Iracema Travel

This is a large modern hotel in a building 19 floors high, a couple of blocks off the shore of Iracema. The hotel itself is great, Iracema not so much. If you are just looking for a comfortable place to stay, this hotel would be a wonderful choice. If you want a lively place to walk around stay somewhere in Meireles. For the price of a room I got a suite in the 18th floor, with a living room, a kitchen and a bedroom with a comfy bed. The suite was modestly furnished, but the view of the ocean from the balcony was great. There was a safe in the room for added security. Breakfast was good, and the fish dinner which I had in the hotel one night was tasty. The hotel is across the street from the very disappointing so called night life center of Iracema. Several guidebooks recommend this area for a stroll or an evening meal, but what I found was a mostly deserted couple of streets with a few empty, unattractive bars. There are two night clubs which are very well attended by the locals. One, Pirata, plays Forro dance music some nights during the week, and the other is a comedy club. Except for those, which hold very little attraction for a foreign tourist, there is practically very little else. The beach promenade is well paved, but separated by a barrier from adjacent buildings and so it was completely deserted at night, and not very attractive during the day. The rest of the area is shabby. For a better choice, stay in Meireles which has an attractive beach grown with palm trees, a night market and enough people strolling at night to make it safe. Even though the beach is near, swimming is not recommended because it is deserted, so it may attract muggers. The sea itself seems to have strong waves and perhaps pollution, due to its proximity to the port.