I stayed for about two weeks at Brux' place, I had a great time there. It's quite refreshing to be a 5 minute walk away from the beach, and the area is quite nice, restaurants are just around the corner, a grocery store is 10 minutes away, and the metro stop takes you directly to the center of Rio. Also worth noting that your nights will be calm (as long as bring with you some insect repellent) as the appartement is at the second floor the noise from the street are fainted and didn't bother me at all.