What a truly marvelous city is Rio de Janeiro! We were very happy to stay in this beautiful and relatively quiet part of town, off the beaten track and all the way up the hill. Santa Teresa is a charming neighbourhood well worth the daily climbing up and down to get around.
Marcelo has a beautiful classical house built on a hillside in several levels, with a fine view from his terrace and swimming pool. You might share the pool with one of the two dogs, who are both very sweet creatures.
The part where we stayed is a separate apartment just below this terrace. With two people you'll have lots of space and the place is simply furnished and with rather basic amenities but fine. A very light sleeper might be woken by the occasional nightly traffic in the street as the windows are not sound proof, but some earplugs will do the trick.
Marcelo is a great host who is always ready to be of service. He knows a great deal about the city and loves to tell you all the inside information. We felt very welcome at his place and we loved the liveliness of Rio.