Most people stay within walking distance of the city beaches. The boulevards are pleasant and there are plenty of restaurants and activity along the oceanfront. The best of the beach neighborhoods is Meireles, which boasts a wide, well-trod boulevard by the sand, dotted with pleasant little kiosks where you can have a beer or fresh cool coconut. Meireles also has plenty of restaurants, vendors, and an excellent nightly crafts market. The beach neighborhood closest to downtown is Praia de Iracema. The beach here is wide and somewhat forlorn, but hotels in this neighborhood have the advantage of being within walking distance of Fortaleza's downtown attractions and the city's prime nightlife enclave. This is not the place for early sleepers. Farther east, Mucuripe is just a continuation of Meireles and runs all the way to a fishing colony at the eastern end of the beach.
