We had an amazing time at Silvia's. First of all, Silvia ist very friendly and established contact with us way ahead of our trip to give some very insightful tipps on what to do, where to hang out, etc... She really makes an effort to get to know her hosts. She's also very flexible, which made everything easier to schedule our arrival...

The neigbourhood ist really central and you really feel like a carioca blending in with the local crowd, it's a very nice feeling. We even had our local bakery where they would recognize us to get breakfast.
The subway is around the corner and there are also lots of buses in the area. We travelled a lot by taxi and it's really not difficult to catch one in the neighbourhood.
I insist on the point that the area is really safe. I was one of those people who were a bit paranoid about Rio since the city has got its fair share of reputation but you really have got nothing to worry about in this neighbourhood, even at night.
The lively area of Lappa is also in walking distance if you are looking for a vibrant nigthlife.
The flat is very nice (especially the hammock :-)) and is furnished with everything you could need. But there is so much to do in Rio that you won't probably spend that much time inside.
As a conclusion, I would highly recommend Silvia and her flat. I'm sure it will make any guest's experience in Rio even better.