Where to stay in Ingleses: the north coast's biggest and cheapest resort neighbourhood
Wide sandy beach at Praia dos Ingleses with hotels along the shore
Ingleses gives you a 5 km beach, hotel rooms from R$240, and a food scene that punches above its price band — with two specific catches most guides gloss over.
Who Ingleses actually suits
Praia dos Ingleses is the biggest resort neighbourhood on the island by number of beds, running along a 5 km stretch of open-ocean beach at the north-east corner. It suits budget-aware families, first-time visitors who want a straightforward beach holiday without the Jurere markup, package travellers on all-inclusive-adjacent stays, and anyone who wants the option of surf lessons and long sand walks rather than a calm bay. Nightly rates run R$240 to R$550 in shoulder, R$400 to R$800 in peak, which is the cheapest of the four main resort neighbourhoods.
It does not suit anyone who wants a compact, walkable centre — Ingleses is spread over a long strip and requires a car or Uber to move between its ends. It does not suit anyone allergic to package tourism, because the neighbourhood is unashamedly built for that market. And it does not suit anyone who wants calm bay water for young children — the surf here is real, safe with supervision but not toddler-friendly like Canasvieiras or Jurere.
The three sub-areas within Ingleses
Ingleses splits into three distinct parts. The south end near Praia do Santinho has the newer, higher-end resorts with pools and lawns, running R$500 to R$900 in peak. This is the quiet, family-resort end. The middle section around Rua Dom Joao Becker and the Ingleses Norte roundabout is the commercial heart, with the most restaurants, pharmacies and shops, and pousadas from R$260. The north end toward Ponta das Aranhas is more residential, cheaper apartment rentals, and closest to the walking trail to Praia Brava.
For a first-time visitor the middle is the obvious pick because it delivers walkability, food and beach access from one address. For families the south end is quieter and the resort infrastructure is better. For budget travellers the north end offers apartment rentals at R$180 to R$300 for two in shoulder. Pick the sub-area before you pick the property or you will end up with a great room in the wrong stretch of the neighbourhood.
What a night costs in Ingleses
Ingleses is the best-value hotel neighbourhood on the north coast. Peak-season doubles at three-star hotels run R$400 to R$550, undercutting equivalent Canasvieiras by 15 percent and Jurere by 40 percent. Pousadas start at R$260 in January, R$180 in April. Apartment rentals for four with a kitchen sit at R$400 to R$650 in peak, R$220 to R$400 in shoulder. Hostels along Rua das Gaivotas run R$85 to R$130 a bed year-round.
Where Ingleses saves you money beyond the room rate is food. A padaria breakfast is R$18, a rodizio de pizza dinner R$70 per person, a proper seafood plate R$90 with drinks, and the buffet-por-quilo lunches run R$55 for a full meal. This is the neighbourhood where R$300 a day for two covers food and drink comfortably, which is not true in Jurere and only tightly true in Lagoa. Over a week the food savings compound to R$1,500 or more against the other resort areas.
The beach itself
The 5 km beach at Ingleses is one of the best on the north side of the island. It is wide, backed by dunes at the northern end, and runs from the sheltered corner near the fishing colony in the south to the exposed open ocean at Ponta das Aranhas in the north. The southern end has smaller waves suitable for kids over eight with supervision. The northern end has real surf and is where the schools operate. Water temperature runs 22-26C in season.
The catches: the beach is exposed to summer south winds that can whip up in the afternoon and drive people off the sand by 3 pm on bad days; and the walk between the ends of the neighbourhood is a full hour, which most people underestimate. Swim and lounge near your hotel rather than planning to work the whole strip. The Aranhas end also has a hikeable trail over the headland to Praia Brava that takes 40 minutes and pays off with a genuinely wilder beach.
What is within walking distance
From the middle of Ingleses on Rua Dom Joao Becker: about 50 restaurants, three supermarkets including a full-size Angeloni, a dozen surf shops, four pharmacies, banks with reliable ATMs, laundry services at R$40 a load, and the beach itself two blocks away. The commercial density is higher than Canasvieiras and much higher than Jurere. Locals shop here, which keeps prices honest.
What requires a car: Santinho at the south end (15 minutes walk or five drive), Praia Brava over the headland (40-minute hike or 20-minute drive around), Jurere (25 minutes), Lagoa (40 minutes), centro (45 minutes), the airport (35 minutes). Uber is reliable within Ingleses at R$10 to R$20 for most trips. Bus services run to centro every 30 minutes in daytime and take 60 to 75 minutes. Ingleses is the north-coast base where a car is least essential.
Ingleses vs the other north-coast options
Against Canasvieiras, Ingleses is cheaper, has better restaurants, has surf rather than calm water, and covers a longer strip that takes more effort to know. Against Jurere, Ingleses is half the price, more Brazilian, less polished, less scene. Against Praia Brava next door, Ingleses is bigger, more commercial, cheaper, less exclusive. Against Santinho at the far south end, Ingleses is more walkable and food-rich, less resort-immersive.
The clearest case for Ingleses is a first-time visitor on a mid-range budget who wants a full beach neighbourhood rather than a strip, and who values the R$1,500 to R$2,000 food savings across a week against Jurere. The clearest case against Ingleses is if you want a compact walkable centre or a calm bay. Both those specific needs are better served elsewhere on the coast.
How to pick your hotel type
Book a middle-Ingleses three-star hotel if you want walkable everything from one address and are travelling as a couple or family of four; expect R$400 to R$550 in peak. Book a Santinho resort at the south end if you have kids under ten and want the resort infrastructure with pools and organised activities; expect R$650 to R$900. Book an apartment rental at the north end if you are staying more than five nights and want to cook some meals; expect R$400 to R$600 for four.
Avoid: the two-star hotels on the far side of the SC-403 highway, which are 15 minutes walk from the beach and share the road noise. Avoid: any property advertising 'sea view' that turns out to be a corner window on the fifth floor. Ingleses has enough real beachfront and near-beach options that you should never accept a compromise on location — it is the whole reason to book here rather than in Lagoa.
Before you book
The questions people ask about Ingleses, answered with this month’s numbers.
Yes, at beginner and intermediate level. The northern end near Ponta das Aranhas has consistent 1-2 metre waves through most of the year and three or four established surf schools running R$120 group lessons and R$60 board rentals. For advanced surfers, Joaquina and Mole are better waves but Ingleses is one of the best learning beaches on the island.
Yes, the north end near Ponta das Aranhas and the far south end past the fishing colony are notably quieter than the middle around Rua Dom Joao Becker. Book at either end for calm and walk or drive to the centre for food and shops. The middle is the loudest and busiest part of the strip from Christmas through Carnival.
Yes, more easily than in Jurere or Canasvieiras. Ingleses has enough restaurants, shops and beach within walking distance to sustain a week without a car, and Uber covers day trips affordably. A rental only becomes worth it if you plan multiple trips to the south of the island or to Lagoa, in which case the R$150 per day pays off in three or four excursions.
