Maresias, once known for its surfing community and nightlife, is changing. Now the beach, located in the Northern part of São Paulo's coast, boasts a night bike path, hostels up in the hills and walls covered with street art. The urban changes follow a new public that adopted the beach in the last decade.
In a sort of parallel with the state's capital, São Paulo, Maresias, which in the 1990s and 2000s was a summer extension of the posh Vila Olímpia neighborhood, now wants to look more like the hipstery Vila Madalena.
It's no wonder that the most visible sign of the change is the new Wonder Woman Alley; a beachside version of Vila Madalena's Batman Alley: a narrow street connecting two main roads, with newly installed lights and walls covered with street art.
Wonder Woman Alley's official opening happens on Friday (16th), with music concerts, art exhibition, and movie showings. The name is not only a pun with its São Paulo inspiration but also a way to honor the female artists that took part in the project.
The idea is that the alley should become the final point of Maresias' bike path. The lane is not new, but it only received lighting in early 2018.
Another novelty in Maresias is a new hostel, installed in a large house in the beach's hills. With a swimming pool and a gorgeous view of the ocean, foreign tourists make up almost half of the guests.
Translated by NATASHA MADOV