We were happy with our choice, we really liked the neighborhood, the people in the building were very friendly, all in all we really liked it and recommend it.

A few notes:
The metro is not on the other side of the street - it's a solid 5 minutes walk, the description should be changed. There is a super market next to the building which is so good to have. There is GREAT store called Panificaçao Paulista on R. São Carlos 31 (2 blocks down Haddock Lobo) which is awesome - best grilled chicken ever, great bread and pastries - even gluten free, a local hangout for the (favela) dwellers up the hill, very helpful and friendly - we checked in there everyday.

Some things could be better with/in the apartment: cooking utensils, pots and pans are very basic, like camping level.There is no hot water in the kitchen! The beds are 'single' beds that one needs to arrange somehow - good for a couple who wants a wee bit of distance ;-)
And finally, there is no place to put your things, no hangers, no chest, no drawers, nothing - we used one bed to put our suitcases on it. There's also no table really. One can sit in a row at the kitchen counter, but that's not a table in my book. We still liked it but we would like it better still if there'd be some changes.

Estacio, the neighborhood is a simple low income kind of a neighborhood - something we actually prefer over more uppity class areas. Here one mingles with real locals, there is NO tourists around, one gets a good feeling what live is about in Rio - if one wants that. Every Wednesday there's a farmer's market around the corner.

The neighborhood can get a bit funky when it gets darks and if one veers off half a block or more from a lit main street, so care should be taken and valuables should maybe better left home. This though goes for all of Rio and for other cities in Brazil, like Salvador, even more so.

Debora's place makes one totally happy if one doesn't expect something different.