Brazil (São Paulo State)
Guarujá
GUARUJÁ is São Paulo’s most popular beach resort, very commercialized and usually crowded. Getting there is easy: there are half-hourly buses from the city’s Jabaquara Rodoviária that take little more than an hour to travel the 85km to the resort. From Santos, take a bus from Gonzaga east along the beach avenue to Ponta da Praia, from where a ferry makes the ten-minute crossing of the Santos channel, and then it’s a fifteen-minute bus ride on to Guarujá itself.
The resort features a set of large apartment buildings alongside lengthy, rather monotonous beaches. In the summer, finding space on the main beach, Pitangueiras, can be difficult, and the beaches within walking distance, or a short bus ride, to the northeast are little better. In fact, without a car and considerable local knowledge, Guarujá is best avoided; in any case, finding a reasonably priced hotel in the summer can be almost impossible. 

Your best bet around Praia das Pitangueiras is the small and friendly Hotel Rio Guarujá at Rua Rio de Janeiro 131 (tel 013/286-6081; $20–35), just a block from the sea, or at the adjoining Praia Guarujá, the Guarujá Praia, Praça Brigadeiro Franco Faria Lima 137 (tel 013/286-190; $20–35). For a local map, detailed instructions on outlying beaches and hotel information, there’s a helpful tourist office at Rua Quintino Bocaiúva 248 (Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat & Sun 9am–noon; tel 013/387-7199).