While we didn't meet Elif personally, our stay at her apartment was really wonderful, in part due to her hospitable family and neighbours. Despite the language barrier, they always made an effort to help us with all our Istanbul-related questions. We were always greeted with warm smiles whenever we entered the apartment complex, and elif's mum cooking was great (we had her breakfast, which was 20TL pp but was very satisfying).
The apartment is located on the second floor. The only way up is through this winding set of stairs. So those with heavy luggage, take note.
The apartment itself was spacious and clean, with all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. However, a minor note is that due to the way the ceiling is built, it may be on the slightly difficult side for tall people to shower and we bumped our heads once or twice. I'm 178cm tall.
While far from the Center of the city, her apartment had plenty of cheap and convenient transport options; it even has a money changer nearby which offered probably the best rates we saw in Istanbul. Just right outside her house, there's a taxi stop as well. So getting to the airport at odd hours in the morning was easy.
I've really grown to love Istanbul through my stay at Elif's. Overall a delightful experience; thanks Elif and family!