The location of Karen's apartment is - in one word - perfect. The place is literally two blocks from the beach and one block from metro, which will take you to Copacabana, Botafogo, Centro and further. The area itself is safe and very nice. The apartment was clean and well taken care of. Our group of four had no problems fitting in and we thoroughly enjoyed our 10-day stay. We never met Karen in person but had no problems arranging the check-in and check-out. I'd definitely recommend the place.