touch?

Guests say they are lured here not only
by the remoteness and luxury of the resort

but also by the nature that surrounds it.

After a busy shift, I suddenly spy
something extraordinary

from the breakfast terrace
that highlights exactly why.

-What did you see?
-There's a definite whale, definite whale.

Definite…

There. There. It's definitely a whale.

My god, just leapt out, there are
binoculars knocking around on tables

in case you see whales,
it's not like they put them there

in case you're disappointed
with small portions.

Erm, they, so I'm very glad
that I had them,

I'm not very good with binoculars.
There again, look at that.

Proper sort of Captain Ahab moment.

The white whale
and all that there she blows stuff.

I've never seen a whale,
did anybody pick up my phone?

So exciting was it that I dropped my phone
and I didn't go back to get it

so you can tell it was a whale,
I wouldn't do that for no phone.

Listen to the ocean
that reminds me of home.

It's 6:00 p.m. before service starts

and I'm keen to know more about the inner
workings of the open air restaurant here.

-Setting the table.
-The Maître D' in charge

is Adrian who's lived in
French Polynesia nearly all his life.

We're way more than just waiter here,
people want to speak with us,

they want to understand
why we are in a place like that,

they're going to ask questions to us,
it's not only about food and wine.

To see how the hotel strives to
create a luxurious dining experience…

-I'm in training.
-Yes, you're in training.

Adrian has made me his apprentice
for the evening.

All right, this doesn't happen often.

Honestly, you better hope you,
you keep me away from your guests,

I'm normally better in the back of house.

Yeah, yeah. I've been told that,
but it's fine.

Is that the right way for this plate?
And how long have you worked here?

Almost two years now.
I came with my father here 25 years ago.

We actually came many times in,
there is a species called coconut crab

and my dad loved that so much.
He actually used me as a decoy.

He was taking me in the forest,

putting me in the middle
and you just tap with your foot

and the crab would just coming out
to see what was coming from the tree.

-No.
-And so he was just grabbing the crab

and that's, that's why I came.

Marlon was there from times to times
but he didn't stay.

Marlon Brando was here and then, yeah.

Any take on a traditional food
on this menu adapted for us?

So we've got the…

tuna which is the most common dish
that we do in French Polynesia.

Dacromet quiche, crab meat
with mayonnaise, come with sprinkle,

fried, served with a curry
and coconut foam.

And the majority on the fruit and veg
that served here,

are you importing a lot into the island?

Everything is mostly coming
from French Polynesia for many reason,

we want to make things right

and to make things right, we have to think
also about the place where we living,

not only on the ecology part
but also in the service,

in the food, in the drinks,
it is the real thing,

we are a new generation of resort
and that's what we want to be.

Oh, so pretty. The silhouette of that boat
is just beautiful, isn't it?

I'd never get any work done out here,

I would constantly be taking
this wine glass

and just sitting down here
with it. More, please.

Well, that's what we do on the day off.

With plenty of covers this evening,

the kitchen will be
serving east-west fusion.

Classic French and Polynesian
inspired dishes.

So this is your main kitchen here?

-Yes.
-Hey, you guys.

One of which is very familiar to me.

It's so funny, I had this on my lunch menu
about three weeks ago back in London.

This traditional dish is called
poisson cru,

made with raw fish like tuna,
diced vegetables from the hotel's garden,

a squirt of lime juice.

C'est magnifique.

And all mixed together
with the magic ingredient.

Freshly squeezed coconut milk.

This dish embodies the Polynesian culture
and what we're about.

Oh, wow.

I like the way it's being served.

The orders are coming in thick and fast.
And the popular dish for the night is?

The poisson cru.

Hello.

Hi. This is for you.

Enjoy.

Thank you very much.

However, much diners may like the food
there are always leftovers.

And every morning,
the waste in the restaurant

is taken to be processed
in a digestor for 24 hours.

Turning it into compost to enrich
the soil of the hotel's organic garden.

A host of fruits and veg
and even vanilla pods are grown here,

with the aim of making the kitchen 80%
self-sufficient within the next few years.

One delicious but potentially
hazardous ingredient

found everywhere on the island is coconut.

The man tasked with making the island safe

by trimming coconuts
for the kitchen is eagle-eyed John.

This morning,
I'm going to be John's assistant,

a troublesome tree
in this villa's garden needs a trim.

The hotel prohibits heavy machinery
that could damage the beach

so John uses an old school technique.

It's dangerous even putting
on your workwear. I mean, that could go

horribly wrong if you're running for a bus
in a pair of them, couldn't it?

I may not stand under him.

With the aid of his medieval crampons,
John's attempting to summit a 60-footer.

