Every Brazilian seems to have a handy list of must-see destinations to share with random tourists they stumble upon—90% of the time, I actually have to check the map to find the unique place they’re talking about.
This is probably why I’m addicted to Brazil. It’s a huge country with hundreds of hidden gems only Brazilians know about.
I mean, have you ever heard of Maragogi? Neither did I until I started to explore the Nordeste—it’s a town roughly halfway between Recife and Maceió famous for white-sand beaches and crystal-clear warm water.
It was on my list, but staying in Maragogi is expensive. I considered taking a day trip from Maceió but it’s still far, so you have to leave… at 4:30 a.m.
“Are you serious?”
“It’s okay, you can sleep in the van!”
Yeah, nope. I mean, not for a day trip.
So I went to São Miguel dos Milagres instead. It’s still 100 kilometres from Maceió but departure time was 7 a.m., a hell of a lot better than 4:30 a.m. I mean, I know sunrise is early in the Nordeste, but still.
The van dropped us off at the “Restaurante receptivo milagres do porto,” a big restaurant/beach club/bar/playground complex. Not exactly my kind of place. I walked through, straight to the beach. This was going to be the meetup point for me, that’s it.
I stepped on the sand, still sleepy and blinded by the sun.
The scenery was gorgeous.
Yes, it did look like a picture-perfect Caribbean beach—white sand, turquoise water, colourful fishing boats and palm trees.
I started walking south and I kept going for quite a while. It reminded me of Tulum, in Mexico—a long, empty stretch of beach with fancy pousadas and boutique hotels right on the beach, the building hidden behind coconut trees and mangroves.
Lovely scenery but so-so atmosphere—it felt a bit posh and exclusive because of all the pousadas and it lacked the typical Brazilian beach vibe I found in Praia do Gunga because most people just hang out at one of the beach clubs.
I eventually ended up in a more “normal” part with regular beach bums coming for the day and not staying a week as hotel guests, then I checked out the small town.
Still a lovely place but a very “Robinson Crusoe” experience if you don’t like beach clubs.
