Icarai is within the municipality of Caucaia, part of Greater Fortaleza. It offers tranquility and proximity to the capital, also making it easy to reach any of the other beaches, to the east or to the west of Fortaleza.

  It is for this reason that Icarai, once considered a beach town, is today a suburb of Fortaleza and home to many who work in the capital.

  In Icarai, about half a kilometer away from the Hotel there are "barracas" (thatched beachside restaurants) where all kinds of local foods and delicacies are served. The restaurants are well organized and many have a children's area, with a swimming pool and playground.

  Excellent examples of these beachside restaurants, and recommended by us, are the Barracas Peixe Frito, Ypacarai and Delicias do Mar, but there are many more such restaurants in the region, most of which are well structured...

  Two wide avenues link the Hotel with the sea front in Fortaleza and its busy center. Leaving the Hotel, take the CE-090 for 4km and then take the avenue to your left which passes to the south of the city center, by way of many of the local tourist attractions such as Iracema Beach and the main sea front (Beira Mar), following on through to the Praia do Futuro (Future Beach), where the avenue ends.

  Alternatively, at the bus stop 100 metres from the Hotel there is a bus service to Fortaleza every 25 minutes during the day.

  However, those who have their own transport are obviously more able to make the most of their stay. Driving in Fortaleza and to the local beaches is very easy and the traffic is no problem. Just drive out of the hotel in any direction.

* EMCETUR (an old penitentiary, where today the cells have been made into art and handicraft shops).
* The Central Market.
* The Cathedral.
* The Dragao do Mar Cultural Centre.
* Rua Monsenhor Tabosa (a street filled with clothes shops and retail outlets selling Ceara's craftwork and needlecraft).
* Praia de Iracema (Iracema Beach, where you will find the Ponte Metalica,
an iron pier set in a bohemian restaurant district).
* PIRATA - Fortaleza's most famous nightclub and show, at Iracema Beach,
open only on Mondays.
* Beira Mar - a handicraft fair which begins daily at 5pm.
* Visit some of the "barracas" at Praia do Futuro (Future Beach).
* There is also a selection of shopping centres and malls.

  The State of Ceara has 600km of beaches, 300 to the east and 300 to the west of Fortaleza. For visitors to Fortaleza it is interesting to get to know not only the city, but to spend much of their holiday getting to know the other beaches in Ceara. Here we show a map of the Ceara coastline and suggest some of the places that should be visited. For those on a short stay there will not be time to see all the beaches, so we have marked the most important ones shown in green.

  As previously stated, the Hotel Pousada Icarai is excellently situated for easy reach of other beaches. There is no problem with parking, no noise, plenty of space, both inside the chalets and in the gardens surrounding them. For those with children, there's nothing like lying down in the hammock while the children are playing. All the chalets have a spacious veranda and thatched-roofed open air table where you can spend all day if you feel like it.

  For trips to the beaches on the East coast, little need be added to the journey due to the Fortaleza ring road which you then leave at the 30km milestone on the CE 040 close to Prainha. There is no need to go into Fortaleza to reach the other side.

  The beach at Porto das Dunas is of special interest for those with children because of the Beach Park, an aquatic theme park.

  Visitors staying at the Hotel Pousada Icarai are reminded that you can easily visit more than one beach in a day. We can help you with directions and information.

  We recommend you don't miss a buggy ride to take in the beaches at Icarai, Tabuba, Parnamirim Lake and dunes, Banana Lake, the River Cauipe and its dunes, Aguas Cristalinas and the Cauipe river mouth, returning via Cumbuco along 10km of beach and then the final 11km to the Hotel.

   This trip begins at 8:30 am and finishes around 5 pm, depending on the participants and how many places they stop at, since they can spend as much time as they like at each point of interest.

  The water in the river is warm and so clear and shallow that you can stand in it and watch the many colorful fish swimming around you.

  On the way back from the Cauipe river mouth to Cumbuco we pass by the spot where Rede Globo filmed the TV series "Meu Bem Querer" with the actor Murilo Benicio.

  We guarantee that the buggy ride to the dunes and beaches will be one of the high spots of your holiday in Ceara.

  For those guests who intend to hire a car, why not do the buggy trip on your first or second day, so that you don't waste a day's car hire?

  For those spending more time in Ceara, there is still the trip to the mountainous region, to Maranguape, Pacatuba, Macico de Baturité, Guaramiranga and others. The average distance to these places is 100km.

  The mountainous region is known for its lower temperatures and abundant greenness (shown as the green area on the map).

  All cars hired through the Hotel have 24 hour breakdown cover and due to the high volume hired through the Hotel, we are always assured of an excellent service. Cars are available with roof racks for watersport equipment and also child seats.