We stayed with Paulo and Patricia for a week in the middle of May, and we were very pleased that we did. The location of the apartment is brilliant for the Copacabana area and a very simple walk to Ipanema. It's great for connections via buses and the Metro itself is only a very short walk away (the Ipanema station is a lot closer than it looks on the map).

The apartment itself feels very safe, it's gated and a doorman is on staff at all times. There are two lifts which were being refurbished while we visited, although these are a little small we only had problems being able to get on one on the very last day (so nothing really significant). You'll soon get used to their quirks! :)

Frankly, having returned home now we're really missing the ability to walk out of the building and turn right - then cross one road and reach Copacabana beach! Restaurants nearby are easy to get to - there's one next door which does a good lunch by the kilo, and really good restaurants within easy walking distance.

Paulo and Patricia themselves are super helpful - we were spending our wedding anniversary while in Rio and they recommended somewhere to go for a special dinner. They made everything really simple as it felt like we could have asked them anything about our trip while we were there - it's always good to have a friend in a foreign country to help you out! If we ever go back to Rio, I would seriously consider staying here again as a priority.