I went to Rio de Janeiro recently with a friend of mine and stayed at Jose's apartment in Ipanema. Overall, the apartment is charming, generally well-kept and nicely located in the heart of the district. It has two good-sized bedrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen and a bathroom that works mostly well (the hot water heater tends to shut off from time to time, making for some unpleasant surprises in the shower... The trick is to turn off the hot water faucet completely and then back on... You'll hear the heater ignite again). Jose's staff was very accommodating with regards to arrivals and departures and sought to make our stay as pleasant as possible.
There were, however, a few downsides that should be mentioned. The apartment, while generally ok in the cleanliness department, was lacking in certain respects. At least one of the bedrooms had a clear bedbug problem (I woke up with more than a few bites on my arms and legs, although my travel mate seems to have been spared). The kitchen counters and bathroom sink attract quite a few ants, which is never a pleasant experience (be sure to put **all** your food in the fridge, including bread and any condiments such as jams and peanut butter!). Finally, the neighbours are fairly noisy and we'd often hear loud crashes and shouting in the courtyards outside the bedroom windows early in the morning.
A decent stay overall. The price of the apartment is fairly standard for what you'll find in Ipanema. Nevertheless, having rented in the same area in recent years, I know for certain you can find cleaner, more modern and less noisy apartments in Ipanema for around the same price.