Giovana & Felipe were amazing hosts who I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone visiting Rio for the first time. They went out of their way to make me feel welcome from the very beginning. They checked in with me in advance the week of my arrival and arranged my airport pickup with a private car as well as making sure everything was going ok during my visit. Their place is a very clean and nice little beach condo in Barra Da Tijuca right across from the beach as advertised. There's a great little grocery store in the building that has everything you need including coffee and fresh pastries. I liked the local beach community vibe of the area and I was happy to be a bit removed from the main tourist areas of Ipanema and Copacabana while I was getting to know my way around Rio. I felt very safe in Barra compared to Copacabana where tourists have to be constantly on guard against theft. There aren't restaurants or nightlife within close walking distance but I was able to get a taxi at the taxi stand right outside the building anytime and went to Ipanema a couple of times for 50 real in about 30 minutes. Overall my experience was extremely positive.