Mersin's place lived up to our expectations. Firstly, he was a fabulous host. Great communication, super helpful. The place itself is exactly as it looks in the pictures. One thing I really appreciated about it was the amount of storage. We stayed for 7 weeks, and it was so helpful to have plenty of space to put away all our things. Bathroom storage was great too. We also loved the eclectic neighborhood. It was exactly as I hoped.
The only negative, and this really was not a big deal for us, is that it can be little noisy at times. It's a real Turkish neighborhood, with kids playing on the streets and people living their lives. But if you close the windows, most of the noise is drowned out.
If you are looking for a good place close to Taksim and Istiklal (the walking street), this is the place!