This was my 7th or 8th trip to Rio and Luis' apartment could not be in a more central location to the best of Ipanema. Two blocks to the beach, 5 blocks to Lagoa and within minutes of great restaurants, banks, markets and shopping. The building is very well maintained with 24/7 door man and feels very secure and quiet. The apartment, while a bit unusual in its layout (more on that in a minute) has arguably the best views in all of Ipanema. I have spent much more on penthouse apartments before where you had to get on your tiptoes to try and spot the ocean, or hopefully see something other then another building. Not the case here as you have nearly perfect, unobstructed 180 degrees views of the beach, dois Irmaos (two brothers), and even a nice side view of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue beautifully lit up every night. The views are simply magnificent and a delightfully peaceful at the end of the day. Luis (the host) is very personable, speaks very good English, and could not have been more accommodating. Very responsive and ready to assist anyway he can. The apartment is actually broken up into two areas separated by the outdoor space. The kitchen / dining area on one floor and the bedroom / bathroom on the other. There are actually two outdoor areas (one on each floor) and even includes a jacuzzi sized pool. Be aware that to move between the two areas you must go outside and up a flight of stairs so in the rain, this can be a bit inconvenient. I also had an internet problem the last few days of my trip but Luis tried to resolve even over the weekend (ultimately I believe was related to the provider not the apartment itself). All in all a great, central, little bit quirky, place to stay with a wonderfully accommodating host. Thanks Luis!