Silvia's apartment is indeed CHARMING! I traveled to Rio for the first time with my husband and a friend at the end of July. Top 3 reasons why Sylvia's apartment is top-notch (not in any particular ranking order):

-Location is super convenient. A block away from Ipanema (close to Posto 8 and 9), restaurants, shopping, hippie fair market, amazing fruit/veggie market and public transportation). Also really easy to get to Copacabana either walking, biking, or hopping on a bus.

-Cleanliness and functionality of apartment. The apartment is clean, stylish (loved Sylvia's decorating), and it has all the amenities needed. The kitchen was nicely stocked with all the cooking pots and utensils needed along with a good-sized fridge. We didn't really cook, but this is definitely a + for anyone who prefers to do some cooking. Other amenities that made our week stay so much easier were the wireless internet connection and a washer for clothes. We also loved the high ceilings in the apartment and the windows (nice breeze and lots of natural light).

-Friendliness and hospitality. The stay was even more enjoyable because of Sylvia and her husband's friendliness and thoughtfulness. They had cold bottles of water stocked in the fridge for us upon our check-in. Her husband, Daniel, spent more than 45 minutes with us on our first day there going over things to do and places to visit in Rio, provided maps to us, and gave us all their contact info if we needed to reach them. They are really easy-going and fun to talk to. We also really appreciated that they very accommodating and allowing us for flexible check-in and check-out. They are simply wonderful hosts.

Thank you, Silvia and Daniel!