Natal

[Henry R]

Now, I'm not Henry, but this is my 5 cent:

Overall, Natal is a more tourist friendly town than Fortaleza. The Ponta negra beach is by far better (and cleaner) that praia futuro that you recognise from Fortaleza (I would not even thinking about going into the dirty water in the central parts of Fortaleza)

Natal is also smaller, and the tourist area (ponta negra) is a nice strip of restaurants, bars and clubs by the waterside.

So, If your main purpose is to swim, soak in the sun and have a comfortable time, Natal is your destination.

For girls, Fortaleza wins hands down. You can't even compare the two when it comes to this.

Some might say that Natal has more girls in the centro with it's bars and clubs, and that Fortaleza has nice tourist spots as well, but this is a general guide, that tells the diffrences of the two , so read between the lines and do your choice.

Me? - If I was in your shoes I would go to Natal just for the experience. (and also take a weekend trip to Recife on the same travel) That way I would have seen other parts of Brazil, and still be able to p4p.

If you are out on a short trip, and the only reason is p4p, then skip Natal and head to Fortaleza.

Good luck / Ken Apples

Ken:

The new Salsa Street bar area at Ponta Negra in Natal opened about 3 months ago. That is now the action place. You walk into a plaza, and there are about a half dozen bars with lots of girls and lots of tourists. (But much smaller than Iracema in Fortaleza). Not sure if you have been to Natal in the last three months, but this new area is supposed to have the most action in town now, not Centro.

[Henry R]

Which is better? Very tough question! In the past I would have said Fort easily, since it is a bigger place and has more going on. However, situation changed when I was there in November. The GDP presence in the early evening in the cafes across from McDonalds was down to almost none. Same with GDPs at the Praia de Futuro beaches during the daytime. I assume this was due to police crackdown or the female mayor or both. So the only action was late nite in Iracema. I must say though, that I was amazed at some of the knockouts at Del Mar bar.

Ponta Negra in Natal has one bar area on Salsa street, with about a half dozen bars, with lots of girls and Euro tourists. Many good looking girls. Only problem is, it was short time only. I really liked the atmosphere of the place, and so did my friend. We both actually enjoyed Natal better than Fort. But Ponta Negra in Natal is a smaller place, and natal has less to do than Fort. But my friend and I both thought the regular non-pros we saw in Natal were better looking than in other Brazilian cities. So Fort vs Natal is an individual decision.

Regarding swimming, beaches at both Praia de Futuro in Fortaleza and Ponta Negra in Natal have big waves and it is difficult to swim. This is true in a lot of Brazil, although there are exceptions. But I liked the beaches at Praia de Futuro a lot better when they had GDPs hanging out there daytime. Hopefully they will be allowed to return.

[Ken_Apples]

Henry which do you think would be better for an over all holiday ponta negra or fortaleza, I've been to fortaleza and found that it all mostly happens in the latino quarter in Icerema and there is nothing much to do during the day. So I tought Ponta negra would give a more rounded holiday party at night and more tourist things to keep you busy by day. But what it would really boil down too, is the action, which is best fort or natal?

Thanks in advance

Now, I'm not Henry, but this is my 5 cent:

Overall, Natal is a more tourist friendly town than Fortaleza. The Ponta negra beach is by far better (and cleaner) that praia futuro that you recognise from Fortaleza (I would not even thinking about going into the dirty water in the central parts of Fortaleza)

Natal is also smaller, and the tourist area (ponta negra) is a nice strip of restaurants, bars and clubs by the waterside.

So, If your main purpose is to swim, soak in the sun and have a comfortable time, Natal is your destination.

For girls, Fortaleza wins hands down. You can't even compare the two when it comes to this.

Some might say that Natal has more girls in the centro with it's bars and clubs, and that Fortaleza has nice tourist spots as well, but this is a general guide, that tells the diffrences of the two , so read between the lines and do your choice.

Me? - If I was in your shoes I would go to Natal just for the experience. (and also take a weekend trip to Recife on the same travel) That way I would have seen other parts of Brazil, and still be able to p4p.

If you are out on a short trip, and the only reason is p4p, then skip Natal and head to Fortaleza.

