Firstly, Tareq was an excellent host. He was there to meet us as agreed and walked us through the flat, leaving us everything we needed. He's a really nice guy and we are so glad we chose his apartment.

The apartment itself is exactly as described. The furniture has a mid-century feel and the look of the apartment was one of the reasons we chose to stay there. In addition, the bed is good, the shower super powerful with permanent hot water, and the wifi fibre optic (it never dropped out and we were using it for work, all day every day).

The neighbourhood is on the border of Cihangir and Tophane. For those who don't know Istanbul it is excellently connected for both Karakoy and Cihangir, and only around 15 minutes’ walk from Istiklal Caddesi. There is a great local bakery around the corner and two bakkals (grocery stores) within 50 metres of the apartment, alongside numerous little cafes and restaurants within a short walk.

The street the apartment is on is quite a hill, so although central Cihangir is only five minutes away, it may be more of a challenge for some - although that applies for much of Istanbul! Equally, being a local neighbourhood it can be quite noisy, with neighbours (and children!) on the street until quite late (2am). However, it's important to point out that we had the windows open (there is air conditioning in the apartment although we prefer natural ventilation) as we stayed in mid-summer. With the double-glazing closed the noise was virtually non-existent and we could sleep comfortably.

In summary, I would heartily recommend Tareq and his apartment to other visitors to Istanbul. Thanks for a great stay!