Technology that looks like it comes from
the 15th century, but he's defied gravity.

Apparently John's the only person
on the island brave enough to do this,

they tested like ten people,

and he was the only one brave enough
to go to the top.

We're in the presence
of some serious courage.

That does look
quite precarious, doesn't it?

Oh, my god.

The thud when those things hit the ground.

Cluster bomb.

That's like a rugby ball full of concrete,
and if that fell on your head,

it really really really wouldn't be funny
even though everybody would laugh.

Of course, we know what's
going to happen next, don't we?

My name's Forrest, Forrest Gump.

Do you remember with the shackles
and they come off, you know what I mean?

Like this? Just sort of.

This is dangerous, you know? Anyway.

This is freaking dangerous,
all my weight on my heel.

I'm gonna try and pull that one out okay.

Okay, we're cooking with gas here.

This is amazing. To get over the fear
you conquer the fear and you get up here

and then you're just
the king of the tropics.

I want to spend the rest of my life
just living in the trees, look out below.

Come on, you didn't really think
I was right up at the top, did you?

I love bees. They are my family.

Another job that you just don't see
at any ordinary hotel is beekeeping.

I'm going to help
veteran beekeeper Stephane,

harvest the month's quota
of honey for the kitchen.

Before we head off
to see the hotel's hives,

he wants to show me just how influential
Marlon Brando was around here.

Even when it came to apiculture.

Marlon ultimately failed
to produce regular honey

but Stephane has been far more successful.

This is definitely one of the most
surreal things I've done.

Stephane's tasked me with
an important job, smoking the bees,

which makes them more docile
and less likely to sting.

Around two and a half million bees
are at work here

producing more than a ton of honey
a year for the hotel.

Wow, isn't nature amazing?

This organic honey is renowned
for its taste,

as these bees live in a pollution-free
flower-filled rainforest.

Very special and quite unique.

I feel like sticking
my mouth underneath it.

Oh, man.

Look at that.

That's for me, that's liquid gold.
It really is.

The hotel not only looks to nature

but also to technology when considering
the guests' experience of the atoll.

This is very important, ah, GPS,

when you press here,
this search you on the computer.

Anyone needing help in the Lagoon
won't be waiting for long.

The care and attention doesn't stop there,

the hotel even employs landscapers
to literally beachcomb

and remove sharp coral
for the benefit of guests soft soles.

Every member of staff here

is guarded by one of the hotels
most important driving ambitions.

They all learn about aspects
of Polynesian heritage

through the resorts
own Director of Culture, Hinano.

So we'll go in the forest down here

and look at the plants
and maybe some flowers.

I'm joining Hinano to forage
for traditional plants

to be used in an upcoming meal
involving the staff.

We have so many different plants
here that we use.

The forests around the hotel
are a treasure trove of ancient wisdom.

If you look in here, we have to collect
this little plant here. Try this.

Oh, what do you call it?

Oh. I love that, it starts sweet
and now it's peppery hot.

-Yes.
-Oh, that would be great in a salad.

We collect loads.

Because where people first ate it
they were like, "No, no, no."

-They said no.
-No.

This is one plant we have
to collect also

And we collect the leaves
because we wrap our food

and when we cook meat, we used
to wrap it there with those leaves.

The traditional practice of wrapping food

keeps it tender while acting
as a natural seasoning.

Yeah, that's plenty, that will be great.

It's this kind of traditional wisdom
that Hinano teaches to hotel staff,

guests, and even school children
invited to the island.

It's all about traditional knowledge,
and if that is not passed on

we will lose all this knowledge
and all the traditional practices.

If they do know
why this plant is important,

then they look at it differently.

To preserve your culture.

The culture and also
to preserve environment.

You can almost feel the desperation in her

that this knowledge is passed on
and it's carried on for future generations

and that passion is in her eyes,
is in her voice,

and you can't help but be touched by it.

I think Marlon Brando dreamt
about teaching the Polynesian kids

and teaching the world
also having an island like this

as an example of sustainable development.

I think it's, we are on a path.

And it's a path that embraces
not only the preservation of culture

but also of the environment.

I go to a lot of hotels that claim
to be eco-friendly,

carbon neutral, environmentally
sustainable, this place is different,

they are implementing some seriously
innovative sustainable technology

to deal with their own special
local problems and wider issues.

This is a place
that is genuinely as concerned

with preserving itself for the future and,

and it's environments future as it is
with giving people a jolly nice holiday.

As part of this philosophy, the hotel
has installed 3,700 solar panels

to help meet its energy needs,

and more than 75% of the resort's energy
comes from renewable sources.

