Go Brazil:Forget Ipanema and Copacabana: the best beaches in Brazil are hiding up the coast. They're the country's best-kept secret, writes Alannah Sparks
WHEN THE SUN begins to dip on Tiririca beach, and the shadows of the palm trees lengthen on the brilliant-white sand, two things happen. Firstly, the surfers start to trickle in from their day of wave bashing, rhapsodising about the best breaks. Secondly, it’s time for a passion-fruit caipirinha.
The sundown caipirinha maracujá is a sublime experience. Deceptively refreshing, the sweet and tangy lumps of the fruit make their way up through your straw, mixed with potent amounts of cachaca, the famed firewater, which is drunk in vast quantities on a typical trip to Brazil.
Sipping your cocktail, you may feel a twinge of guilt as you watch the early-evening activities unfold along the small crescent-moon beach: lithe and muscular bodies give virtuoso displays of capoeira dancing, girls the colour of molten bronze play keepy uppy in groups, while a husband and wife practise with a bat and ball. There is a reason for the stereotype of the body-beautiful Brazilian, and it’s playing itself out in all its glorious physicality right in front of your eyes.
Tiririca is just one of many paradisiacal beaches that make up the dazzling coastline of the Maraú Peninsula. Hidden from the well-beaten Bahia trail of Morro de Sao Paolo, Boipeba and, more recently, the painfully hip Trancoso, the peninsula is fringed with endless white sandy beaches, swaying coconut palms and luscious mangrove jungle providing a suitably verdant backdrop.
The launch point for the peninsula is Salvador, the jewel of Bahia and bubbling hotpot of African culture and decayed colonialism. It’s well worth a stay of two nights, to take in the unbeatable music, vibrant hospitality and rambling relics of colonial Portugal. Just don’t waste too much time on the beach here, as the best is yet to come.
On the tip of the peninsula lying closest to Salvador is Barra Grande, a tiny fishing village that visitors say is exactly how Morro de Sao Paolo was before it was overrun with tourists at the end of the 1990s. Travelling through tropical backwaters on a long wooden ferry, you arrive at a pier where a few small fishing boats are tied up in the turquoise water. The battered jetty intersects the most glorious stretch of golden sand, with only a handful of beachfront pousadas to be seen, their existence given away by the brightly coloured hammocks hanging in the palms.
Get used to walking on sand, because all of the village streets are made of the stuff – it is quite acceptable in the evenings to ramble barefoot from your beachfront pousada to the cocktail stand on the village square, and then on to the restaurant, sitting down to dinner with flip-flops still in hand.
Adventure hounds and thrill seekers need not apply: the most gruelling activity most will manage (and very few do) is to walk the 12km of uninterrupted beach to Taipus de Fora, which is hailed as one of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil.
Like a wide ribbon it stretches out in front of you, and even though you may begin to notice large blisters forming on your bare feet by the 10th kilometre, it’s worth it for the delicious grilled prawns, rice and salad that awaits you in one of the beach bars at the end, washed down with a large cool beer.
Put your feet up and regroup, because the walk back is worth a thousand blisters for the blinding orange sunset that you will walk towards on your return.
Nightlife in Barra Grande peaks at about 6pm, when the sun hits the horizon in a blaze. Blazing nightlife happens farther down the coast – in Barra Grande nocturnal activity is limited to a caipirinha shaken up for you with a fruit of your choosing from a table laden with tropical treats. It’s like a pick’n’mix but with alcohol. Best not try them all in one sitting, or your stomach will pay for it.
If a buzzing nightlife is what you’re after, then head down to Itacaré, a pretty surfer town with a bohemian vibe where the young and beautiful come to let it all hang out. Spoiled with a choice of eight secluded beaches that dish up delectable surf, Brazilian students decided the town was cool at the start of the last decade, and it has been quietly growing ever since. Just don’t tell the developers.
At night the main street of the town is illuminated by tungsten lamps as women sitting at carts cook traditional Bahian treats, such as tapioca crepes filled with salt cod and cheese, and kidney-bean dumplings doused in shrimp paste – infinitely more appetising than they sound.
