The host was perfect from the beginning. He arranged a free transfer from the airport which made arrival in Istanbul as easy as possible. Someone greeted us at the airport and escorted us to our van. Then Giorgio’s brother-in-law Ziya met us at the apartment to show us in, and he checked in on us via WhatsApp a couple times during our visit. They had wine, water, metro cards, etc. waiting for us upon arrival which was a nice touch.
There were only 3 of us staying at the apartment but we could have easily fit more. It was clean and well-decorated.
Like the other reviews say, it can be noisy in a busy city, but I always sleep with a white noise app on my phone so it didn’t make a difference for me. And every morning we walked up the hills of Istanbul to start our day - I think you’d likely have to walk up hills every day no matter where you stay in Istanbul since it’s a city built on hills like Rome or Lisbon.
We were able to see most of the main sights of the old city in one day - Hagia Sophia, Basilica Sistern, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, etc. -
all easy to get to from the apartment. It was a good location for first-time visitors like me. We did spend a lot of time in other neighborhoods across the water, and if we came back we would probably look for an apartment in a less touristy neighborhood like Karaköy, closer to the types of local bars and restaurants we like. But if your main goal is to see the main sights of Istanbul for the first time, this was perfect. We were able to get to other areas easily with the Tram, ferries, and bus. We did take a taxi home once too.
Highly recommend this apartment!