We really enjoyed our stay at Emilio's place. First, he was incredibly helpful in getting us checked in, despite some delays at the airport and on the road for me. Second, his place was great – pretty much exactly as it appears in the photos, and perfect for our needs. The neighborhood is the main attraction here: the area around Taksim square is very lively and hip; we very much enjoyed walking out to some great restaurants (including great tips from Emilio) and shopping, and it was very close to the main tourist sights in Sultanahmet. We'd definitely stay there again if we return to Istanbul.
Two quick notes, neither of which were an issue for us: if you're planning to cook, there's only a small minibar-style refrigerator, so don't expect to be able to prepare a large meal. Also, when we visited the garden was somewhat overgrown; Emilio mentioned that they were going to clear it out the following weekend.