Although a youthful and relaxed atmosphere prevails, Itacaré is catering to an increasingly chic crowd, so there are plenty of good restaurants to choose from, from a traditional Bahian tavern serving clay vats of moqueca, a spicy fish stew, to bustling pizzerias turning out the thinnest crusts west of Naples.
Itacaré is a gem for unexpected parties. Chat to the surfers on the beach during the day to find out where the luau, or beach party, is going on that night. An impromptu session of live forró music in a streetside bar can turn into an all-night danceathon, and keep your ears open for the low pulse of the berimbau, a long stringed percussion instrument that could lead you to a lively capoeira session in the back of a restaurant.
And because Brazilians know how to party, they also know how to recover the next day – in most cases with a quick dip in the sea and a gargantuan breakfast. Brazilian pousadas pride themselves on their morning spreads, so you’ll arrive to find buffet tables laden with tropical fruit, crunchy granola, cakes, empanadas and the obligatory vat of strong black coffee.
Just don’t overindulge, because you still have to fit into that dental-floss bikini for the rest of the day – but that’s nothing a few hours of keepy uppy won’t take care of. -
- braziltour.com
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go on Maraú Peninsula
Where to stay
Sage Point Pousada.Praia da Tiririca, Itacaré, 00-55-73- 32512030, pousadasagepoint. com.br.Carved into the jungle that looks on to Tiririca Beach, these wooden cabanas offer sea views and pretty verandas with hammocks where you can have a leisurely breakfast before hitting the surf. Cabins for two from €45 a night.
Txai Resort.Itacaré, 00-55-11-26276363, txai.com.br. The area's most upmarket resort, Txai is set on a deserted beach. Wooden bungalows on stilts overlook the water, with two restaurants and an excellent spa completing the luxurious picture. Superior bungalows for two start at €300 per night.
Pousada Porto da Barra.Vasco Neto, Barra Grande, 00-55-73-32586349, pousadaportodabarra.com. Savour the delicious breakfast at this friendly, low-key pousada. The sundown cocktails at the restaurant next door are a treat. Rooms for two start at €40 per night.
Where to eat
Boca do Forno.Lodonio Almeida, Itacaré, 00-55-73-32512174. In a romantic setting that often
has live music, this restaurant – which uses shortcrust pastry instead of yeast dough – dishes up the best pizzas in town.
Mahalo.Praia da Tiririca, Itacaré, 00-55-73-32513668. Sit on large cushions on the grass as you eat platters of calamari, delicious tropical salads and tall sandwiches while listening to the staff's pick of the best in Brazilian music. The shrimp-and-mango salad, in particular, is an ideal beachside lunch.
Casa de Taipa.Rua Pedro Longo, Itacaré, 00-55-73-32513510. If you want to try the regional specialties but don't want to commit to it, the food-by-the-kilo buffet is your best option. Sample anything from a wide selection, ranging from grilled plantain salad to feijoada, the national dish, which is made from ham hock, black beans and fried cale. Your plate is then weighed at the till – and the bill usually amounts to surprisingly little.
Where to go
Mar e Mel.Praia da Concha, Itacaré, 00-55-73-32512358, maremel.com.br. This is where nightly sessions of lively forró music take place. With a large wooden veranda just set back from the beach, revellers come in droves to dance under the stars. Great cocktails, too.
Praia Taipus de Fora.Don't miss this idyllic beach, whether you walk there from Barra Grande or drive from Itacaré. You can snorkel in little coral pools or take a walk to the freshwater Lagoa Azul if you get bored with the perfect white sand.
Interativade.Itacaré, 00-55-73-32123329, interatividadeitacare.com.br. It's easy to forget that the beaches here are backed by kilometres of Atlantic rainforest, but in recent years a number of tour operators have begun to offer ecotourism adventure trips through the forest. Choose between canoe, raft, zip line or suspended bridge for an adrenalin-filled day out.
Go there
British Airways (ba.com) and Air France (airfrance.ie) fly to Sao Paolo via London and Paris, respectively. From there it is an hour’s flight to Salvador. You can travel on to Barra Grande by a series of ferries and buses, or charter an air taxi to get there in a fraction of the time. Alternatively, fly to Ilheus from Sao Paolo, and from there Itacaré is a taxi ride away.