But by far the most ingenuous
eco innovation

is the resorts sea water air
conditioning or SWAC as it's called.

It was Marlon Brando's idea to install it,

it's carbon neutral and Eddie
the engineer couldn't be prouder.

So this is, this is the famous
Marlon Brando air conditioning system?

Yes. The SWAC.

This system reduces
the Brando's energy waste by 90%.

To create such eco efficiency,
a single pipe

was carefully laid to the edge of the reef
and lowered to the deep ocean floor.

This here is literally
where the 2,000-meter pipe

which goes 900 meters down
to the bottom of the sea,

deeper than a person
can even dream of SCUBA diving

comes in right there,
to cool the whole place

and with that alone you can just,

I could turn it off,
no more air conditioning.

I'm helping Eddie with the daily checks
of the pipe system.

Okay I'm going to go and close off
the other end of the pipe,

'cause otherwise,
having taken off this one,

the water will go and come this way
and go everywhere

and getting a plumber out
at this time of night here impossible.

The cold sea water is passed through
a heat exchanger which cools fresh water

which is then pumped round
the hotel keeping it at 20 degrees.

The three huge filters
need regular cleaning

as they can get clogged up
with debris sucked up from the deep.

A major blockage could damage the system.

Blimey that's cold.

It was alive.

-No.
-Yes.

It was alive.

And my arm is frozen.

I told you.

It's not very alive
but he's certainly alive.

It's very very very cold water
so I, I can well sort of grasp

just by touching it, what an excellent way
it must be of cooling down the hotel.

But it's the world's
least effective shrimping system.

The hotel has such belief
in scientific innovation

that it has even channeled profits

into building
a world renowned research station.

It's Marlon Brando's University
of the Sea.

Right here within the resort
and it's a project close to Stan's heart.

It's a million dollar research facility
with wet labs, dry labs

and a dormitory for visiting scientists.

So this is a fundamental part
of what we're all about.

Guests at this hotel pay not only
for a luxurious holiday

but also fund the work of scientists
researching the atoll's ecosystem

and the state of the world's oceans.

And their cutting edge work has even
attracted the attention of presidents.

-These guys hide in the rocks.
-They hide into the rocks?

This morning we're joining
Hinano's husband, Frank,

who's the executive director
of the Tetiaroa Society,

the hotel's so called
University of the Sea.

We just want to have something for the
guests to see when they come around.

We're collecting reef creatures
to show guests the type of sea life

that's under threat from global warming.

-That's a big oyster.
-Put that in the aquarium

and he'll open up.

These are all related to starfish.

And how's it managed to get
itself done by Burberry?

Coral reefs are considered
to be the rainforests of the sea.

They are vital eco systems that support
a myriad of different marine species.

Ah, beautiful.
Ah both eyes are coming out now.

Hello.

It's like it's mine.

I can't believe that's being held
by the octopus.

-Yeah.
-Okay, that was successful search.

The work that Frank and the researchers
are doing is focused

on trying to preserve this coral
and the marine life dependent on it.

If Tetiaroa's coral
were to bleach white and die,

this breathtaking reef
that surrounds the hotel

and its guests would become a graveyard.

Coral and the fish and the sea urchins
and the sea cucumbers

and all that are living all in one system

so there's a serious problem
if you're in terms of losing coral

and then affecting everything else,
it cascades down on.

There's a huge abundance
of marine life here,

and it's all dependent on the coral reef

which is why the research that's done here
in league with the hotel is so important

because if it all goes, the consequences,
well, they're unthinkable.

To comprehend what's at stake here,
Frank's taking us outside the reef

in the hope that we'll be able to
experience something extraordinary.

There. Look.

We're helping Frank identify
any new humpback whales

to get an overall sense of how
their numbers are doing in this area.

It's sort of seeing a submarine come up,

I was looking through binoculars
and I suddenly realized

"Why am I looking at it
through binoculars? I'm right next to it."

These whales have migrated
thousands of miles

from their Antarctic feeding ground
to these waters to mate,

give birth and nurture their young.

And although we're meant to be helping,
it's hard not to just sit

and marvel at these incredible creatures.

I can't, I've got goose bumps.

And these giants are so calm,
Frank gives the okay

for us to witness them in their world.

It's only when you see the whole creature
up close that you understand the scale.

This mother nurturing her calf weights
nearly 36 tons

and is almost 15 meters long.

Oh, my god.

I mean that, that really,
that is a sort of,

almost a life changing experience,
in fact it is,

if my life wasn't all right already.

It's just can't, compare me
watching it from here,

you think you're excited watching it
from a boat but to be in the water.

