For the two of us this was wonderful. There is a 10 minute walk to the nearest public transportation, which was fine as we were in no hurry. Within a day or three we had learned how to use all of Rio's forms of public transportation and had no trouble going anywhere. Maybe the best bonus for us was that we managed to arrive in time for a week of rain, and during those times we decided to stay in for a few hours there was plenty of room to be comfortable, and we could still enjoy the fantastic view. We enjoyed Jennifer and her really nice two kids when we saw them, always at our instigation. Helpful as needed, but not invasive in any way. While it is true that on the weekend the joyfulness of the Lapa nightlife did drift up at a noticeable volume, it was not as loud as our own neighborhood sometimes is and it did not keep us awake. A huge plus is a filtered water tap with delicious water, there to fill a day's worth of water bottles every morning. And finally, where else have you ever been where just two blocks away you could get a smoked lizard sandwich?