Praia do Meio

The Praia do Meio region is in the northern Natal; there are several beaches, with indistinct borders: Praia do Forte, Praia do Meio, Praia dos Artistas and Areia Preta.

Praia do Forte is shielded by the reefs, so the waters are calm, perfect for swim and windsurf. As this area is a military zone; you can coe here only until 5pm.

Praia do Meio is "Beach of the Middle". Praia do Meio is approximately the area between the Praia do Forte and the Hotel dos Reis Magos, which was founded in 1965, and it was the most popular hotel in Natal; the elite of the city was always getting together here for big parties; but today the hotel is closed. Some years ago, the government urbanized this territory, and now the visitors can enjoy wide, well upheld and lighted roads, playgrounds and sports courts.
 
Praia dos Artistas stands for "Beach of the Artists", and originates from the hotel to the Ponta dos Morcegos, where club Chaplin is situated. There is a tourist office at Praia dos Artistas, close to Chaplin.

Areia Preta is "Black Sand"; there are some black specks in the sand, the traces of minerals. Pleasant scenery here is the struggle between the burly waves and the rocks on the beach. Avoid walking towards the fortress at night. You still can encounter street prostitution though it is rather diminished recently.

The beaches are arrayed by reefs; and when the wave draws down, water pools are formed, where children can play and swim. The high tide brings the waves which bigger than in Ponta Negra, that’s why Praia dos Artistas is a beloved site for surfers.

The hotels over there are less expensive than in Ponta Negra. Quality and costs differ greatly, but you can certainly find comfortable places here. Praia do Meio and Ponta Negra are about 12 km apart; a taxi costs about US$10, and a bus US$0.50.

Via Costeira

It is considered to be the purest urban beaches in Natal. Via Costeira is the 10 km road which runs from Praia dos Artistas to Ponta Negra. Via Costeira was built in 1983, while the first hotel was founded in 1984 here.

You can find about ten high class hotels on one side, and on the other a nature reserve, Parque das Dunas, is located.

These beaches are visited almost wholly by the guests of the hotels at Via Costeira. The water is clear; and because the waves are small, beaches are perfect for bathing.

The Via Costeira is completely occupied by hotels.

Ponta Negra

This is, of course, the most popular tourist place in Natal.

The area of Ponta Negra is only some square kilometers large. The villege was a home for fishers and other working people; but somewhere about 1990's, the tourism businesses began to develop in the area; a few years ago, foreigner investors (mostly Europeans) started to invest money into the resort, and tourism oriented businesses is prospering in the area. The accommodations like hotels and flats are being built everywhere in the area as the place is lacking free space for larger hotels. Houses are renewed and modified to become restaurants, shops, etc.

Although the lodgings are spread all over, the most popular ones are at the beach stretch, which is about 4 km long.

If you go northwards, you will see for about 2km of avenue crowded with bars, restaurants, hotels, party houses, small shopping galleries, etc; and the next 2km is just a walk road, featured with hotels and some stalls. Morro do Careca is a mixture of sea, mountain, dunes and verdure. It is prohibited to climb the hill, but most of the visitors do not mention it.