We were very disappointed in this unit and the deceptive photos. It would lead you to believe you have an ocean view, but you do not. The only way to get a photo of the ocean is to bend over the ledge and stick your arm and camera out as you see in photo #2. Photo #5 was the same shot only they used a telephoto lens to indicate you are much closer to the beach than you are. Your only view from this unit (without having to bend over a ledge and crank your head) is that of run-down roof tops and a favela (slum). When I asked where the umbrella was so we could enjoy sitting outside as it was indicated in 2 pictures, I was told there was none. The comfortable looking couch has been replaced with a large unit that folds into a bed and now is your only option on which to watch TV, as the pictured love seat has also been removed. To watch TV so your back has support (the bottom cushion is at least a meter deep) you have to scoot all the way to the back so your feet stretch out straight in front of you with your ankles hanging over the edge. Laptop friendly workspace is listed, but the only space available is at the dining room table between the television and the kitchen. Having to do a fair amount of work and multiple conference calls, this was a disappointment and quite inconvenient to anyone cooking or watching TV. I tried working outside, but since there was no umbrella it was difficult, and the neighbor smoked constantly and told me to turn down my music I had playing at a conversational level at 3:00PM.
Maintenance was an issue during our visit including 2 failing range top burners, a kitchen cupboard that would not remain closed, a jammed closet door in the bedroom not allowing you to open drawers, the lock and closing mechanism fell off the sliding door leaving us unsecured for 2 nights before it was fixed, clogged kitchen drain and lights were out above the range top. The room darkening shade broke in the master bedroom and we were told they didn’t know when it would be fixed due to Covid19 restrictions, so we moved all our things to the back bedroom only to have it fixed 3 days later.
The Netflix app on the Samsung smart TV has a bug that allows only access to Portuguese version and does not allow you to access the menu or change the language. When we complained, no one could figure it out so the owner sent me a link to a website to try to figure it out on my own.
There is a homeless encampment 100 feet from the front door where 2-3 people huddle under a blanket outside a pet shop that you need to pass in order to get to the nearest grocery store. Positive comments – it was clean, the beds were comfortable, and the bathrooms had nice showers just as pictured. I suggest they rearrange the furniture to make for a comfortable TV viewing or conversation experience, improve their preventative maintenance program so the apartment is in full repair before guests arrive, be honest about the lack of view, and be current in their descriptions of the furniture