Marcello is a wonderful host. He was welcoming and we had no problem communicating in English (he also speaks French and, of course, Portuguese). The pool and garden area are gorgeous! The views from the property are fantastic! The apartment was clean and well furnished. He even stocked the kitchen with breakfast supplies. Even though the neighborhood is residential and the street adjacent to the house is narrow, the street can be quite noisy. The windows of the apartment are well above street level but the noise caries in through them. The street leads to a favela further up the road, and therefore traffic can be heavy. We had no safety issues as we did not walk up towards the favela but down toward Gloria. At night we took an Uber. I would definitely come back!