Pousada Maravilha

Hotel description

If there’s one magic combination of travel-industry buzzwords right now, it’s eco-luxury. All the luxe trappings without the guilt — all the small-footprint saintliness of eco-tourism without all the dust and jungle spiders. And if there’s one place that perfectly embodies the confluence between the two ideas it’s the Pousada Maravilha, a tiny 8-room escape in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago of northern Brazil.

Travel is limited here, in order to preserve the islands’ delicate ecology — so there’s no risk of falling in love with the place and then finding it transformed into a high-rise hell. In fact the Maravilha, the first and only upscale boutique hotel in the region, offers the only sea-facing accommodations — and trust us, it’s a view that’s well worth the multi-flight trip.

Architecturally it’s a stunning mix of traditional local materials and clean modern forms, with modern furnishings in brazilwood bungalows, and Japanese-style baths on the private patios. The landscape and seascape are unspoiled, the food is simple and locally sourced, and the strictly limited traffic makes for maximum exclusivity — you’ll be hard pressed to find any better beaches, better diving, or smaller crowds, at any price.

Pousada Maravilha is approximately a 3 1/2 hour trip from Iguatu Airport. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.