Natal's nightlife scene centers on the Ponta Negra neighborhood. The best option is the Alto de Ponta Negra area, located on the heights on the far side of the busy Avenida Roberto Freire. It's a pleasant and easily strollable enclave of cafes and creperies, knickknack shops, bars and discos, with one upscale strip bar to add just a soupçon of sleaze. Your best bet is simply to take a taxi to the edge of Alto de Ponta Negra (corner of Av. Roberto Freire with Rua Dr. Manoel. A.B. de Araújo) and then stroll around.
On Ponta Negra beach itself, the partying is all to be found at the far end of the beach, where the pedestrian-only pathway is replaced by the waterfront Avenida Erivan França. The area is always busy and well-lit and active, but note that a good 70% of the action consists of Brazilian women looking to sell their services to male charter tourists from Europe. For those not looking to buy company, the area is perfectly safe and not especially sleazy. The guys pass the early evening dining or drinking beer at any of a dozen or so pubs or mediocre restaurants, while the girls sit demurely on the seawall. Around midnight, everyone vanishes into the Hollywood, Av. Erivan França 44 (tel. 084/9924-4188; daily midnight-6am), a disco at the far end of the beach, inside of which most of the hard negotiations seem to take place.
The government and tourist association have been doing what they can to eliminate sex tourism in Natal. Prostitution is not illegal in Brazil, so authorities can't simply ban it outright. However, charter tourists flying into Natal now have to book at an approved hotel, and the better hotels (including all those listed in this guide) refuse to allow in working girls. The measures have had an effect -- the beach scene is now a somewhat healthier mix of regular and sex tourists -- but turning things around completely will take time.
Alto de ponta Negra--If you're in the mood for a snack before or instead of partying, Casa de Taipa (Rua Dr. Manoel A.P. de Araújo 130A; tel. 084/3219-5798) offers tapioca pancakes with over 40 different types of filling, not to mention coffee and homemade ice cream. Open daily 5pm to midnight. More lively but still offering food is the Salsa Bar (Rua Manoel A.B. de Araújo 174; tel. 084/3236-2573), a pleasant outdoor space offering crepes, cocktails, caipifrutas, and the opportunity to show your salsa steps on the open-air dance floor. Open daily 7pm to 2am.
