This is a detailed review. For those who don't want to read the whole thing ... my review is going to be good.

We are a group of Americans in our 50s who travelled to Rio for the Olympics ... specifically, we are one married couple and one single man. We prepaid for the rental nearly a year in advance. Prepayment can be nerve-wracking (especially in emerging economies), but Bruno was so responsive to all of our questions that by the time we arrived, we were confident that we had chosen a nice place.

The apartment itself was very nice. Small, but efficient. There is a large bedroom with a view and a second bedroom that has a small en suite bathroom with a toilet and sink. Additionally, there is a full sized bathroom with toilet, sink and shower between the two bedrooms. It would have been nice if the en suite in the second bedroom had a shower, but it is a small criticism. There is a comfortable living area, a kitchen and laundry area. All very functional. Each room has a very nice air conditioner (which I love) and there is a programable safe.

We stayed for ten days and had two cleaning services during that stay ... the cleaning service was unexpected, but welcome.

We brought our own laundry "pods," but there were four "pods" available for use on top of the washer/dryer. The kitchen has fridge, stove and oven and an excellent drip coffee maker.

We arrived before the appointed check-in, while the apartment was still being cleaned from the previous guests. Bruno arranged for us to drop our bags at the apartment. This allowed us to explore a bit before we took possession of the apartment at 3:00 p.m.

When we checked out by 11:00 a.m., we left our bags with the doorman until our car came to return us to the airport that night.

The apartment is very clean and very nice. I would recommend it to anybody.

One nice aspect is the doorman on duty 24/7. He lets you in and out of the building. Then there is a "key pad" to unlock the door ... which means ... NO KEYS! One less thing to worry about.

This was our first trip to Rio, and we feel we chose wisely when we selected Ipanema. The neighborhood around the apartment felt safe (there was an increased police presence during the Olympics ... but I believe I would have felt safe anyway) and there were many restaurants and bars to choose from. Several restaurants were opened quite late (which is nice).

Easy walking distance to Ipanema Beach and to the General Ozario Metro Station. For average folks, Copanbana Beach is walkable as well.

We had a great time and Bruno was a great host. I strongly recommend this apartment. Jeff F. from Madison, Wisconsin, USA