We stayed at Matteo's apartment in Rio for 8 days during New Year's period. The building is conveniently located near banks, supermarkets, drugstores, bookstores, bakeries and restaurants. It's a block away from Copacabana beach and very well connected through metro, buses and taxis to the other beaches and attractions in Rio. The apartment itself has been recently renovated and the furniture and the equipment in general are new. The air conditioning and fans do the job in the very hot summer days (over 40°C / 104°F). Also, Matteo is an extremely nice person and is always ready to help. Overall, this is a very good pick.