RIO DE JANEIRO

Urca is one of the quietest and most beautiful corners of Rio: a small peninsula of low houses at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain, where cariocas sit on the seawall with a beer and watch the bay. No traffic, no chaos — and the sea right outside the door.

Our house looks straight onto Botafogo Bay. From the wooden deck you can see the moored sailboats, the Botafogo skyline and the mountains behind: that's where breakfast happens, where you lie in the sun between classes and where you wait for sunset. There is a second, higher terrace too, set against the rock face and full of plants.

Inside, an open-plan living room with dark wooden floors and glass doors onto the terrace, a dining area with a big table where everyone eats together, and a properly equipped kitchen — island with stools, gas hob, oven, dishwasher: if you feel like cooking, you can.

Bedrooms have single beds and bunk beds, and each one has its own private bathroom: no queuing in the morning.

Praia da Urca is a few minutes' walk away, Praia Vermelha and the Sugarloaf cable car about fifteen, along with the Pista Cláudio Coutinho, the seaside trail running under the rock face. Copacabana and Ipanema are a short drive away.