Cesar's place is amazing, spacious and beautifully decorated. The bedroom was small-ish but used its space really well. It was very comfortable to live in. We had the downstairs living/dining, upstairs bedroom/lounge area & spa plus the rooftop to ourselves.
The other house occupants were very friendly but also kept to themselves. That said, they were also available if you needed to ask any questions. There’s a door that separates their living area from yours so you really do have the place to yourself. Ana, their maid, was extremely accommodating and cooked us a delicious breakfast every morning as well as made our room up if we were out during the day. Cesar was great with communication and had a huge list of suggestions for the area. Ipanema is a relatively safe place by Rio standards, although you still need to be mindful about wearing jewellery and walking alone at night). The apartment was very close to bars, restaurants, shopping as well as all of the main attractions of Rio (i.e. the beaches, Christ the redeemer, etc). The view from the rooftop is top notch. Can’t say enough good things about this place.
We had a minor issue with hot water but that was fixed quickly. Basically it’s turned off when not in use so if you don’t have any hot water just let them know and it will be fixed pronto. Also, in case people were wondering, the outdoor spa isn’t heated. Rio is normally pretty hot so it’s not something you usually need but mentioning it just in case anyone was expecting it to be.
Overall, it’s an amazing place I can’t recommend enough. Next time I’m in Rio it would be my first choice. Thanks for hosting us Cesar!