Praia de Zimbros

Zimbros sits in a wide, sheltered cove on the Baía de Zimbros, with around 1.1 km of sand and a gently shelving bottom: you can wade a long way out before the water reaches your waist. The view is made of moored fishing boats, drying nets and a comings-and-goings that follows the tide rather than the tourist season.

The difference almost nobody notices until they arrive is which way the bay faces. Zimbros looks west — which is why the sun sets into the sea here, straight ahead of anyone standing on the sand. In Bombinhas, where most beaches face east, that is the privilege of only a handful of coves, and it is why the end of the day here draws the biggest crowd in town.

Out on the water, lined up in long rows at both ends of the bay, are the oyster and mussel farms. They are what explains the food: the restaurants along the front serve what came out of the sea right there, and the neighbourhood's many fishmongers sell fresh fish and just-harvested shellfish. It is one of the best price-to-freshness ratios for seafood in the region — and it's worth buying straight from the growers.

The Parque Natural Municipal da Costeira de Zimbros begins at the right-hand end of the beach: ten wild beaches reachable only on foot or by sea. The trail leaves from Praia do Cantinho and hugs the coast past the main four — Cardoso, da Lagoa, Triste and Vermelha, the largest at 618 metres of sand. Inside the park there is no camping, no fires and no dogs; motorboats must stay more than 200 metres offshore.

The Costeira trail is about 8 kilometres long, easy to moderate, and takes 3 to 5 hours just to reach Praia Vermelha — you come back the same way. As far as Praia da Lagoa it's gentler; after that the forest closes in and it takes more fitness, and the town council recommends going with a local guide. At Praia Triste a side path leads to a waterfall with natural pools; it isn't signposted, so only go with a guide. Along the way, natural viewpoints look out over the Baía de Zimbros, Governador Celso Ramos and the mouth of the Tijucas river.

Around the beach is the Zimbros neighbourhood, lived in largely by locals and holiday-home owners. It's the less touristy side of Bombinhas without giving up amenities: restaurants, fishmongers and shops along the front, and a calm sea with boats moored just offshore. If you're thinking about property, it's the neighbourhood for a house near the water, village life and the finest sunset in town from your own veranda — with a whole nature park next door that will never turn into apartment blocks.