I would absolutely recommend staying at Akif's place for anyone visiting Istanbul. The flat is in a really great location in the New City part of Istanbul. It was very easy to get to from Ataturk Airport using the metro, and Akif even came out to meet us at the Sishane metro stop to make sure we found the apartment (we arrived at around 1 a.m.). He was really great at answering all of our questions, and gave us a really good layout of the city. It is ideally located to enjoy the nightlife, restaurants, and shops (Galata Tower and Istikal st) in the New City, as well as super easy to the sights of the Old City. The apartment itself is beautifully decorated in a vintage building, and is very comfortable. Akif even left a few things for us to make a delicious breakfast which was really appreciated since we arrived so late. All in all it was an absolutely wonderful experience.