The apartment is in a great location for first-time travelers to Rio. Within a 5 minute walk you have two metro stations (Catete and Largo do Machado) which take you either into the centre or towards the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. From Largo do Machado there are also many bus routes. Near the apartment you have the open spaces of Parque do Flamengo as well as its long, sandy beach; shops and restaurants (we recommend the Estação República per-kilo restaurant); laundries, banks and post offices. The area feels safe, though as with everywhere in Rio you should always be vigilant, especially during quiet times of day/night.

Raick is a delightful person and helped us a lot with understanding how Rio works, and the apartment is very well cared-for. The main bedroom, with double bed and fitted wardrobes, has fan and A/C and direct access to the en-suite bathroom (which has a good shower). The second bedroom is more basic and the futon sofa-bed is a little thin so sharers might have to toss a coin to determine who gets which room, but it is adequate. The small living room/kitchenette is nicely furnished and decorated, the wi-fi works well, and the apartment is generally well equipped (not that you will be spending that much time indoors when the marvels of Rio await you outside). The building has 6 apartments, this one being on the top floor, and there is no traffic or any other noise – a bonus for such a central location.

Overall, we would thoroughly recommend Raick and Francisca’s very pleasant apartment, and the choice of Flamengo as a base for exploring Rio.