Claudio was a wonderful host and I had a great time at his place! The apartment's location cannot be beaten as it is less than a block away from the beach and another block and a half away from the convenient street of Ataulfo de Paiva.
Antonio the doorman is one of the nicest and most trustworthy people I have met. Rose the maid who came weekly was very thorough and organized.
One thing to note is when the wifi stopped working at the apt and Claudio was traveling. Even though he was in Hong Kong, he managed to sort everything out in less than a day and in the meantime asked his neighbor for his wifi.
Overall, I couldnt have picked a better place for my first month in Rio!