You'll wake up to the most beautiful view, and one can never get enough of the Ipanema sunsets. I spent 5 months at Simon's place as a female solo traveler, without speaking the language, while Brazil became the epicenter of the pandemic. I always felt safe, Simon always replies quickly and his friends Cristal and Bruno are super nice and made me feel like I could count on them if I ever needed anything. The bars downstairs can be loud but it made me feel safe that there were always neighbors hanging out. The wifi was good overall, sometimes it was spotty, and a few times there was a power outage. I work remotely and was not a major issue. There is litter, rats, cockroaches, and men with guns but the overall feeling for me was of a small rural community. There are roosters and hens nearby, and tons of cute cats. Copacabana's beach is just 10 minutes away, I went for a quick swim in the ocean every morning. It was a really nice and unique experience.