My group (3 ladies) had the opportunity to spend 8 days at Berk’s flat in Istanbul in August 2014. For two of us, it was the second time in the city (first time we stayed in Sultanahmet). We definitely enjoyed our stay in Beyoglu and the flat was a great launching point to various part of this fantastic city. Here are some thoughts about our stay at this flat:

Location: PROS – in a local neighbourhood with several useful little corner shops, close to a wide variety of restaurants both up and down the hill, neighbourhood felt very safe day and night, walking distance to Istiklal/Galata/Tunel, metro a 3-5 minute walk and the stop is called Tophane (second one after Galata Bridge). CONS – if you have mobility issues, the hilly area is tough

Flat: PROS – balconies are a great place to lounge, fully equipped inside the flat, very clean, complementary items in the kitchen and bathroom were greatly appreciated, wifi worked well; CONS – the provided information book could be more detailed for various things such as how to use the tv/game console (which doubles as the dvd player)

Host: friendly and helpful during email correspondence leading up to our stay, we were met by the maintenance guy upon our arrival (who doesn’t speak English but charades is the universal language!); unfortunately, we never did meet Berk himself.

Overall, the flat is a great base for your holiday in Istanbul, especially if you enjoy using the metro. Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. I look forward to a return trip!