Overall, I had an AMAZING stay and would definitely stay here again. I have stayed at about 10 AirBnB properties in Ipanema over the last few years, and this is by far one of the best apartments available.
LOCATION. This is located on Rua Prudential de Morais in between Rua Farme de Amoedo and Rua Teixeira de Melo, which is one of my favorite blocks in Ipanema. You are literally 1 block from the beach, supermarket, General Osorio metro, restaurants, and bars; just 2 blocks from ATMs, hair salons, gyms and other stores. This is also a safer part of Rio and perfect for tourists.
BOOKING/COMMUNICATION. Priscilla was always super responsive throughout the booking process and during my stay. I had some special requests and she was open to help me with all of them. At the end of my stay, we met up and she wanted all of my feedback to further improve her already-fabulous apartment, which is a sign of a great host.
BUILDING. Ipanema Palace is a super secure building with 24/7 doorman service, and you must pass through two locked gates for entry. There is a large air conditioned lobby perfect while waiting for Uber (the best, cheapest and safest way to get around Rio/Brazil). There is a large well kept pool for resident use. Each floor has 6 units. The building appears well maintained. There are 2 elevators for resident use, plus an additional service elevator - these all ran well with no long waits. There are cameras everywhere for added security.
APARTMENT. AMAZING!!! This is a 2-bedroom apartment, each bedroom having its own bathroom making it a double master suite unit. It has been totally renovated with very stylish Italian style design that is both beautiful and exceptionally functional. There are large split type air conditioner units in each bedroom as well as the living room, that allow you to cool/warm the unit in less than a minute. A large sliding mirror wall divides part of the common space so that the street facing bedroom can have additional private space. Both bedrooms are large by Rio standards, and have ultra-comfy mattresses with nice linens (roupa da cama). There is tons of closet space for guests. What used to be a balcony has been enclosed making the apartment even larger, and so well designed, that you cannot tell it used to be a balcony. The kitchen comes well stocked with flatware, plates, cups, pots, and all the appliances you could ask for (full stove, oven, microwave, toaster oven, blenders, Nespresso coffee maker, and more). The refrigerator is full-sized and has a built-in water filter so you do not even need to lug water home from the supermarket. There is built-in counter-style seating for 4 on the backside of the kitchen island plus a breakfast table for 4 by the street-front window. The clothes washer was great and did an excellent job at both washing and drying; there was also a clothes rack for further drying if needed. The living room had a very comfortable sofa should you want to watch TV on the flat screen (although you really should be out enjoying Rio) and an AppleTV unit to stream your iPhone/Mac. All of the owner's personal possessions were locked up in cabinets and drawers that were hidden away such as under the beds, and under the living room entertainment system, so all of the other cabinets/closets were fully available for guest use.
SAFETY. As mentioned, Ipanema is one of the safest parts of Rio, and this building does a great job of keeping everything secure.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. There is no perfect unit out there, but this apartment pretty much comes close to it. The host is changing out some blinds for the windows and making a few tiny adjustments to make the unit even better.
OVERALL, one of my favorite apartments in Ipanema/Rio and I will definitely be back.