Itamaracá is a tropical island in NE Brazil, an hour’s drive from Recife International Airport, with a long road bridge connecting it to the mainland. Most of the island comprises protected forests, but on the ocean side are miles of long white sandy beaches, mainly fronted by weekend holiday homes of the elite and wealthy of Recife.
 
With a resident population of some 28,500 on the island swells in the summer months and at weekends, as tourists are drawn to the warm, calm sea waters, protected by a reef two miles offshore. Being a small city in its own right, Itamaracá has a hospital, police and ambulance stations, bank, post office, pharmacies, hotels, numerous stores and supermarkets, and dozens of bars and restaurants.
 
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