The vast bay of Angra dos Reis is studded with more lush islands than there are days in the year. Some are the private playgrounds of Carioca playboys. Others are media islands, owned by magazines devoted to the cult of the Brazilian celebrity, and permanently twinkling with camera flashes. A few are thronged with bikinis and board shorts in high season and pulsate to forró and samba beats. And many are as wild and unspoilt as they were when the Portuguese arrived 500 years ago. Yachts and speedboats flit across the bay, ferrying their bronzed and smiling cargo between the islands and beaches. In between, they dock at floating bars and restaurants for an icy caipirinha or catch of the day, and at night to dance or be lulled by the gentle sound of bossa nova.
Angra town itself is scruffy and down at heel – little more than a jumping-off point to the private islands and to Ilha Grande – but it’s an increasingly popular destination for international travellers. This is a result of the migration of the wealthy out of Rio and their acquisition of beaches and property from the local fishermen, whose families now live in the favelas that encrust the surrounding hills .
Angra was once a pretty colonial town like Paraty further along the coast, and several buildings remain from its heyday. Of particular note are the church and convent of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, built in 1593 on Praça General Osório, the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (1626) in the centre of town and the church and convent of São Bernardino de Sena (1758-1763) on the Morro do Santo Antônio. On the Largo da Lapa is the church of Nossa Senhora da Lapa da Boa Morte (1752) and a Museum of Sacred Art (Thu-Sun 1000-1200, 1400-1800) .
On the Península de Angra, west of the town, is the Praia do Bonfim, a popular beach; offshore is the island of the same name, on which the hermitage of Senhor do Bonfim (1780) is located. Some 15 km east are the ruins of the Jacuecanga seminary (1797).
Angra is connected to Rio and Paraty by regular buses, to Ilha Grande by ferry and fishing boat, and to Ilha do Gipóia by fishing boat. The tourist office (Av Julio Maria, T024-3365 2041, http://www.angra-dos-reis.com, http://www.angra.rj.gov.br) is just behind the Cais de Santa Luiza quay. The websites have more information than the office....
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