Fortaleza

It is on a reciprocation basis I guess.

We, Europeans do not need visa to enter Brasil and Brasilians to enter Europe.

hotel ocean blue flats - near the holiday inn - review.

i stayed recently at the ocean blue. it is in a good area and is reasonably priced. take a left out of the holiday inn and a left at that light and walk up the hill halfway, it is on your right. i paid $121br a night as a single, and paid $68br a night for guests. the hotel staff is 100% portuguese, no english is spoken. the room is like a small apartment, with the living room/dining room, a kitchenette, a bed room and bath. the only room with ac is the bedroom, but with the doors open, you can cool the entire suite in time. i found the place to be simular to the quality of the casablanca, but a larger room and in a better location. since the local company i work for gives me a hard time about the casablanca, due to it's location and reputation, i think this will work for me. i was able to bring in a new friend each night and was asked to sign a waiver and pay the $86br. the waiver was to take full responsability for the guest and the hotel will not have any responsability. also i think there was a note about ****, but they took the id and reviewed it anyway. as for the cleaning service, it was good, clean towels and sheets everyday. the breakfast (pay $17br extra each day) was decent. i didn't try the pool, the internet is only in the bedroom and wired only. also they required i pay at least a $500br deposit the night before i checked out, and the remainder the day i left. for mongering, the best i found is still the casablanca. i did not try the ibis on this trip, but it still is an option i am considering.

dev

[QUOTE=Spidy]For a trip to Europe...I believe all a Brazilian needs is a passport.[/QUOTE]They only get 6 months. girls working there either start the paperwork for the eurozone, or butterfly back and forth.

Just some small notes on the current situation in Fortaleza.

GENERAL:
* It's very hot right now! Rain is very scarce. In February the rain will come.
* This year there are lots of brazilian tourists here. They spend a lot of money.
* Apartment prices in the high season have become more expensive. Normally I pay no more than R$ 60 for a nice big apartment. Now the prices are from R$ 80 and upwards for a nice apartment. There are small, very simple and not so nice apartments from R$ 50.

PRO-SCENE:
* The "ho-crossing" in Iracema is alive but not kicking very much. Europa Bar is closed. Café d Mar and Forró & Mambo goes on like before. Heineken Café and some smaller bars next doors.
Zipi Bar has changed a bit. Entrance R$ 10 with a drink or a beer included.
Armazem on Wednesdays is still OK. Some nice "once-a-week-pro's" mixed with the usual GP-crowd from Iracema.
Crocobeach on Thursdays is also OK. Lots of GPs, but usually not hard to find a regular girl for free.
* GP-Quality: Passing by the ho-crossing a couple of times I get amazed by the large number of big-bellied squared-heads. I think there is a decline in the quality of the GP's. Depressing.
* Best option for GP's IMO: Zipi Bar. Lots of girls and some really nice ones. They stop at Zipi before they move on to Café d M or F & M.
* Prices: Many girls ask for R$ 150, but just about all of them go down to R$ 80-100. Some even do quickies for R$ 50. Bargain! Telling them that you're not Italian usually gives you a nice discount.
* Beer-prices: All these GP-bars are charging way to much for the beer. Paying R$ 10 or slightly less for a beer is just ridiculous. The reggae bar on the corner is good for cheap beer and watching the ladies arriving to the crossing.

NON-PRO-SCENE:
* Fortaleza has a good night-life.
My favourite club is Mucuripe Club on Fridays. Huge place, 4 pistas and lots of people. A mixture of middle- and upperclass. Many very beautiful girls, even though the majority have very light skin. Nice to see so many ladies in one place in Fortaleza who havn't football-heads glued to their shoulders.
Entrance R$ 30. Beer R$ 4,5-5.
[url]http://www.mucuripe.com.br/[/url]
* Dragao do Mar: Several nice bars with good potentials to meet non-pro's.
* I like Fortaleza a lot. Not because of the pro-scene, but because of the non-pro's. I find it easy to meet very sweet beautiful non-pro's in Fortaleza. Girls that are way more beauiful than the Iracema-GPs.
* Best places to meet non-pro's: IMO not in the clubs. Try the beach, the bus, in Centro, the market, Iguatemi or anywhere else that feels right. Local girls or tourist girls from Rio, Sao Paulo, Brasilia or BH.

FINAL NOTES:
* Fortaleza have a lot of unattractive women, who could be sisters of King Kong. Big bellies, round or very squared heads and without necks. That´s a pity, but Fortaleza also have very stunning women who makes you forget all the ugly ones. Don't fool yourself thinking that the really beautiful girls will do tricks in Iracema.
* My choice: Meet two or three regular girls. Get good quality-sex for free with beautiful girls. Use the GP-scene only in emergency.

I arrived in Fortaleza this morning. I had a few reais on me so the first thing I did was stop at the kiosk to recharge my phone. I got the R$22 deal since I will be in Brazil for a couple of weeks. Oops. All I had was R$21. Went upstairs to use the trusty (sarcasm) HSBC ATM. R$1000 please. Oops, machine doesn't work; and neither did the 7 other machines. The Banco do Brasil ATM actually said that it is only open from 6am to 10pm. It was about 5:40 then. O fucking well. I went back to the kiosk and told the guy that I would have to pay him R$1 tomorrow morning when I head out to Salvador. He said it was cool.

