Praia do Bonete is one of the most remote and least spoiled beaches on the São Paulo coast, and its reputation is commensurate with the effort required to reach it. The Guardian listed it among the ten most beautiful beaches in Brazil, and while that kind of superlative is easy to dismiss, the beach earns it: more than 600 metres of white sand backed by Atlantic Forest and Chapéu-de-Sol palms, facing open ocean with no development beyond the small caiçara community that has lived here for generations.
Getting there takes commitment. Your options are a 13-kilometre hiking trail from the southern trailhead at Ponta de Sepituba (three to six hours), or arrival by boat from the western coast. The community has no road access, and the isolation is exactly the point. Simple guesthouses and family restaurants make overnight stays straightforward, and several families can arrange guided fishing trips and boat excursions along the southern coastline. The waves can be significant — southerly swells arrive here unimpeded — which keeps the beach less suitable for casual swimming and more attractive to surfers.