The house is really charming, thoughtfully and attractively designed, and was super clean. We were there in August and the AC in the bedrooms worked well, but there was also a nice breeze on the upper floors so we didn't always need it. The showers were great and all the appliances were modern and worked well. Kevin and his assistant, Merve, were responsive and friendly.
The location is wonderful in some ways and challenging in others. The steep hills and skinny townhouses are cute and atmospheric, but some people (not us) are going to find the long climb difficult and others (again not us) are going to be put off by the considerable number of still-derelict buildings in the vicinity. But honestly, you're going to run into steep climbs and crumbling architecture in a lot of less-charming parts of Istanbul as well. The Tangerine house is two blocks further uphill than the tourist fray of Balat/Fener and is really in a family neighborhood. It's a more conservative Muslim area, so alcohol is hard to find, even down at the more touristy cafes and shops. When the city finishes the tram line that runs along the Golden Horn, transportation connections will be better. We relied heavily on the ferry that runs every hour. It is extremely pleasant and takes you to Karakoy where you can catch a tram to Sultan Ahmet. We also walked to some of the closer sites.
We were glad that we chose the Tangerine House. It was great to come home at the end of the day to the colorful, tasteful interiors.