The Best Hostels and Cheap Hotels to Book in Natal, Brazil

The beaches around Natal are renowned as some of the regions best
The beaches around Natal are renowned as some of the region's best | © marchello74 / Alamy Stock Photo
Alex Robinson

Capital of one of the smallest states in Brazil’s northeast, Natal balances on a promontory behind a historic Portuguese fort, with long, snow-white beaches stretching north and south. While the downtown district is iffy, the coastal suburbs are backed by resorts and restaurants. The best of the hostels and cheap hotels sit in and around Ponta Negra suburb, where there is a large, dune-backed municipal park overlooked by a tall sandy hill, the Morro do Careca. We know the best places to stay – and they’re all here, bookable via Culture Trip.

1. Bela Silvia, for airy rooms

Hotel

The small outdoor pool at Bella Silvia, Natal, Brazil
Courtesy of Bela Silvia / Expedia

This affordable pousada is very well located – just four blocks from the best stretch of Ponta Negra beach, with a whole variety of cafes, restaurants and juice bars close by. Simple rooms colored in shades of lemon-yellow and white tile are grouped around a diminutive pool. Some have space for four. Those on the upper floors receive the most natural light. Stays are as good value as any Natal hostel – with rates including a buffet breakfast. There is a modest car parking space outside the hotel.

2. Food choices aplenty at Economy

Hotel

Aerial view of inner courtyard at Economy, Natal, Brazil
Courtesy of Economy / Expedia

This cheap Natal hotel can be found just a few blocks from Ponta Negra beach, on a quiet residential street. The food and drink options here leave guests spoilt for choice – there are pizza restaurants and bars within a few minutes’ walk. Rooms, in large brick units, range from simple spaces with unfancy en suites to larger apartments with kitchenettes. Top tip: rooms on the upper floors are airier than those on the ground floor. Ask when you reserve for one of those with a sea view.

3. Mar e Brisa, for smart, simple decor

Hotel

Facade of Mar e Brisa, Natal, Brazil
Courtesy of Mar e Brisa / Expedia

This Natal hotel is hard to beat for location: Ponta Negra beach is less than a minute’s walk from the lobby; restaurants, beach bars and cafes are yours for the choosing all around. Rooms include doubles, triples and quadruples – with space a double and two single beds. All are airy – with picture windows and French doors, opening onto balconies. Décor is simple but smart – faced in wood-laminate and with warm white walls decorated with local weave-art. There’s even a small pool.

5. Safari Hotel, for beach proximity

Hotel

A jungle-chic room at Safari Hotel, Natal, Brazil
Courtesy of Safari Hotel / Expedia

Cheap Natal hotels can be bland and backpacker-basic. Not so Safari. This budget boutique property has two fine little swimming pools, for adults and kids – one with a waterfall cascading through jungle vegetation. Expect also a restaurant, a car park and staff on hand to organize activities including kite- and windsurfing. Rooms strut their stuff with gentle designer flourishes – modish, minimalist rough brick and light bamboo, a palette of whites and creams and arty corkscrew-look floor lamps in chunky dark wood. And best of all, the hotel is right on Ponta Negra beach so you can swim first thing daily.

6. Super staff at Vale do Sul

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Outdoor pool area at Vale do Sul, Natal, Brazil
Courtesy of Vale do Sul / Expedia

With a pool, games room and a range of simple, well-maintained apartments, this Natal hotel is one of Ponta Negra Beach’s best cheapies. Rooms are airy affairs, flaunting shades of cream and light woods, with clean white floor tiles and plenty of wardrobe space. Some have kitchenettes with gas cookers and large fridges as well as breakfast balconies. Staff can organize tours – from kite- and wind-surfing to walks along the dunes. When you’re hungry, there are restaurants and bars within five minutes from your room.

7. Chalet Suisse, for sporty fun

Villa, Hotel

A chalet from the outside in Chalet Suisse, Natal, Brazil
Courtesy of Chalet Suisse / Expedia

A ski chalet in tropical Ponta Negra beach? Not exactly, but the villas in this hotel have steep Alpine gables of the kind designed to handle snow. Accommodation ranges from duplex doubles with plush dark-wood interiors to brightly colored family suites with space enough for four. There’s a tiny swimming pool and a massage pavilion in the lush, flower-filled garden. Meanwhile, staff can organize kite- and wind-surfing, as well as tours throughout Rio Grande do Norte state.

8. Location, location, location at Brisa do Mar

Hotel

Outdoor pool with sea views at Brisa do Mar, Natal, Brazil
Courtesy of Brisa do Mar / Expedia

Natal hotel locations don’t get better than Brisa do Mar. Staying here you’re right on Ponta Negra beach, surrounded by restaurants and bars. Compact rooms are relaxing spaces, all beige floor tiles, cream walls and smart wood-effect furnishings, lent color by wall paintings in bright tropical greens and reds. The hotel has a pool and sundeck next to the sand whilst rooms on the upper floors are the brightest and airiest, but if you’ve got heavy bags, note that there are no elevators.

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