Location location location. Fernanda’s apartment is excellently located 2.5 blocks from the beach. 24/7 very large supermarket, ATMs and pharmacies are around the block, the metro station is 4 blacks away, all major bus lines stop within two blocks, very good bars and restaurants are all within walking distance including a “Subway” sandwich store. Returning from a downtown disco one late night (early morning) we asked the taxi driver to take us to a good place to eat good food, anyplace would do. He took us to Cervantes, incredibly just a few steps away from the apartment! A major shopping center is a fifteen-minute walk .

The apartment is fully equipped, plenty of towels, sheets, hangers in the closet, all the necessary cooking utensils, large brand new fridge, clothes washer, etc. The shower is strong and the gas-powered heater provides endless hot water. The free high-speed internet is a definite plus and, if you come from the U.S., the possibility to call home at no added expense is also a welcome bonus.

The only downside we could find is that the sunlight shines right onto the bed very early in the morning. A “blackout” would have helped. This was my first experience with Airbnb. Airbnb’s professional pictures also makes the apartment look larger than it really is, but I guess that is the same with the other listed apartments (see https://www.airbnb.com/info/photography). A coffee table which appears in one of the pictures was stored above the closet and for space-sake, we kept it there.

Overall, we found Fernanda to be a terrific host and answered all of our e-mailed questions within a couple of hours. Having lived in Rio as a kid I did not really have to rely on her too much but I’m sure she would have been an excellent tourist guide as well (she e-mailed me a list of must-see attractions). Definitely recommendable!