Axel was a perfect host and always very helpful and at the same time gave his guests the space they needed. He speaks fluent English, French and Portuguese (and probably even more languages!) and is very welcoming to his guests. I highly recommended to other Air Bnb users and to will speak highly to friends and family of the him as a host and his property and for sure will stay again if I ever return to Rio. My husband and I stayed in the Manga Room which had a stunning view from the balcony of the city, favela, sugarloaf, the jungle and Botafogo! I loved waking up on my 30th birthday to the serenity of the view from the balcony! The walk down the favela was very safe and the smiles & waves of the people when you walk down made my experience enjoyable. The area is well located and the all the taxis in our experience knew the location once we showed them on paper and all of them drove us up the hill pass the guard point which was great if you have luggage. We had been in Rio for a few weeks already sharing with friends in another Air Bnb apartment in Copacabana which was great being near the beach but wanted to change scenery for 3 nights at the Casa 48 to see more of real Brazil and it's people. My favourite times were just relaxing on the hammock most of the day enjoying the view watching the kites and birds in the sky and exploring the surrounding areas around the Favela. Thank you so much Axel for accepting us into your beautiful home and for the fun times at the local Samba party Axel hosts on the other level of the house monthly! It was perfect timing to celebrate the end of my 20's and we wish you and your Casa the best for the future :)