Nereu is an incredible host. We needed a late check out because our flight back to the U.S. did not leave until 10:40 PM. Nereu was very accomodating, allowing us to stay until that evening.

Because of the late check out, we actually stayed in a different one of Nereu's apartments, at 269 Rua Prudente de Morais. That apartment was great - literally one block from Ipanema beach and walking distance to everything. The apartment was also very modern and clean with maid service included. It is extremly nice with white tile, beautiful queen size bed, and everything you could need. The only downside was that the apartment did not have air conditioning, only a fan, and it was extremely hot. But it seems that most apartments in Rio just have fans, as another we stayed in also had a fan and no air conditioning. The heat was unusual - we saw a sign the next day that the temperature was 42 Celsius (about 104 F), which is unusually hot for Rio, even in February, which is the warmest month. Typical highs are around low 30s C (high 80s F) in February. So we can't fault Nereu for not having air conditioning - it would be unusual to have it in Rio and normally would not have been necessary.

In conclusion, I would strongly recommend staying with Nereu if you vsit Rio. He has several apartments in the best parts of the city, including multiple in the Ipanema area. He is extremely accomodating and responsive to requests, working to find an open apartment and arranging for late check out or other needs. He also can converse in English, which makes it easier to coordinate things if you speak English and do not speak Portuguese.