A buddy and I stayed here for 3 days during the world cup and could not have been more pleased with our stay. Thiago and his family were the perfect hosts and we couldn't have imagined staying anywhere else. The view was just fantastic, the breakfast prepared by Thiago's mother was delicious, and the bathrooms cleaned every day.

As others have said be prepared for a small hike to reach the destination, but after the first couple of times you walk up the hill you get used to it (plus its good exercise to burn off all the caipirinhas you will be consuming.). If you do not feel like walking there is a small army of moto-taxis at the bottom of the hill that take you to the house for $R3.

If you are worried about the safety while staying in a flavela, I assure you that safety is NOT an issue here. The locals are beyond nice and we never felt unsafe during our stay and that includes walking back alone at 3-4 in the morning.

Do yourself a favor and make yourself a reservation to stay here. The perfect place to stay while in Rio. You will not regret it.