Cristina allowed us to check in early, which was great as our flight arrived in Rio at 8:00 in the morning. We were met at the apartment as arranged, and found a bowl of candy and a bowl of fruit waiting for us. The location was great for beach access, just a few blocks from both Ipanema and Copacabana. We ended up taking a cab to the Leblon area most nights, as it had more interesting restaurants, though.