This is a great option for visitng Rio. My wife and I stayed here for a week during the Confederations Cup and both the apartment and the host were great! The apartment is very large. It has gated access with a 24 hour doorman who provides great service with a smile. It has a full kitchen, a washer/dryer, two bathrooms with showers, and small utility room (possible bedroom for 1 person or child), and a very large living area with living room set, pullout sofa, dining table, hell table full of maps, travel guides, dictionaries, and other information for your visit to Rio, wireless and wired internet, and a great entertainment center with a flat screen TV and hundreds of CD's to choose all kinds of music from.
Although the apartment does not have a street or ocean view, it's got really nice windows that open up towards the back and there is always plenty of light during the day. The bedroom has a shutter type window cover that really blocks out the light if you want to sleep in though.
The AC's in the apt work great, although we rarely used them since it was always in the 70's and there is a great breeze when the windows are open.
You cannot beat the location since you are less than a five minute walk to the water at Ipanema beach. We walked barefoot to the beach each time we went and had no problems! The is a 24 hour market across the street. You also have a Osorio Plaza across the street with a great artisan market on Sunday and a farmers market on Tuesdays. There is a subway station scheduled to be opened in October in the plaza that can take you downtown in just a few minutes. You can stay here a month and not visit all of the bars and restaurants within a 15 minute walk of the apt, and with the bikes you can get anywhere in the South Zone in a few minutes.
The best part of the apartment though, has to be the host. Felipe was a wonderful host that can really help make your trip to Rio memorable. He knows the city inside and out and really cares about makes sure your trip to Rio is a great one!