This was an apartment located in an upscale district in Rio that wasnt cheap and did not meet the basic standards. Here are the negative and positive points:
Negative:
- The AC in the small room was not working and the guest that would stay there had to stay in the living room. When we checked in, the husband of the host mentioned he was aware of the AC not working, but because it was a holiday, he couldnt find anybody to fix it. He said he would send somebody the next morning. We stayed there for 5 nights, but nobody ever came to fix the AC or even communicated with us about it. The 3rd bedroom wasnt used, we could had rented a 2 bedroom apartment instead.
- The apartment was dirty. The pots inside the kitchen cabinets had old dry food stuck in it, there was dust on the furniture (on the shelves, on the living room decor, on the lamp in the bedrooms), and the bathrooms had toothpaste stains from the previous guest in the toothbrush holders. Very gross. We paid the cleaning fee so the least we expected was to find a clean apartment.
- The shower situation has to be fixed. The water was never in a constant temperature during the entire shower in all bathrooms, which was frustrating and annoying since we all had to spend a while in the shower adjusting the temperature. Honestly we never got more than 3 minutes of good temperature. Out of a sudden the water got extremely cold or burning hot even tho we didnt touch the 2 water nobs. The water heating system def doesnt work because even if the hot water was on and the cold water was off, the water came out of the shower very very cold. HOW? WHY?
- The parking space that comes with the apartment is in a garage level that does not have direct access to the elevators. The guests must use the stairs to go 1 level up or down to then access the elevator. This was an issue when we checked in and checked out since we all had suitcases and bags to carry. The hosts should had told us about it. If the guest has a baby stroller, is a senior or has injured legs, foot or knee for example, this will def be a problem.
- They only provided 1 key, so when the guests split in 2 different groups, it was an issue. We couldnt even leave the door unlocked because the door nob wasnt working properly. The only way to open the door was using the key.
- The utensils and items in the apartment were not in the best shape. The towels had holes and stains, we used our beach towels when showered. The plates and cups didnt match - there were 2 wine glasses,and the other glasses came in multiple sizes and kinds. Not a set. Same with plates. Disappointing considering the price we paid for the apartment.
The positive points include:
The apartment was in a perfect location, safe street with lots of bars and restaurants and only 3 blocks from the beach. The beds were comfortable, the apartment was bright and spacious and with doorman 24/7.
If all the issues we had were fixed, we would stay there again and recommend to friends.