It seems that the cities of tropical Northeast Brazil have been gaining popularity in the international tourism circuit. Natal, Fortaleza, Recife, and Salvador are now fighting to be crowned as the most visited city in Brazil.

Squeezed between Pernambuco, and Ceará's Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba remains off the radar, which is fortunate because the beaches there are virtually untouched.  Therefore it is clean and quiet. There are only a few hotels to choose from, but nevertheless they all can accommodate holiday makers comfortably. The culture is rich and its people are friendly.

The city of Teresina was named after Empress Teresa Cristina. She was so venerated in Piaui that two other cities were named after her. Teresina's claim to Brazil's history was in 1852, when it became the first city ever to be planned. The checker board like city is also the only city in the north east of Brazil that does not hug the coast line.

Every street in Teresina is lined with mango trees, which is why it has earned the moniker of being the greenest city in Brazil, albeit the hottest. Although located inland, Teresina has mini beaches of its own.  This is due to the two rivers that border the city itself. Poti and Parnaiba provides Teresina with something like a beach during the months of drought, when the waters retreat and sand banks form lakes.

Maceió is a city that results if you add all the wonderful things about other coastal cities in Brazil like food, quality of life, safety, charm, sultry night life, beaches, and azure waters minus the overcrowding. In fact, if you ranked the most beautiful places in Brazil you might even be surprised that Maceió beats them all.

Many travelers are surprised to see that Maceió can offer all the things that Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo combined. The crystal clear water of the city gets even more so the farther south or north you go. Swimming and snorkeling are the main activities the coastline is encompassed by reefs that prevent fierce waves from breaking on shore.  Maceió is the scuba diving capital of Brazil.

Well known beaches are dotted with hotels, restaurants, beach bars, and boat excursions, but incase you prefer the quieter places there are remote and nearly deserted beaches.

So, you're in the tube riding happily on your way back to your flat, when suddenly you hear two people talking about how drab the weather in London can be, and how they wished they could go somewhere tropical. Then you can't help but overhearing that you could purchase an idyllic home with a pool sitting on 10 acres of gorgeous land for £50,000 and maybe even under.

Of course, you'll be flabbergasted, where in the world can you find such a steal? So you continue to eavesdrop, you hear the words Brazil, Bahia, and Salvador. In a trance, you get home and immediately look those places up on the internet.