Unfortunately, Ana was in the hospital while we stayed in her house, what was probably the reason for the room and the bath/toilet (which we had to share with other guests, by the way) not being entirely clean. The house has definitely seen better days, but has a style and the garden is gorgeous: we could even see the monkeys in the trees! The house is located in Santa Theresa which is known as a bit dodgy area (due to its proximity to the slums), but we have not experienced any problems in this respect. Santa Theresa itself is really beautiful and this is a good location to explore Lapa and Centro (the bus stop is just next to the house), but it's a bit far away for a quick swim in Copacabana or Ipanema. Internet was available and breakfast was good (try the freshly made pineapple-mint juice - yummy!).