Overall, the Ipanema Penthouse was as advertised. The location is perfect, the north-facing views are quite beautiful and the apartment is spacious and comfortable. The apartment receives lots of sunlight which makes it even more beautiful, especially the upstairs sitting room and balcony. My family had a wonderful time in Rio, even though the weather did not cooperate and it rained for several days while we were there. Otherwise, for the most part, the condition of this apartment completely met our expectations. The appliances, including A/C, wi-fi and television, all worked properly, the apartment was clean, there was (really) hot water in both bathrooms (not to be taken for granted in Brazil) and we were able to use all of the features, including the kitchen, to our satisfaction. We had to "customize" on a few cooking utensils we needed that were not available in the kitchen in order to cook a couple of our meals, but there was a housewares store a block away, and we left our utensils in the kitchen for the benefit of future guests.

In addition to the condition of the apartment, however, I want to praise the quality of service and effort that the property owner and his local Rio team put into making guests feel at home. The owner and his team go "above and beyond" in providing detailed orientation and instruction for how to use the apartment and were very proactive in making sure that everything was in good working order upon our arrival.

Of course, this is not a hotel, but someone's home, and all of the basic rules of etiquette that go with being a guest in a home apply here as well - you need to take care of yourself, clean up after yourself and respect the property. But if you make the decision to be a guest in someone's property rather than stay in a hotel, you will be quite pleased with your decision if you select this property.

The apartment is on a quiet residential street with very little automobile traffic or noise from cars, which is quite nice. The only drawback that I had not expected - which is totally beyond the control of the owner - is that the building is next door to a school, which means there was an audible sound of children on the playground for most of the day. But since this is an urban environment, city noises of this sort are to be expected, and are unavoidable, and I prefer the sound of children laughing and playing to the sound of car motors and horns any day.