When we arrived at Livia's apartment we were greeted by her neighbour who immediately made us feel welcome just by how friendly she was. There was cake and beer waiting for us which was a nice surprise after a long journey. The apartment had all the comforts I like such as a full range of tv channels and the wifi was fast which helped in terms of being able to communicate with friends and family back home. The guest guide Livia wrote had some really good tips and advice about where to visit which in my opinion was better than the information I got from lonely planet guide. The neighbourhood the apartment is in felt safe and accessible to anywhere in Rio as its a short walk to copacabana beach and there are plenty of taxis always driving past. Livia's neighbour was really helpful to us in recommending where we could buy food or eat and how to get to places we wanted to visit. Overall my experience staying in Livia's apartment felt like a home away from home.