Angelica (the host) was awesome and super responsive right from the first email to check availability to the day of arrival.

The Gloria metro station is down the road, and super convenient. The neighborhood feels more authentic and local than other touristy areas. We walked to both Santa Teresa and Lapa from the apartment, and had no trouble at all. The neighborhood appears to be fairly quiet (except the day Brazil played Colombia in the QF of the World Cup, when it was a party until the wee hours of the morning!). Never felt unsafe. There is a pharmacy and a super-market right next to the Metro, so that was very convenient to pick stuff up on the way back to the apartment.

The apartment has a nice living room with a TV. The larger bedroom has an actual bed, TV, and AC. Two people can comfortably sleep here. The other smaller room has a mattress on the floor that can accommodate two people, but no AC or TV. The smaller bedroom also has a desk in it. The kitchen was reasonably stocked with cookware, plates and glasses. There are two bathrooms in the apartment. One has a shower, mirror, and a toilet, whereas the other only has a toilet and a sink. Having two bathrooms is incredibly useful in the morning as people get ready for the day, and for those emergency situations!

Angelica provided us with clean linen, towels, and bottled water. She even left some snacks in the kitchen. She was always available if we needed her, but we never did actually need her. She only speaks Portuguese, and we didn't speak any Portuguese. Despite this we were able to communicate adequately and had no trouble. She was very accommodating and was a great host.

We highly recommend the apartment and Angelica for your next trip to Rio!