South America's luxury islands look a little different from the classic overwater bungalow image, built more around conservation and scarcity than resort scale.
Fernando de Noronha, off the coast of Brazil, is a strictly protected archipelago with a capped number of daily visitors and an environmental fee built into every stay, which keeps its small number of pousadas feeling truly exclusive. Baia do Sancho, on the same archipelago, is regularly ranked among the best beaches in the world, reachable only by boat or a steep staircase down the cliffside. The Galapagos Islands offer a different version of island luxury entirely, built around small ship expedition cruises and upscale eco lodges rather than beachfront resorts. Both destinations trade the scale of a typical resort island for a much smaller number of visitors at any one time.
