Here's a detail that surprises many travellers: the overwater bungalow, that iconic Maldives postcard image, was actually invented in French Polynesia. In the 1960s, a group of American expats running a hotel on Ra'iātea — a small island near Tahiti — decided to build rooms out over the reef. The idea of sleeping directly above the sea caught on, and half a century later it's still the signature room type across the region.

That spirit of doing things differently is what defines a South Pacific hotel holiday. French Polynesia has deliberately kept a lid on mass tourism: cruise ships are restricted to mid-sized vessels, and hotels tend to be small and low-key rather than sprawling resorts. Getting there is part of the filter, too — most travellers from the Northern Hemisphere have to route through Los Angeles before the long haul south. The upside is obvious. Fewer crowds, wild and largely untouched stretches of island, and a concentration of some of the world's best luxury properties scattered across the archipelagos.

Condé Nast Traveller UK has pulled together a shortlist of seven island hideaways across the South Pacific, with three standouts by trip type. For straight-up luxury, it's The Brando in French Polynesia — the resort on Tetiaroa, the atoll once favoured by Marlon Brando, regularly cited as one of the most ambitious eco-resorts anywhere. Honeymooners and couples are pointed towards Conrad Bora Bora Nui, which delivers the classic Bora Bora experience: lagoon, overwater villas and Mount Otemanu as a backdrop. And if you're travelling with kids, the pick crosses into Fiji — Kokomo Private Island Resort, a whole-island property in the Yasawas that's built around families as much as romance.

The editors say they weigh design, location, service and genuine sustainability credentials, and that the list mixes big-name luxury with smaller, more under-the-radar boltholes. It's refreshed regularly as new openings land.

Why should this matter to you? Because the South Pacific rewards commitment. The effort of getting there keeps numbers down, which is exactly what you're paying for in a place like this — quiet lagoons, small properties and staff-to-guest ratios you won't find in busier tropical hotspots. If a bucket-list honeymoon or a seriously remote escape is on the cards, this shortlist is a sensible starting point: pick French Polynesia for the classic overwater-villa fantasy, or Fiji if you want a private island that also works for a family.

Just budget for it. Between long-haul flights (almost certainly via LAX from the US or Europe), boat or inter-island transfers and villa rates at the top end, this is one of the priciest trip types in travel. But for many, one week above a Tahitian lagoon beats three anywhere busier.

Original list: Condé Nast Traveller UK.