Ubatuba, on São Paulo's North Shore, is a top family destination. But not many of the city’s 92 beaches have calm waters – after all, Ubatuba is known for great surfing – and several pristine beaches with serene ripples lie at the end of trails you might not want to endure with little ones.
On the other hand, some of the calmer beaches with structure – Itaguá, Iperoig (or Cruzeiro) and Perequê-Mirim, for example - don't usually do well in water quality reports.
The beaches on this list are clean, have calm waters, and are not hard to get to. But you'll be near or in lush rainforest - bring mosquito repellent.
1. Praia do Pulso
Following BR-101 (Rio-Santos), the road which runs along a great part of Brazil's southeast coast, the first great beach for kids is Praia do Pulso, the hardest to get to on this list. It's #11 on the Ubatuba Beach Map issued by the city's Travel Bureau.
Pulso is where I would take young children if we were staying on Maranduba, next up north, a long beach with a lot of infrastructure. The entrance to Praia do Pulso is near km 80 on Rio-Santos. Access to the beach is controlled by Condomínio Praia do Pulso, an upscale residential development. You must leave your car in their parking lot and walk an easy 0.6 mile.
2. Lagoinha
Don't worry about rough shore break at Lagoinha (#14 on the Ubatuba Beach Map). The beach is flat, with packed sand. It does well in beach quality reports and the coastal road runs near it.
Have a Brazilian home style lunch at Delícias da Cabocla (phone 12-3843.1798), at km 70. It serves a buffet from Monday to Thursday and specials on weekends - but if the Friday ribs-or-tripe double special doesn't appeal to the kids, you can order steaks or chicken fillet, for example.
3. Praia Dura
On beautiful Praia Dura, you can walk farther into the sea with water by your ankles than on most São Paulo North Shore beaches. Sands are firm - dura means "hard", but the kids will be able to make their castles. At the north end of the beach, there's a river.
Praia Dura is #29 on the Ubatuba Beach Map.
4. Domingas Dias
Domingas Dias does everyone good. It's perfect for a romantic getaway in Ubatuba and it's also great for kids, with its placid waters and clean sands.
However, you must be as cautious at Domingas Dias as you would at a lake or a swimming pool for adults that gets gradually deeper. Although you don't have to worry about big, fast waves, it doesn't take as long for the water to get deep at Domingas Dias as it does on flat beaches like Praia Dura.
Bring your food and drinks. For lunch at a restaurant, go north to the next beach: Lázaro.
Domingas Dias is # 32 on the Ubatuba Beach Map.
5. Praia do Lázaro
Although Lázaro has more waves than neighboring Domingas Dias to the south - but not nearly as rough as Sununga, the next beach up - this pleasant beach is OK with supervision - just be more carful depending on the tide and the day's weather condition. The beach is clean, beautiful and has the best structure around, with hotels, restaurants, a grocery store - a lot of it on unpaved streets.
Lázaro is popular with families, since it's good for tots and older kids, who enjoy the kayaks and banana boats. Local hotels, such as Pousada Albatroz, have complete apartments for families. Solar das Águas Cantantes, also great for romantic getaways, has one of the best restaurants in Ubatuba.
Praia do Lázaro is #33 on the Ubatuba Beach Map
.6. Santa Rita
This small beach is known as one of the most peaceful beaches in Ubatuba. Access to Santa Rita (#45 on the Ubatuba Beach Map) is controlled by a residential development. There are also trails to the beach from the north end of Perequê-Mirim and the south end of Enseada. But you can get close to the beach by car.
Going north on Rio-Santos, look for the entrance to Condomínio Península Santa Rita near the north end of Perequê Mirim. Hopefully there will be signs, but if not, you'll probably be able to ask someone - the name of the beach is pronounced "SAHN-ta HEE-ta".
If you're into home exchange, consider swapping with a Santa Rita vacation home owner.
7. Praia da Enseada
Enseada is a family beach in Ubatuba. It's got shops, restaurants, food kiosks on the sand - you name it. The waters are calm, and the view is beautiful: you can see Pico do Corcovado and Saco da Ribeira.
However, depending on the time of the year, Enseada may not be doing well in terms of beach water quality, so check reports first. Enseada (#47 on the Ubatuba Beach Map) is the closest beach to downtown Ubatuba on this list.
Also, like other central beaches with good tourism structure, such as Praia Grande, Enseada tends to get packed during Brazil school vacations. There's a good reason to visit Brazil in June. Brazil kids don't start their winter break till the end of the month.
8. Prumirim
We've taken a long leap to the next beach on this list, the first on the Ubatuba North Shore. The reason for that is the fact that the North Shore has so many good beaches for surfing. By all means stay at Itamambuca, a gorgeous surfer's beach which is just as great for a romantic getaway or families.
But since we're looking for calm waters, travel further to Prumirim. That's a great beach for elementary school-age children, tweens and teens - yet calm enough for younger kids.
There is a campground on Prumirim, but you can easily come to the beach for the day from a hotel in Itamambuca. Your older kids may enjoy Ubatuba when lots of young Brazilians are on their winter break and Itamambuca hosts surf tournaments (dates vary each year).
9. Ubatumirim
Ubatumirim has some of the calmest waters in Ubatuba. Long, cut by a river, and lined with lush vegetation, it's got some kiosks in the summer, but it's mostly for nature lovers who don't mind being 20 miles away from a drugstore or a supermarket.
Accommodations at Ubatumirim are family-owned and rustic. Brazilian families stay at Hotel Fazenda Ubatuba", a farm hotel with tame animals not far from the beach on the other side of the road - the so-called sertão, or "backlands", of North Shore beaches. They also pack their bedsheets and towels and get their toes in the sand at Villas do Mar.
Instead of spending the night at Ubatumirim, you can make a super day outing of it and go back south to your hotel, or north to Picinguaba and Paraty.
10. Picinguaba
Not far from the Rio de Janeiro state line, Picinguaba has calm waters, native vegetation, the tranquility of a fisherman's village and an international atmosphere - the beach is a favorite with European tourists.
The best hotel in Picinguaba for intarnational families with kids is Pousada Picinguaba, with comfortable rooms in a colonial-style house and full meals. You'll appreciate their eye for beauty - and the English-speaking staff.
