We felt at home at Roberto’s place. The apartment was clean, it had everything we needed for a very comfortable stay. Both rooms have air conditioning now by the way. We were able to receive visits from family and Roberto was very prompt in replying to our inquiries and gone out of his way to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable. We would definitely come back again.
As for location, Leme has a calmer chill vibe than Copa and Ipanema. We had our 9yo son with us, and it was perfect for him to swim. Btw, there are few stores on the street behind the building selling swimming apparel like floaties and bodyboards.
One block from the apartment there was a supermarket, a taxi stop, a Padaria (where you can have a quick breakfast - like Papaya with oats smoothie, toasted French bread with laughing cow cheese and açaí - buy fresh bread, ice cream, etc). Roberto has left beach chairs and umbrella at the apartment but we chose to just pay for it at the beach: R$8 per chair and R$10 for an umbrella. Most kiosks at the beach accept credit cards. One day we rented 3 chairs, 1 umbrella, ordered 3 beers and 2 coconut water and total cost was around £20. Also cab rides from the apartment to Sugar loaf are around R$18, to Corcovado was R$30 and to AquaRio was R$40. We felt very safe.