Good luck / Ken Apples

[Redboy3333]

Why is Natal only short time? Thinking about it, maybe it is because the Ponta Negra area is so small, with only one bar complex? Not sure why that would cause short time only, but maybe it does for some reason. Or maybe it could be because of the guy to girl ratio. There were probably as many tourists as girls, so maybe the girls could be picky and do only short time, which gives them more money if they do two or three a nite. Maybe the ratio is not as good for the girls in other cities so they they are more willing to be flexible and do all nite in other cities.

These are only hunches, let me know if you have other ideas.

Henry which do you think would be better for an over all holiday ponta negra or fortaleza, I've been to fortaleza and found that it all mostly happens in the latino quarter in Icerema and there is nothing much to do during the day. So I tought Ponta negra would give a more rounded holiday party at night and more tourist things to keep you busy by day. But what it would really boil down too, is the action, which is best fort or natal?

Thanks in advance

[Magic2000]

Why is Natal only short time? Thinking about it, maybe it is because the Ponta Negra area is so small, with only one bar complex? Not sure why that would cause short time only, but maybe it does for some reason. Or maybe it could be because of the guy to girl ratio. There were probably as many tourists as girls, so maybe the girls could be picky and do only short time, which gives them more money if they do two or three a nite. Maybe the ratio is not as good for the girls in other cities so they they are more willing to be flexible and do all nite in other cities.

These are only hunches, let me know if you have other ideas.

When in Natal I had noticed this phenomenon also. Not sure if this is the whole story but I noticed that many girls come into Ponta Negra from parts of Natal which are quite far away. What they were doing was five of them would split a cab (usually not an official cab but a friend with a car) and they'd all come into town and go back home together. They don't want to be arriving home in the morning / afternoon as it would be obvious to their neighbours what they are up to and going home at night with a fistful of cash is also treacherous! I found one of the questions to ask the girl is where she lives. If she is staying close by then you've got a better chance at a whole niter, if she's far then you need to ask a few more qualifying questions. While just sitting in Fuso Horario enjoying a drink on 'rest days', I did spot many girls who turn up early and are back again on Salsa Street within a few hours of leaving with someone, even though they don't appear to be sharing rides as they leave alone in a paid cab. I find if you stay observant you can weed out a these girls as its a relatively small scene and the same core collection of regular faces appears night after night.

[Henry R]

Why is Natal only short time? Thinking about it, maybe it is because the Ponta Negra area is so small, with only one bar complex? Not sure why that would cause short time only, but maybe it does for some reason. Or maybe it could be because of the guy to girl ratio. There were probably as many tourists as girls, so maybe the girls could be picky and do only short time, which gives them more money if they do two or three a nite. Maybe the ratio is not as good for the girls in other cities so they they are more willing to be flexible and do all nite in other cities.

These are only hunches, let me know if you have other ideas.

[Henry R]

As I mentioned in my last posting, I had a good time at the new Salsa Street bar complex that opened a month or two ago in Ponta Negra, Natal. Lots of good looking garotas, but lots of European tourists too. The surprising thing is that just about every girl would only do short time (in Brazil short time is 1 1/2 to 2 hours). All nite is almost impossible in Natal.

I went to Salvador later on and "todo la noche" was quite common. I was also in Fortaleza where some would do all nite and others would not, which was kind of in-between Natal and Salvador.

My question is, is there some kind of pattern where GDPs of certain cities only do short time and other cities are more flexible and we can find GDPs who do short time and others who do all nite? If so, why is there a difference? For example, what is it about Natal that makes all the programa girls avoid all nite long? And why is todo la noche so common in Salvador?

[Laroche]

This is an amendment of a typing mistake in previous post.

The CARNATAL 2008 will be held from 4th to 7th of DECEMBER 2008.

I was saying “ this week” while in fact I was meaning “next month”.

But, no problem you still have 16 days left to think about it.

Link here: http://www.carnatal.com.br/

Enjoy it !

