I turned to AirBNB when I discovered, after having booked my flight to Rio, that a UN conference would be in town on the same dates and there were no hotels available. I was nervous about the AirBNB experience but Anastasia and Alex reassured me throughout the process, answering all my questions promptly (usually within 5 minutes), and Alex even added me on Facebook so I could tell they are "real" people. My flight ended up being delayed by 12 hours, but they accommodated my late arrival with no problems. I texted Alex when I landed, and he texted right back to say he was already at the apartment waiting. The studio is in a very safe neighborhood (walked around at night with no problems or worries, and just a 5-minute walk from the Copacabana beach), and the apartment itself is in a building with a 24-hour guard and security gate. When I arrived, Alex was there waiting outside the apartment. He spent about 30 minutes showing me the studio, how to work the various devices, recommended the best local restaurants and how to get around town, and even offered to drive me to Christo Redentor the following day. The studio itself is on the small side, but being from Manhattan I am used to tight quarters and so it was comfortable for my needs -- the size of an average hotel room. All the amenities are top-notch and just how they appear in the photos. Some extra perks were the two Internet options (one cable, one 3G in case one or the other goes down), which were slow but reliable, and an audio jack that plugs into a great surround-sound system. All in all there were no negatives, and I would absolutely stay here again -- the studio and Alex and Anastasia made the whole experience wonderful. In fact, I moved to the Sheraton (3x the price) after three days at the studio for a business conference and wish I would have stayed in the studio instead, as it was a much better experience. Highly recommended!