Ipanema:Next to the beach, subway, restaurants

The property is excellently located. It was clean, the check-in process was efficient, and communication with the staff was reasonable. Although the apartment is small, the kitchen is equipped with utensils, and there is a washing machine and dryer that work well. Unfortunately, no laundry detergent was provided, which is something we would expect at this price level. The beds were acceptable, the air conditioners worked properly, and the shower was relatively comfortable — aside from the issues that will be described later in this review. We were given three keys, which is very important and appreciated. Overall, we had a reasonable experience, but it was not satisfactory considering the high price, and attention should be paid to the issues described in the rest of this review.

We paid an extremely high amount for 6 nights in this apartment — an amount that, to our understanding, equals several months of an average salary in Brazil. After learning the local price levels, we concluded that this was an excessive exploitation of the beginning of Carnival season. We fully understand the principle of supply and demand, but even that has its limits. The apartment itself is relatively small, with very small rooms and no real living room — only a small sofa in the entry area. For a price like this, we expected a much higher standard and at the very least basic items such as salt, sugar, and oil. Nothing was provided, and we were advised to purchase everything ourselves. In addition, there were functional issues: The sink in the bathroom did not drain properly. The shower did not drain properly, causing water to accumulate and effectively creating a bathtub while showering. The toilet flush was very weak, with the obvious implications. Beyond that, we suffered from significant noise problems: Strange knocking sounds from the walls and a serious lack of sound insulation. A neighbor coughing intensely, with no soundproofing whatsoever. Constant dripping noise from air conditioners in the apartments above, falling onto a metal roof and creating a disturbing noise day and night, to the point of seriously affecting our sleep. The apartment staff tried to assist, but the owner of the unit from which the air conditioners were dripping was not in the city, so the issue remained unresolved for the entire week. Additionally, the accumulation of air conditioner water in the building’s inner balcony area led to mosquitoes, which entered the apartment whenever a window was opened. In conclusion, considering the very high price we paid, the value we received was extremely disappointing and did not meet reasonable expectations for this price range.