My husband and I stayed at Leila's apartment in Leblon for our first trip to Rio. We were there for a friend's wedding, and they actually lived down the street. The area was beautiful and laid-back with quiet, tree-lined streets and restaurants, supermarkets, great shopping and the beach nearby. Definitely one of the nicest places in Rio! The apartment was great- clean and nice with plenty of space, in a nice, safe doorman building. Leila was also super-communicative and sent us excellent recommendations for things to do, even though she was out of the country at the time of our visit. Highly recommend!