Experience the best of Maceió

Maceió sits between the Atlantic and the Mundaú lagoon on the north-east coast of Brazil. Its city beaches, Pajuçara, Ponta Verde and Jatiúca, run along a palm-lined seafront of kiosks and walking paths. At low tide, small sailing rafts called jangadas carry people out to natural pools in the reef off Pajuçara, where colourful fish gather in the shallow, clear water.

South of town, Praia do Francês is a favourite for swimming and surfing. The Mundaú lagoon, edged with mangroves and fishing villages, is explored by boat. To the north the Coral Coast leads to São Miguel dos Milagres and on to Maragogi, where reef pools called the Galés form offshore, clear enough to see the fish from the surface.

Sururu, a small lagoon mussel cooked in coconut milk or stewed, is Maceió's best-known dish, along with tapioca crepes, sun-dried beef, grilled fish and prawns. Green coconuts are sold on every beach. The weather is warm all year, with the main rains between April and August.