We enjoyed staying at Ricardo's apartment very much. It's conveniently located in a safe neighborhood with 24-hour security, with the metro close by and taxi stand right outside the building. The apartment is very nice and It was great to have the terrace. Part of the service is a cleaner 3 times a week - that made our stay so much nicer. Ricardo was a lovely host, leaving us water, soda, a beautiful fruit bowl and flowers. He responded very quickly to questions. The only snag we had was no hot water in the kitchen. Ricardo had a plumber come in right away but the fix needed substantial work that couldn't be done while we were there. He is going to take care of it for future guests. Not listed in the description - it's about a 10 minute walk to the beach and be aware it's a bit of an incline on the walk back. I would recommend Ricardo's place for a safe, comfortable stay in Rio.