Wow what a Holiday!!! Valerie and Alex are the perfect hosts and made sure that the start of our holiday was just amazing! we booked the apartment 2 moths in advanced and Valerie stayed in touch with us the whole 2 months. Answering all our questions about the apartment, the supplies that were available etc. The place is stunning, perfect for 4 people. extremely clean, decorated very well, very comfortable beds, beautiful rooftop terrace and in a perfect location 2 minutes from the beach, close to shops, supermarket and plenty of taxis. because the apartment is on the top floor and away from the busy street the place is very quite and serene. when we arrived at the location valerie and alex were there to welcome us. they already bought some fruit and drinks for us!! Valerie had a map of rio ready with all kinds of restaurants, sightseeing spots, shops etc located. she took her time to explain the city to us and showed us around the place, explained the internet etc. perfect hosting! during our stay she kept in touch with us and made sure that we were as comfortable as possible, giving us tips about day tours and where to book them. we felt more like family than guests which was so reassuring and nice so that we had the feeling that we were living the full rio experience. on our day of leaving her landlord came by to check if our stay was ok and to get us a taxi to the airport. I can recommend this place to anyone who would like to live in rio for a while and to enjoy everything that the city has to offer. The apartment as said before is exact as on the pictures and has all you need during your holiday. We did not want to leave after our 10 days trip but are sure to come back soon. Thanks Valerie and Alex for all and helping to create beautiful memories of Rio