All three of them right there
and no David Attenborough.

No. No.

-I mean it was, it was.
-Better than that.

In Polynesian culture, large
marine creatures like whales are believed

by some to be the spirit
of people's ancestors.

For many Tetiaroa itself
is a very sacred place.

In celebration of this, tonight,
the hotel is holding a rare ceremony

involving the guests and all the staff.

For Maître D' Adrian, who first came
to the island as a child,

it holds great significance.

It's a very important celebration
for the spirits to make sure

that we've got everything
that we need from the sea

or from the land that we need them
to bless what we do here.

For centuries, it has been believed
in this part of Polynesia

that this walk of faith
appeases the spirit world.

Which rewards them with
bountiful food from the land and sea.

All staff and hotel guests
are invited to cross the hot stones.

But it must be done barefoot.

-I'm going.
-For Adrian, the occasion embodies

the hotels commitment
to keeping island traditions alive.

Yeah. It's fine. It's not even burnt.

It's hot but not that hot.

Nearly 300 staff and guests
walk the stones.

As the ritual carries
on well into the night.

Before we leave the island
we have one more job to do.

Hinano's teaching the hotel staff how to
throw a traditional Polynesian banquet.

And she's asked us along to help.

-Remove that trunk, okay, that's it.
-The oven is a sandpit

filled with dead coral
that needs to be smoking hot.

Here what they do is
about heating the stones,

getting a certain amount of heat
in to the stones.

You can really squeeze that.

Meanwhile, I'm making a fruit pudding
of plantain and papaya called Po'e.

Are these the vanilla
from the hotel garden?

-Yes. And you're doing a great job.
-And it's started. Good, good job.

Thank you very much.

Hinano now offers us the privilege
of handling one of the main dishes.

We have some parrot fish
down the beach over there

so if you and Giles could open.

Gut it into the water? Just going
to wash it out in the sea water,

isn't it great the sort of seasons
the fish at the same time?

We're entering the shallows
for a time-honored tradition

of preparing fish amongst sharks.

It's like something out of Jaws.

-Look at that.
-Oh, it's a big one. Hello.

That's hello.

As with whales, some Polynesians

also believe sharks
to be reincarnated ancestors.

So rather than be scared
it's only right to look after them.

Just like feeding the ducks
at Regents Park but,

it's got a little bit, more of a something

although those ducks
can be pretty ferocious.

Oh, this is exciting.

These baby reef sharks are only interested
in the leftovers and any smaller fish.

Once they're old enough they leave the
coral lagoon for life in the outer reef.

It's like a waste disposal unit but--

It's fab. I've never done
anything like it.

No, no, no.

How many you want to get in,
you want me to sort them?

That's enough and tie them up.

The food is wrapped in leaves
collected from the forest,

then sealed in bags
woven from palm fronds.

Look at that, that is,
that is just amazing.

Rammed in like sardines you might say.

In the middle, in the middle.

Meat in the middle,
'cause it's hottest, yeah?

Oh, there?

Our feast is strategically laid out
across the oven

and covered with an intricate blanket
of hibiscus leaves.

-That looks amazing, doesn't it?
-It does look amazing. All that effort.

This is to protect it from the sand
while it slow cooks.

Just do it to weigh it down here.

You're doing a great job,
I want to hire you.

Can't wait to get in there.

This is, this is the moment of truth.

Smells amazing. It's no wonder
the sharks are hanging around.

Cooking has taken three hours
and as well as our parrot fish

we can't wait to get stuck
into all the other delicious offerings.

Oh, my gosh, this is what I used
to eat as a child.

There's roasted sweet potato, coconut
bread and mouth-watering pork ribs.

So tender. Oh.

-So fresh and so tasty.
-That it, is very very delicious.

Really really good.

In our honor, Adrian performs
his Polynesian sendoff.

I mean the thing that
is most impressive about is

he's juggling fire surrounded by sharks.

I know.

Awesome.

That was fabulous. Wonderful.

The people here have really moved me,

their desire to celebrate
the culture here is truly inspiring.

It's a pleasure to have all of us here

and we share some great moments
with Monica and Giles.

To welcome you and of course
to the Brando.

I've actually been caught a little bit
by surprise how,

how sort of personal this journey
has been for me here.

The people are soulful,
they're, they're gentle,

they're warm and inviting.
It's been an absolute journey for me

to discover this little treasure
in the Pacific.

Everyone here from Stan and Frank
to Hinano and Adrian,

they're all living with the truth
that Marlon Brando realized 50 years ago

that yes we're living in paradise
but yes it's very fragile.

But what's most important is
that they're fighting to keep it safe

and the whole world is richer for it.