The views are absolutely amazing; from Europe out to Asia!
Ilhan had lit tea-lights outside the night we arrived (he patiently waited ages for us while we were stuck at the airport) and proved to be a very helpful and friendly host, remaining on-hand and easily contactable during our stay.
The apartment is rather quiet for being so central; there are no mosques very close by, so no call-to-prayers to awaken light sleepers. The lift is a definite plus! The kitchen is well equipped. Shower in bath works well. I love how there are tea-light holders around that we could use.
We spent most of our time in the beautifully bright living room area and terrace. You can appreciate the unique views from the living room couch, dining table and desk, a real treat. My stepDad was out on the terrace most nights until three or four in the morning, soaking in the nocturnal vistas. It is that amazing!! Gorgeous moon rises!
I really cannot do justice to the spectacular, sweeping views from the terrace with my words. The photos do not do it justice either; once I sort my photos out I’ll see if some of the panoramas I took are good enough and send them to Ilhan so he can include them here.
The flat itself is spacious and charmingly decorated with local furniture, with a homely feel; the two main bedrooms are simply fitted out and the beds are comfortable, there’s plenty of wardrobe space. There is a third room at the back that offers views into the surrounding neighbourhood. This room is decorated differently to the rest of the apartment, with “antiques” and doesn’t have the same clean/simple style; it had two single beds and additional seating, useful for more people. There were three of us and we only used this room to store extra bags and check out fireworks that went off one night! By the entrance, there are convenient ledges and places to hang things, so you can easily find and grab essentials before leaving.
The immediate neighbourhood is convenient with little shops close by for groceries and necessities, as well as plenty of delicious restaurants in that general area. Use TripAdvisor to find some real gems in that part of Istanbul, about 15 min away on foot. There’s a long flight of steps to climb to get to them (which we welcomed as exercise) or you can walk up the road to Taksim square and then meander down, but there’s also a taxi-rank a short flight of steps below the apartment which is very convenient. We stayed in the flat for 4 nights, and another 4 nights in another flat in the old part of Istanbul. I’m really glad we stayed here as it gave us the chance to explore this part of Istanbul on foot and get a better feel for how locals hang out; the old part is very charming but more touristy.
We look forward to returning!