We had a great time staying with the very welcoming and very helpful Moara and her husband Macau. The room was as described with an excellent opening onto the balcony outside. We unfortunately don't speak much Portugese but it doesn't matter because Moara and Macau are very friendly and Moara speaks quite good English. The neighbourhood of Laranjeiras is very safe and in a good position for the sights of Rio. It is only 10 mins walk to Christ the Redeemer and a 20-30 minute bus trip to Copacababa/Ipanema (as long as you miss the rush hours). There are restaurants, bakery's, banks and supermarkets very close by and we felt very safe here at night. We stayed during the World Cup and will be returning in just over a week. Highly recommend staying here!