I went outside and hopped in a taxi. I told him that I was going to Hotel Casa Blanca, but that I would need to stop by an HSBC ATM first. He took me to HSBC Premier. And guess what? During non-operating hours it is a fortress. Surrounded by an iron fence with no way in. He asked around to the other cabbies and there was actually one that was close to the hotel. I walked upstairs and pressed the button to open the door. It seemed to be locked/jammed. I had to force it open. Finally got my money. The taxi dropped me off at the hotel here in Iracema. R$43.55. Funny. I think last June I paid R$20 from the airport to this neighborhood. Or was it US$20? Whatever the case, I think I should have rented a car instead. I am pretty much familiar with the area and with +R$40 taxi each way for the airport alone, a rental car would have been paid for.

The feast day of Sao José, was commemorated yesterday, March 19. In the state of Ceara, rain on St Joseph's day is sign of that this year's harvest will be good. Yesterday, 6.6 milimeters of rain fell in Fortaleza. Although not welcome by the sun-seeking tourists, the rain was a happy site to the Cearense natives, especially the farming community.

After three days here I have not seen any stunners nor anything I would rate above a 5. In my opinion, most of the women here fit the typical nordestinha description.

[QUOTE=Poucolouco]The feast day of Sao José, was commemorated yesterday, March 19. In the state of Ceara, rain on St Joseph's day is sign of that this year's harvest will be good. Yesterday, 6.6 milimeters of rain fell in Fortaleza. Although not welcome by the sun-seeking tourists, the rain was a happy site to the Cearense natives, especially the farming community.

After three days here I have not seen any stunners nor anything I would rate above a 5. In my opinion, most of the women here fit the typical nordestinha description.[/QUOTE]
I am here also (leaving tomorrow) and while I haven´t done any mongering, I have seen some beautiful non-pros. There is alot of potential here. I have been hanging out with a local and we have been going to the local hangouts. (with the exception of Beir Mar(?). First place that I have been to where you buy your fish then go to the restaurant next door to have it cooked! Delicious!

I just returned from a week in Fortaleza. My last visit was in 1994 and much has changed in the intervening six years. The Iracema area has expanded considerably to the west with many new hotels and high-rise condominiums. The Prefeitura has invested huge amounts of money expanding the beach area west to the English Pier. The bureaucracy of Rio de Janeiro would never accomplish an expansion of this scale in such a short time period. There is a considerable Italian presence in Iracema and many Italian restaurants. Garotas congregate in the barracas near Praia do Meireles in the day. In the late evening activity picks up in the triangle area of Ave. Almirante Barroso and Rua dos Tabajaras. Zippy Bar, Forro de Mambo and several small pizza and pasta restaurants line the side streets where the garotas hang out looking for gringos with cash.

Airfare varies considerably with the Brasilian airlines offering periodic special fares as low as R$179. I used WebJet with a fare about half of the cost of Gol at the time I purchased it. Getting around town is easy and cheap. Taxi to and from the airport is about R$28. The 6 Km from Praia do Mucuripe to the far west end of Praia de Iracema is about R$10. However bus service is excellent ,and the fare is only R$1,80. Note: most busses board from the rear door and exit at the front door. You can take a bus from Iracema Beach to Praia do Futuro to check out the beach garotas. At Praia do Futuro you will find about 3 Km of upscale barracas with a decent supply of garotas trolling for your attention.

Cearense natives take pride in the fact that the state was four years ahead of the rest of Brasil in ablition of slavery. You will find statuary, symbols and souveniers of Iracema throughout Fortaleza. One might say Iracema represents the first European conquest of Braisilian women, rsrsrs.
[url]http://www.amazon.com/Iracema-Classicos-da-Literatura-Brasileira/dp/0850515009[/url]
Here is a useful map for planning your trip.
[url]http://www.feriasbrasil.com.br/ce/fortaleza/mapa.cfm[/url]

[QUOTE=Poucolouco]I just returned from a week in Fortaleza. My last visit was in 1994 and much has changed in the intervening six years. The Iracema area has expanded considerably to the west with many new hotels and high-rise condominiums. The Prefeitura has invested huge amounts of money expanding the beach area west to the English Pier. The bureaucracy of Rio de Janeiro would never accomplish an expansion of this scale in such a short time period. There is a considerable Italian presence in Iracema and many Italian restaurants. Garotas congregate in the barracas near Praia do Meireles in the day. In the late evening activity picks up in the triangle area of Ave. Almirante Barroso and Rua dos Tabajaras. Zippy Bar, Forro de Mambo and several small pizza and pasta restaurants line the side streets where the garotas hang out looking for gringos with cash.

Airfare varies considerably with the Brasilian airlines offering periodic special fares as low as R$179. I used WebJet with a fare about half of the cost of Gol at the time I purchased it. Getting around town is easy and cheap. Taxi to and from the airport is about R$28. The 6 Km from Praia do Mucuripe to the far west end of Praia de Iracema is about R$10. However bus service is excellent ,and the fare is only R$1,80. Note: most busses board from the rear door and exit at the front door. You can take a bus from Iracema Beach to Praia do Futuro to check out the beach garotas. At Praia do Futuro you will find about 3 Km of upscale barracas with a decent supply of garotas trolling for your attention.

