Alexandre’s place is probably quite luxurious when compared to house standards in Brazil. The outdoor area is very nice to sit and idle away the hours in the sunshine reading a book but the location of the unit being only 200m or so from Ipanema beach means you’re more likely to take your book and head down there. The pool also is a luxury and is very clean, but it is very small. No more than 1 adult can be in it at one time. We had need to contact Alexandre regularly during our stay and he was very, very responsive and helpful. Hopefully the drainage issues we experienced have been fixed by the time this review is published. In summary, when travelling in South America it’s a decision that needs to be taken by the traveller themselves as to whether or not to stay in a home environment that AirBnB places can provide and put up with the shortcomings of Brazilian/South American plumbing and hot water systems or to stay in 4+ star hotels that can provide the ‘luxury’ Europeans, Australians, North Americans and other first world travellers expect but have the drawback of shared services.