Maria Jose's apartment is perfect for a stay in Rio. It is ideally located, about a block from Ipanema beach, right next to a metro station, and in a very safe neighborhood, full of restaurants and bars. The apartment itself is beautiful and newly renovated; the quality of accomodation is on par with a very nice hotel. While Maria Jose lives in the apartment, as a guest you have total privacy: the room, which is spacious, has it's own private bathroom with a private entrance and its own Air Conditioner. Maria Jose, herself is very sweet, and although she doesn't speak English, you can get along in Spanish. Her children (who don't live in the apartment) speak perfect English and were very helpful in setting up the reservation and in providing tips for visiting Rio. When we missed our connection because of snow, Maria Jose was kind enough to let us arrive and leave a day later than we had originally planned, which was exceptionally helpful to us. In sum, I highly recommend staying here and thank Maria Jose and her children for their generous hospitality.