[Henry R]

natal, update october 2008

first of all natal 2008 is not what natal was in 2004 or 2005.

now it is much worse when it comes to prices and quality of nightlife.

natal is not an ideal mongering destination anymore; however it is a very good place for beach holidays and [CodeWord118], only 7 hours flying from lisbon and a good way to enter brazil.

the international tourism is down 50% from that time.

the tourists now are mainly fro italy, holland, portugal and spain. later on they expect some scandinavian but nothing like 3 years ago.

eur = 2,60 real

during this period, due to the financial turmoil, the eur was all the way up to 3,10 but the money changers (big bunch of crooks, you guessed it ) were only giving 2,80 at the most.

count on minus 5% when changing money.

this is a common practice and the second turn off for the tourist, the first one being the long queues at immigration upon arrival.

there are very few atms for international cards outside natal. cash is king

where the action is.

forget the action downtown; it is reserved for portuguese speaking experienced fuck.

the “orla” ( erivan franca st.) is dead.

the action is in the “salsa bar street”, 40 meters to the right south of natal plaza.
well, the salsa bar is gone forever, but everyone remembers it.

walk in there, pass the coco loco. this was an infamous bar with a lot of tourist scams with outrageous bills. now is completely empty; i guess people were realizing they were getting robbed.

100 meters down you arrive to fuso horario which is the center of the street and were everyone is. behind it you have a nice square with 7 or 10 bars. this is imho the best offer in this area; no fees , no hassle, no cards to keep during the night, no scams , open air and enough light to see the many beauties around.

prices are ok: 5 reais for a caipirinha. 3 reais for a beer. imported drinks are more expensive but still ok .

other places nearby:

azucar, ok disco but more expensive.

sancho pub: crazy disco, expensive, too noisy, better to be avoided. rip-offs reported

coco.loco: mentioned before, avoid the place

other places:

la cucaracha: famous temple of the night; open only on sundays and tuesdays. the terrace and bar are excellent and you get the best caipirinhas for only 3,5 reais. very good sevice.

however, due to the lack of tourists it was almost always empty.

casa senzala: beautiful foxes but a rip-off (count on 300 reais and upwards and poor service) watch out, a lot of mafia minded crooks in this brothel. avoid it.

ponta negra overall going rates: 150 reais.

attention ! depending of your age, looks and nationality some girls will ask for 200 or 250 reais. speaking portuguese is a very big advantage.

insist, the rate is 150. some you can even get for 100 for a quickie.

international mongers unite!

be nice to them. if they like you the will take very good care of you, and they will stay all night if you want then to.

where to go?

here we have a problem. the hotels do not allow guests, so the option is the motel.
count on 100 reais more for the taxies, tips, motel fee and drinks.

obviously the best solution is to have an apartment; then you are at home.

scams.

be very careful with minors; avoid them !!!! in brazil **** is under 18 !!!!
if in doubt walk away.

there are some shemales around but they are easy to spot and they will not bother you unless you show interest on them.

bars giving you a card “to record all your drinks” could give you a big bill if you miss it.

police are corrupted and could be bribed if you need to ( drunk driving, not having your papers and passport ), but be very careful if you do not speak portuguese.

best to have your passport with you; at night it is a must.

some rental cars are best to be avoided; one of them is pavel.

safety

ponta negra is safe, although you must not forget your common sense.

enjoy it!

editor's note: i would suggest that the author or another forum member consider posting a link to this report in the reports of distinction thread. please click here for more information.

laroche -

i am in natal now. your report appears to be very accurate. rates are usually about r150 short time, which is 2 hrs in brazil. the new plaza on salsa bar street is where the action is. quality is pretty good, as far as looks go. and lots of european tourists. only problem here is it is difficult to find programa girls who will stay all nite.

[Laroche]

Can you recommend apartments in Natal, no more than R100, and in or near Ponta Negra?

Hi Henry,

Try this link with apartments for rent:

http://palmesus.no/ponta-negra_b314.html

The site is in Norwegian but I am sure you may write to them in English.
The apartments they provide are good, value for money, very closed to the Praia Shopping in Ponta Negra.

Otherwise you could try local real estate agents. However, even if Brazilians companies in Natal do have short time rentals, the red tape involved and the language makes it quite difficult.

Enjoy it !

[Henry R]

NATAL UPDATE , October 2008, 2nd part

1# ATMs will give you Reais; i.e. the currency rate will be applied by your bank at home.

Thus the rate and eventual fees are up to you bank.

Beware of ATMs; sometimes they do not have enough money and then they limit down the disposable amount.

