EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

From Maceió seven buses a day run to ARACAJU , capital of the neighbouring state of Sergipe with a population of 430,000, a little-visited and rather anonymous place. Although the Portuguese founded a colony here in 1592, the capital of the infant state was moved to nearby São Cristóvão. Then, in the mid-nineteenth century, there was a sudden vogue for purpose-built administrative centres (similar to the urge that led to the construction of Brasília a century later), and the core of modern Aracaju was thrown up overnight, becoming the state capital again in 1855. Like the other state capitals planned and built in the nineteenth century, Aracaju is - to put it mildly - something of an architectural desert, built on an American-style grid layout. Oil wealth has stimulated a lot of recent building and given the city council enough money to keep everything clean and tidy, but there is a very un-Brazilian dullness about the place. However, the people are friendly, some of the beaches are good, and the small colonial towns of Laranjeiras and São Cristóvão are only a short bus ride away.

The Rodoviária is miles out of town, linked to the centre by frequent local buses. The airport is also out of town but not far from the beach of Atalaia Velha; buses marked "Aeroporto" will get you into the centre. Sergipe's tourist office , EMSETUR, has its headquarters on the corner of Rua Itabaianinha and Rua Geru, on the 13th floor of the Edifício do Estado de Sergipe (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm), and another office on Praça de Eventos at Praia do Atalaia (Mon-Sat 8am-11pm). Your best bet for information, however, is probably the Centro de Turismo (daily 8am-8pm; tel 079/224-5168), in the shopping centre known as Rua 24 Horas, just next to Praça Olímpio Campos. Rua 24 Horas is actually a very pleasant place, set in a restored nineteenth-century building, with cafés, restaurants and a stage where shows are sometimes put on.

The cheaper hotels are as usual in the city centre, several of them near the municipal bus station, the Rodoviária Velha. For a real budget option you could stay at the Sergipe Hotel, Rua Geru 205 (tel 079/222-7898; under $10), which is perfectly adequate for the price. Two comfortable mid-range hotels in the same area are the Oásis, at Rua São Cristóvão 466 (tel 079/224-1181; $20-35), and the Amado, at Rua Laranjeiras 532 (tel 079/211-9937; $20-35). Right next to the Rodoviária Velha is the plusher and pricier Grande Hotel, at Rua Itabaianinha 371 (tel & fax 079/211-1383; $50-70), while down at the southern end of the city centre is the Hotel Jangadeiro, at Rua Santa Luiza 269 (tel 079/211-1350; $35-50).

The two main beaches are Atalaia Velha and Atalaia Nova. ATALAIA VELHA lies about 5km south down the road from the city centre and is the more developed of the two. It's easy to get to by bus but the whole area is rather soulless and uninspiring. There are, however, a huge number of restaurants and hotels , including the Pousada do Sol, Rua Atalaia 43 (tel 079/255-1074; $35-50), the Nascimento Praia, Av. Santos Dumont 1813 (tel & fax 079/255-2090; $50-70), which has a small pool, and, for total luxury, the Del Mar Hotel, Av. Santos Dumont 1500 (tel 079/255-1000, fax 255-2324, www.eribeiro.com.br/delmar, $90-125). ATALAIA NOVA lies on an island in the Rio Sergipe, accessible by boat from the Hidroviária in the city centre. The ferry leaves every ten minutes and costs just 40¢ you can then get a bus to Atalaia Nova from the ferry terminal. Although the beach itself isn't great, the island is quite a pleasant place to stay - hotels are expensive, but there are plenty of rooms for rent.