We felt very welcome and taken care of with Ricardo. It was nice to spend time at the Varandão, make a cup of coffee and lie on the hammock. The whole Varandão is covered with a roof so the sun doesn't really shine directly inside the place. The only minor problems we had there were to do with with the rain coming inside from the roof next to the kitchen and one cockroach falling to an ear. We had prepared ourselves for the the outside noise so that the samba carnival at 4 o'clock AM didn't bother us too much. :) The neighbourhood was lively and interesting, although we avoided going down the street at quiet times. The stairs of Selarón were in heavy use, though. The taxi (Easy Transfer) that took us to Ilha Grande left from the same street, so that was handy for us. The first thing we saw in the morning when we woke up was the beautiful view and the micos climbing on the bushes next to the Varandão. All in all, we had a great experience living at the Varandão next to Lapa and in the heart of Santa Teresa!