Stunning views, Awesome location and Outstanding host.

If you're looking to escape the tourist traps of Copa and Ipanema, rub shoulders with the locals and basically just chill out on a roof terrace with the most stunning views of Rio, then this apartment is for you. I'm not a morning person, but I highly recommend getting up early and watching the sunrise from the terrace...simply stunning.

The apartment is located on a hill in the dynamic and upcoming neighbourhood of Vidigal. It's not full of tourists (a big plus), safe with a small pharmacy and convenience store near by. The building has 24 hour reception and security. The beach, which is mainly used by locals is a 5 min walk from the apartment. There's also a 10 metre pool in the building (sunny in the morning, shady in the afternoon). If you need your 'tourist' fix, the Sheraton Resort is located 5 min walk from the apartment. Having stayed at the Sheraton before, I'd personally avoid it, unless you like crowds and over priced and poor quality food.

The neighbourhood of Leblon is a short taxi or Uber ride away (yes thank god there's Uber) or 15-20 min walk down hill, where you'll discover a great mix of restaurants and bars. Quadrucci is one of my favourites. There's also a good supermarket called Zona Sul which is well stocked, albeit over priced.

If you want to experience the beach vibe of Ipanema, it's a 10 min taxi ride away.

English is not as widely spoken as you'd expect for a city that just hosted the Olympics, so download Google Translate and select Uber English Driver on the App.

One small point to note is the apartment's location on Google maps is not correct. It takes you to the end of the road so look out for the apartment number on the building.

This was my 5th visit to Rio, and this was the best apartment I've rented there by a long way. Cristiana our host, was not in Rio while we were there, but she was constantly in contact via WhattsApp, including welcome messages before we arrived. Her friend Leyda welcomed us at the apartment and quickly sorted out a small problem we had with the Air Con.

We love Rio and and I'm already planing my next trip back (sad but true). I will definitely rent Cristiana's apartment again.