What to Expect On a Brazilian Beach

Jamie Ditaranto is a traveler in a love triangle with writing and photography. Follow the drama on Twitter @jamieditaranto and Instagram @jamieditaranto.

Ditaranto joined SmarterTravel in 2015. She loves ecotourism, cities with history, and discovering local hangouts. Though she likes all the continents equally, she holds a special place in her heart for rainy little islands.

Her work has also appeared online at USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and other publications. You can check out her photography on her website.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "My instant camera comes in handy for giving instant gifts to new friends."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Befriending penguins in Antarctica."

Travel Motto: "You have to get the hard places out of the way first."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "On short flights, the window. For long flights, the aisle."

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You might think you know your way around the beach, but if you’ve never been to a Brazilian beach before, prepare to be surprised. The beaches in Brazil aren’t just beaches, they are also gyms, playgrounds, restaurants, and shopping centers. There’s a lot more going on than you’d expect, and if you’re not ready you’ll likely find yourself both overwhelmed and overpacked. Here’s what to expect on your first visit to a Brazilian beach.

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Waiters

When you start feeling hungry, there's no need to start packing up— the food will come to you. When you walk onto the beach and sit down at one of the plastic tables facing the ocean, you are actually sitting down at a restaurant that operates a stand towards the back of the beach. Soon a waiter will arrive with a menu, and you'll open a tab. Sometimes these stands are connected to certain hotels, which comes with the perk of being able to charge the food to your room, or even borrowing the hotel's lounge furniture, which will be carried over for you.

Waiters

Drinks

Along with food, most beach-stand restaurants serve alcohol as well, so you can enjoy a cold beer or caiparinha with your beach snacks. However, there are plenty of other delicious and non-alcoholic options to keep you hydrated as well. You'll find juice vendors selling everything from orange to acai, and even coconut milk served right out of a coconut that was knocked out of the trees behind you.

Shopping

Forget your sunglasses? Or maybe you just want to browse a collection of hats and sundresses? Well, you won't need to leave the beach to do a little shopping. Not only will there be people walking around selling sunglasses at low haggling prices, there are also many beachside vendors pushing carts filled with clothes, beach toys, and more. As if by magic, you can be sure that anything you might need to enjoy your day at the beach will appear right in front of you.

Bikinis

When it comes to swimwear, Brazilians are far from conservative, and your standard-size bikini might seem a bit big in comparison. If you want to fit in and do as the Brazilians do, beach towns are filled with stores known as fabricas which sell bikinis that are often handmade in-store in hundreds of different styles and patterns. And if you're feeling a bit self-conscious, know that Brazilian swimsuits may be tiny, but the people that wear them proudly come in all different shapes and sizes.

Sports

Everyone knows that Brazilians love soccer, so it should come as no surprise that you'll find people dribbling balls in the sand and shooting "GOOOOOOOL"s into improvised goal posts. A day at the beach is the perfect time to join in on a game or start your own. It's not just soccer, either—you'll also find plenty of volleyball courts in the more popular beach areas. And no need to worry if you forget your ball, because there's a very good chance someone is selling one nearby.

Cheese

Queijo coalho is a classic Brazilian beach snack that might seem a bit strange at first. To put it simply, it's grilled cheese on a stick. When put on a hot grill, this special kind of cheese turns crispy brown instead of melting. To get some, just look for the guy carrying a cooler and a grill, call him over, and he'll cook it up right in front of you. This iconic beach snack combines the deliciousness of toasted cheese and the excitement of food on sticks.

The Unexpected

For many people living in these coastal cities, combing the beach looking for customers is a huge source of income, and it takes creativity to stand out among the rest. You have your typical beach staples like beer, cheese, and coconuts, but you also have your etcetera peddlers. People sell everything from potted plants to palm leaf sculptures to robotic parrots, and I have even seen a man and his horse offering short horseback rides. Recently, a trend of champagne stands has begun to grow as well. Vacationing on a Brazilian beach is like stepping into a Pandora's Box of kitschy-beach possibility; you never know what surprise is heading your way next.

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Jamie Ditaranto is a writer, photographer, and proud American-Brazilian. Her favorite things to order on a Brazilian beach are pineapple caiparinhas and fried yucca. Follow her on Twitter @jamieditaranto.

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