Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Money and exchange
HSBC and Bradesco have 24hr
ATMs in the city centre on Rua Major Facundo, near the
corner with Rua Senador Alencar. HSBC also has branches
at Av Monsenhor Tabosa 1200, Praia da Iracema and Av
Santos Dumont 3581, Aldeota, typically open Mon-Fri
10am-4pm.
Pharmacy
Farmácia Santa Branca, Av da Universidade
3089, Benfica (
T
85 3223 0000).
Police
The tourist police are open 24/7 and can be
found at Av Almirante Barroso 805, Praia da Iracema
(
T
85 3101 2488).
Post o
ce
The central post o
ce is at Rua Senador
Alencar 38 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm & Sat 8am-noon); in
Miereles there are branches at Av Beira Mar 3960 (Mon-Fri
8am-6pm & Sat 8am-noon) and Av Monsenhor Tabosa
1561 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).
Canoa Quebrada
Ceará's best-known and most fashionable beach,
Canoa Quebrada
lies 148km southeast
of Fortaleza, its deep emerald waters, enticing sands and massive, cathedral-like dunes
making it a big hit with foreigners and young Brazilians alike. The atmosphere is relaxed
by day, and lively at night. Certainly, if you want company and
movimento
(action) it's
the beach to head for, and there's fun
buggy-riding
to be had in the sand dunes of the
surrounding coast (R$150-250), with trips easily organized at your
pousada
.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
CANOA QUEBRADA
By plane
With the opening of Aeroporto Dragão do Mar
in nearby Aracati in 2012, the local tourism authorities
are hoping that regular flights to Canoa will be possible in
the near future, though nothing was scheduled at the
time of writing.
By bus
São Benedito (
W
gruposaobenedito.com.br) runs
four buses daily from Fortaleza's rodoviária direct to Canoa
(6am, 11am, 1.30pm & 5.30pm; 3hr 15min). Alternatively,
most tour operators in Fortaleza run door-to-door minibus
services (see p.303). Coming from Natal and the south
you'll have to take a bus to Aracati (13km southwest of
Canoa), and catch the São Benedito bus there; alternatively,
for the Canoa leg, minibuses run every 30min and charge
around R$3, while taxis will ask for R$25-30.
4
ACCOMMODATION
★
Il Nuraghe
Rua Decida Da Praia
T
88 3421 7418,
W
nuraghe-canoa.com.
Justly popular solar-powered
hotel, a rustic-looking property with a long, tranquil pool
area and simple but stylish contemporary a/c rooms (with
kitche
nette, L
CD TVs and free wi-fi), a short walk from the
beach.
R$215
Pousada Aruanã
Rua dos Bugueiros
T
88 3421 7154,
W
pousadaaruana.com.br.
Great-value, two-storey place
overlooking the beach and arranged around a relaxing pool
area, with sim
ple but
stylish modern a/c rooms, satellite TV
and free wi-fi.
R$145
Pousada Azul Marinho
T
88 3421 7003,
W
azul-marinho.com.
Set high above
the beach, the best feature here is the stunning,
panoramic sea view, though the rooms are comfy
enough (with a/c, free
wi-fi a
nd flat-screen TV) and
there's an outdoor pool.
R$155
★
Pousada Fortaleza
Rua Descida da Praia 76
T
88 3421 7019,
W
pousadafortaleza.com.
Just 200m
from the beach, this was one of the early pioneering
pousadas
here and has developed comfortable a/c
apartments equipped with
frigobars
, TVs and hammocks.
There's also a pool and sound information on kite-bo
arding
,
one of the more popular beach activities. Free wi-fi.
R$90
Rua Leandro Bezerra
EATING AND DRINKING
Most of the evening action in Canoa takes places along the eastern end of the main drag, Rua Dragão do Mar, known here
as “Broadway Street”. There are also several
barracas
along the beach itself, where reggae parties usually kick off after
midnight at the weekends.
PRAIA DAS FONTES AND MORRO BRANCO
Some 90km southeast of Fortaleza lies the spectacular “Labirinto do Morro Branco”, where the
coastline crumbles into a series of jagged crimson, gold and chalky sand dune cliffs, overlooked
by a lighthouse. Nearby, the Praia das Fontes is a pleasant spot to lounge on the sands. Both
places are around 5km from the small town of Beberibe, accessible by bus from Fortaleza - São
Benedito's service to Canoa stops here (see above) - though most travellers visit on day-trips
from the city (see p.303).
