Fantastic views, comfortable living room, really great if you like a place to relax and watch the sea. Close(ish) to the train.
Now for the part that isn’t advertised: it’s off a main road where taxis and trams are available, however one must climb about 8 flights of steep stairs to reach the building and then about 4 stories of stairs. No elevator, and it’s rare a taxi will be at the top of the hill where the building is located. This NEEDS to be clear for people with disabilities or injuries. It’s a hike to get to the building. Much more challenging with luggage or kids. We’re all relatively fit but getting from apartment to taxi would be a struggle. If you have vertigo, think again.
The cleanliness was the biggest issue, we were disappointed with the state of the bathroom in particular since there was a lot of black mold in the corners of the shower and the ceiling was showing water damage. Mold is unacceptable for any stay, especially at this price. The doorknob to one of the bedrooms immediately broke off, saw a review recently mention that issue and disappointed it was not repaired at all. The host offered to fix it, he never followed up on it though. The TV was also damaged and there’s just a black bar permanently on-screen.
Lastly, while the building does get a decent breeze because of how high it is, Istanbul is very hot and humid. The advertised “air conditioning” is closer to a fan blowing air around the entrance area, and the bedrooms can get very hot and stuffy if there isn’t much wind that night. 2 out of 3 beds weren’t even used because we all slept on the couch in the living room, and I ended up leaving halfway through to stay in a hotel.
hoping the host addresses these issues, they were very nice and communicative with pickup and the unit has a lot of potential to be a truly excellent stay. It does seem like it’s 24/7 booked with no wiggle room for actual maintenance or deep cleaning though.