We stayed at Monica's apartment during Carnival 2015. We highly recommend staying with her. Our room was big, clean, had air conditioning, a private washroom, constant wifi and filtered water to drink. Her apartment is centrally located to all attractions. A 10 min walk to lapa. 10 min to the waterfront. I always felt safe in her neighbourhood. As a host, she is a warm and caring person. She invited us out to a bloco party the first night, guided us to the Sambodromo, took us to a street market and MAM. She even helped us coordinate future accommodations and transportation. Although we had a language barrier, communication was not a problem. Thank you Monica!