The apartment felt more like a room in a budget hotel than an apartment with character. It looks like it has been cheaply and hastily furnished for Airbnb use with the bare minimum and nobody ever lived or planned to live there.
On arrival, the host was not there. The keys were left with the doorman who did not speak English. Luckily we had a friend with us who spoke Portuguese, otherwise it could have been quite a problem.
The shower is absolutely terrible. It's one of those flimsy electrical showers that warm up water as it flows through. Therefore, we had to choose between proper water flow or warm water, both was not an option. We went for the middle and ended up having showers with a pathetic, weak lukewarm stream of water. Also no hot water in the bathroom sink. The air conditioning made so much noise that the neighbors complained and warned us that it might catch fire (!).
There were absolutely no essentials in the apartment, except 3 small bars of soap. There was only 1 electrical outlet near the bed, so not exactly a "laptop friendly workspace" either (we had to take turns using the outlet!).
On the plus side, the location is indeed fantastic. It's right in the heart of Ipanema, with tons of nice shops and restaurants around. The beach is only a 5 minute walk away. It also feels very safe, even very late at night.
We would recommend this place to travellers who want a great location but don't plan on spending much time in the apartment (or showering!).