2# I do speak Portuguese and I have ventured down town and outside the city to popular arrangements.

This week there is Carnatal and it is absolutely a must.

But beware of pickpockets. There, I would not bring my passport.

Behind Praia do Meio, parts of Alecrim and Northern Bernardo Vieira are dangerous at night. Keep out from there.

The beach is another good place to meet women.

3# I always stay in apts. I hate hotels there.

4# 2 or 3 days trip to Natal ? Depending of where you are. If you are in Fortaleza or Recife or even Rio, it is certainly worthy ( well , depending of the fare).

5# Girl friendly hotel in Ponta Negra?

I do not know now, but before, the PANORAMA HOTEL ( cheap hotel, very close to the action, Roberto Freire , 50 meters South of the intersection with “Salsa bar st.”, across the cemetery) used to be permissive.

It worked that way: you could rent a double room for a week explaining in a clear cut way your intentions and that you will be changing girls all the time, emphasizing that you intended to be very discrete.

But you had to clarify and agree this with the boss beforehand, during office hours.
Then at night, you had to leave the girls ID with them at the reception.
Much better and more practical that a motel.

Enjoy it!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

Can you recommend apartments in Natal, no more than R100, and in or near Ponta Negra?

[Laroche]

I really enjoyed your report. Natal is not a place where you get much updated info about. I do have a couple of questions though:

Do you not speak enough Portuguese to venture downtown?
Did you prefer your hotel versus getting an apt.?
Did you get a better exchange rate from ATM's?
Is it worth a 2-3 day trip to try out Natal?

ryjer

NATAL UPDATE , October 2008, 2nd part

1# ATMs will give you Reais; i.e. the currency rate will be applied by your bank at home.

Thus the rate and eventual fees are up to you bank.

Beware of ATMs; sometimes they do not have enough money and then they limit down the disposable amount.

2# I do speak Portuguese and I have ventured down town and outside the city to popular arrangements.

This week there is Carnatal and it is absolutely a must.

But beware of pickpockets. There, I would not bring my passport.

Behind Praia do Meio, parts of Alecrim and Northern Bernardo Vieira are dangerous at night. Keep out from there.

The beach is another good place to meet women.

3# I always stay in apts. I hate hotels there.

4# 2 or 3 days trip to Natal ? Depending of where you are. If you are in Fortaleza or Recife or even Rio, it is certainly worthy ( well , depending of the fare).

5# Girl friendly hotel in Ponta Negra?

I do not know now, but before, the PANORAMA HOTEL ( cheap hotel, very close to the action, Roberto Freire , 50 meters South of the intersection with “Salsa bar st.”, across the cemetery) used to be permissive.

It worked that way: you could rent a double room for a week explaining in a clear cut way your intentions and that you will be changing girls all the time, emphasizing that you intended to be very discrete.

But you had to clarify and agree this with the boss beforehand, during office hours.
Then at night, you had to leave the girls ID with them at the reception.
Much better and more practical that a motel.

Enjoy it!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

[Ryjerrob]

NATAL, UPDATE October 2008

First of all Natal 2008 is not what Natal was in 2004 or 2005.



Forget the action downtown; it is reserved for Portuguese speaking Experienced fuck.


Where to go?

Here we have a problem. The hotels do not allow guests, so the option is the motel.
Count on 100 reais more for the taxies, tips, motel fee and drinks.

Obviously the best solution is to have an apartment; then you are at home.

I really enjoyed your report. Natal is not a place where you get much updated info about. I do have a couple of questions though:

Do you not speak enough Portuguese to venture downtown?
Did you prefer your hotel versus getting an apt.?
Did you get a better exchange rate from ATM's?
Is it worth a 2-3 day trip to try out Natal?

ryjer

[Sperto]

NATAL, UPDATE October 2008
First of all Natal 2008 is not what Natal was in 2004 or 2005...

Nice report.
That was good news that the tourism in Natal dropped by 50%. I stopped going there 1999, a couple of years after the city got invaded by hords of european chartertourists. Natal got ruined. In the early 90's it was a p***y-heaven.

[Henry R]

Great report Laroche!!

Does anyone know of any guest friendly hotels in Natal? Under R100.
What about Aquamarina Hotel? If they are guest friendly, are they expensive?