We stayed 8 nights at Marcelo's lovely apartment in Santo Amaro/Santa Teresa. Marcelo was a fantastic host: he picked us up from the airport despite us arriving at 11pm and took us on a tour of the city. His house is one floor up in the lift and he offered us the use of his pool and living room/kitchen for extra cooking space although there was more than enough in our flat. He looked after us really well without imposing. He gave us advice on local sights/bars/restaurants and took us up to a local acai station for drinks.
The apartment is a great base to explore both Santa Teresa and Lapa, and you can get to Copcabana beach in 45mins. It's a bit of a walk (about 15mins) from Gloria metro station but we felt safe and really enjoyed the area.
The apartment is clean and big enough to cook/relax without feeling cramped. Price was v reasonable. We really enjoyed our stay and would stay again - thank you.