We stayed a whole month at Adriana's artfully decorated place. The location is certainly privileged with sweeping views of the Sugar Loaf, Guanabara Bay and parts of Rio while always under the soapstone eyes of reinforced concrete Jesus. The apartment is located in a pleasant, safe residential neighborhood, with Vermelho Beach nice on non-holidays & weekdays - a leisurely stroll away. Also a welcome alternative to Rio nightlife, the charming Urca neighborhood is special because it's tourist-free. Subway connection buses to Botafogo leave constantly in front of the building but just 4 blocks walking and you can chose from many buses (more fun that cabs) that will get you quickly to Copacabana/Ipanema or Lapa/Cinelandia/Downtown for a buck.
The apartment has a fast internet connection and was a pleasure to inhabit. Being on the 15th floor with administrative buildings below you will experience an increased noise level especially on weekends with incessant Sugar Loaf helicopter and other commercial air traffic. While we had a great time and would definitely recommend Adriana's place,
we must note that the bathrooms are rustic and kitchen appliances functional but not modern. If privacy is an issue for you, you need to make sure the neighboring apartment is not being used during your stay. Overall we spent 3 months in Brazil and had an excellent month in Rio, Adriana, an artist and true cosmopolitan, was also very forthcoming. OBRIGADO!!