Cearense natives take pride in the fact that the state was four years ahead of the rest of Brasil in ablition of slavery. You will find statuary, symbols and souveniers of Iracema throughout Fortaleza. One might say Iracema represents the first European conquest of Braisilian women, rsrsrs.
[url]http://www.amazon.com/Iracema-Classicos-da-Literatura-Brasileira/dp/0850515009[/url]
Here is a useful map for planning your trip.
[url]http://www.feriasbrasil.com.br/ce/fortaleza/mapa.cfm[/url][/QUOTE]1994<<<>>>2010--- 6 years? Math much?

This post actually provides no information whatsoever other than what google can provide.

[QUOTE=InBrazilSoon]1994<<<>>>2010--- 6 years? Math much?

This post actually provides no information whatsoever other than what google can provide.[/QUOTE]

You're right, my error. It was 2004. Desculpa. If the post is really not useful I will be happy to delete it and omit the facts that I observed.

Wow! I just read your report on Fortaleza. Very informative, even for a New Yorker. By the way, for your future reference, the city is Fortaleza, not Frotaleza.

Poucolouco,
Thanks for a much needed update on Fortaleza. I was there about 2 years ago for a week and enjoyed it. I also noticed some good opportunities for non pros once one gets away from the ground zero and the Beira Mar. I'm looking to go back there soon. Thanks again for sharing your views which are very much appreciated. Please do continue to post your experiences from Fortaleza and other Brasilian cities and don't pay attention to those who have nothing to contribute other than criticize for no reason.

Hello:

I have been to Brazil and to Fortaleza 3 times - always in the Fall - in November.

There is always action at the Iracema bars after 11PM. The first two times I went to Fortaleza - in '03 and '05, there was also plenty of programa girls in the early evening in the Mireiles cafes across the street from McDonalds. There were also plenty of programa girls at some of the beaches at Praia de Futuro in the daytime.

When I went back with a friend the last time - November '08 - there was still plenty of action at the Iracema bars late at night. But there were only very few programa girls at the Mireiles cafes in the early evening. There were only about one or two programa girls in the daytime at the Praia de Futuro beaches. It was really dead if you were looking for action. I asked one of the vendors selling drinks at one of the beaches about it and he said there had been a crackdown on these programa girls at that time, and they were not allowed at the beaches. (I am talking about the daytime at the beaches, not the night)

My question is: Are these programa girls back in full force now at the Praia de Futuro beaches in the daytime, and at the Mireiles cafes across from McDonalds in the early evening? Are things back to normal, or is there still a crackdown? Fortaleza was not as exciting the last time (Nov 2008) because of this crackdown.

[QUOTE=Henry R]Hello:

I have been to Brazil and to Fortaleza 3 times - always in the Fall - in November.

There is always action at the Iracema bars after 11PM. The first two times I went to Fortaleza - in '03 and '05, there was also plenty of programa girls in the early evening in the Mireiles cafes across the street from McDonalds. There were also plenty of programa girls at some of the beaches at Praia de Futuro in the daytime.

When I went back with a friend the last time - November '08 - there was still plenty of action at the Iracema bars late at night. But there were only very few programa girls at the Mireiles cafes in the early evening. There were only about one or two programa girls in the daytime at the Praia de Futuro beaches. It was really dead if you were looking for action. I asked one of the vendors selling drinks at one of the beaches about it and he said there had been a crackdown on these programa girls at that time, and they were not allowed at the beaches. (I am talking about the daytime at the beaches, not the night)

My question is: Are these programa girls back in full force now at the Praia de Futuro beaches in the daytime, and at the Mireiles cafes across from McDonalds in the early evening? Are things back to normal, or is there still a crackdown? Fortaleza was not as exciting the last time (Nov 2008) because of this crackdown.[/QUOTE]Hi,

I was in Fortaleza last october 2009, there was programa girls in Praia de Futuro in the afternoon, in cocobeach baraca & crocobeach baraca there were alot. There were some programa in late afternoon & first evening in the bars near ferrinha & McDonald-Beira Mar-Mereiles Area.

[QUOTE=Ranocchio]Hi,

I was in Fortaleza last october 2009, there was programa girls in Praia de Futuro in the afternoon, in cocobeach baraca & crocobeach baraca there were alot. There were some programa in late afternoon & first evening in the bars near ferrinha & McDonald-Beira Mar-Mereiles Area.[/QUOTE]


Great to hear that things are back to normal. Coco and Croco beaches are where I usually go to at Praia de Futuro. They had daytime action my first two trips to Fortaleza but not during my last trip in 2008. I hope things remain lively when I return there this November.

Also, there used to be a lot of programa girls in the early evening at the cafes in Mireiles across from McDonalds. From your post it sounds like there are a few but not as many as there used to be.

Guys,

Anyone know of a Cambio in Fortaleza open on sundays in the Iracema areas?