Staying over at Axel's place was great!

The location is perfect, on the hill of Santa Teresa with a great view of the Pao de Açucar, good access to Rio's main districts (either by bus to Lapa/Centro, or walking down the hill down to Laranjeiras where there are many buses for Copacabana/Ipanema/Urca...), and walking distance from really nice streets, bars and restaurants in the neighborhood.

Overall I much preferred Santa Teresa than districts such as Ipanema or Copacabana where most tourists go. During my four-day stay, I went to see views from Rio from the different hills and points of views, and the view from Axel's flat is literally the nicest one. You can see the sun rise behind the Pao de Açucar every morning from the terrace.

The best is to go live there when Axel is home, so that he can give you good advice about what to do in town. He knows many places not listed in guides that are really worth it. Concerning the favela, it is a safe place, and an interesting experience to discover this part of Rio. Indeed, a great part of Rio inhabitants actually live in a favela and go work down their hill. Therefore visiting Rio without even seeing what life in a favela looks like is not really visiting.

I highly recommend this place!