Overall we had a very enjoyable stay in this apartment.

What we liked:

- Outstanding location. The apartment is in the heart of Ipanema, well situated between the beach and the lagoon (which is a treat for walking / running), and giving easy access to shops, bars, restaurants and transport.

- Service. Alastair sent a very thorough email ahead of our trip to brief us, and we were greeted, briefed and given good advice by Ellie on arrival. The friendly doormen also provided convenient access, and looked after our bags prior to check-in (we arrived on an early flight).

- The place is comfortably spacious, with the highlights being the terrace looking onto the Christo Redentor, and the super-king sized bed. It’s also well equipped with a variety of appliances – from washer, dryer, kettle and toaster to flat screen TV’s, sandwich toaster, DVD players and more - all in good working order.

What we didn’t like:

- The apartment is located next to some sort of school / activity centre for young children. The noise from the place started from just after 7am (whilst we were there anyhow) and continued into the late afternoon. We like to sleep until 8 to 9am during our holidays but this proved impossible. Obviously this is outside of an owner’s control, but it’s a material consideration that should have been mentioned in the listing (although we should have taken better note of other reviews which did do so). Fortunately we did not spend much time in the apartment and to be fair, there are double-paned windows in place that muffle the noise if / when closed.

One last tip:

- The listing mentions the possibility of arranging a transfer with Alastair’s driver for R$140, which we did. It was certainly very convenient to be met in a foreign country by a driver without worries about language difficulties and trying to make your own way to the apartment. However we subsequently learnt that Uber operates extensively in Rio and it is extremely reliable and much cheaper than taxis, and it cost us 75% less on our return. Had we known, we might have looked at other options.