The Best Hotels to Book in Fortaleza, Brazil

Decor in this tall beachfront tower is modern and business-like – with wood-panel floors, fitted furniture and identikit sofas or lounge chairs. The highlight, if you book a north-facing suite, is the swoony view out over Praia da Índia and the bottle-green Atlantic. Breakfasts are generous, there’s a big business center – if you’re mixing office contact with your holiday – and, an easy stroll from the lobby, you’ll find a handful of beachside seafood restaurants. Explore more choices in the old city center and Iracema nightlife districts, a 15-minute cab ride away.

Don’t let the crocodile-beach theme at this big beachfront put you off – there’s no danger of killer reptiles. Au contraire: the hotel sits over family-friendly Praia do Futuro – the longest, broadest and cleanest beach in Fortaleza. It’s a heavenly stretch: 5mi (8km) from Ponta de Mucuripe cape to the mouth of the Cocó River. Rest your head in simple, peaceful rooms of plain tiles and whitewash. Large breakfast-balconies deliver sweeping views, there’s a generous pool, and a lively beach club turns out moreish bar food and cocktails.

Rooms in this beachside tower block hotel are like Nineties throwbacks, with their plain tile-and-whitewash decor, and the setting is very pleasant indeed, overlooking the palm-shaded Praça dos Estressados gardens. Head here for a choice of restaurants, bars and kids’ play areas. If you’d rather look at blue, ask for a room with views of golden sand and the calm Atlantic at Praia do Náutico. Top tip: hit the rooftop pool for a freshen-up before dinner and a night out in Iracema or the thrumming live-music venues and bars at Dragão do Mar. Whichever you choose, you’ll be there by cab in five minutes.

The welcome is big at this balcony-fronted dame: a grand marble lobby, lit with candelabra chandeliers, mills with smartly suited staff. Rooms are more down-to-earth, with gentle abstract artworks on icing-white walls. We say make a beeline for the rooftop pool for a dip and a dreamy view out over the Fortaleza skyline to Iracema Beach (which is an easy 15-minutes walk away). Step out to explore the local dining scene – it’s busy – then, if you’re not too knackered, hit the bar-lined streets in Iracema or the live-music joints at Dragão do Ma mere blocks away.

Top tip: Book the Luxo Superior rooms at this refurbished beachfront for superb sea views through wall-to-ceiling windows. Furnishings and fittings are unassuming (we do like the large mirrors), and there’s a kids’ play ara, sauna and small pool (with a waterfall) – but you won’t be needing those, since Iracema Beach is out front. The location couldn’t be better – lively bars are less than a five-minute stroll away, and right on the doorstep are a whole load of restaurants and snack bars.

Built in a mock-hacienda style, with shady balconies, terracotta roofs and bright primary-colored paintwork, the Villa Mayor is one of just a few hotels in Fortaleza not to occupy a tall balcony-fronted tower. Ensuites are unshowy – wallpapered and minimally furnished, with a small table, a chair and a walk-in shower. Conveniently, the rooms surround a pool for first-thing-when-you-rise dips, and the district is altogether decent: Meireles Beach is a block away, and the nightlife district is all yours in five minutes by taxi.

Suites in this modest tower block hotel are ideal crash-pads: they come with double beds in tiny bedrooms and plain kitchenettes in whitewash and with beige floor tiles, ideal for quick breakfast before you head out. And head out you will: you’re only two minutes from Praia Mansa – its name refers to the fact that it has some of the gentlest waves in Fortaleza. There’s a rooftop pool, a large buffet breakfast thrown in with the price, and – night-owls, take note – you can hoof it to the bars and music joints of Iracema’s nightlife in 15 minutes.

Angra Praia is named after a beach, but it sits on a leafy street near the Praça Bandeira gardens in Downtown Fortaleza. Rooms are hostel-simple – in plain white and tile, with a bed and a bucket chair. The main attractions are the mountainous buffet breakfasts and the rooftop pool deck with mesmerizing skyline views. Cab it to Iracema, five minutes away, for a night on the tiles. Or hang around for dinner: the Mercado Cultural dos Pinhões food pavilion (with snack bars serving local dishes) is across the street.