We stayed at this place for first 12 days of October for a family reunion and had a fantastic experience. If I could give it over 5 stars, I would.
First of all, Hakan was one of the kindest human beings you could meet. His lovely family was helping at times as well with his daughter when present to do some translation. He was very helpful and accommodating on our requests and always available. He always has a smile on his face with his phone along using G00gle Translate to communicate very effectively. Communication was not a problem.
Hakan and family live on the first 2 levels completely isolated with its own entrance through the yard. The rental unit is completely separated with its own entrance at the street level. Some notes about the place:
- It is a newly built unit and very well furnished. Clean and comes with all of the amenities.
- It is away from the pollution of the city and in a tranquil area. It is a plus. Very accessible and not a touristy area. You will find the true Turkish hospitality (from interacting with local merchants) and way of life.
- Nestled in the forest hills overlooking Bosphorus Strait. Beautiful unobstructed view of forested hills around and waterway with lit bridges across the waterway. Perfect for morning coffee and late night tea or your favorite sip!
- Plenty of room: a huge bedroom with 4 single beds, its own ½ bathroom perfect for family with kids, 2 other bedrooms with 2 single beds each, 1 bedroom with a double bed.
- 2 bathrooms with showers in the common areas, an office with large desk (2 of the rooms also have desks), a laundry/utility room
- Large open living room, dinning and kitchen area. Full kitchen with all of the required appliances including dishwasher. There is cloth washer and dryer.
-Large balcony on the side of the house with gorgeous views. On the balcony, there is a long table for 10 people (using all of the chairs) for any of the meals. We were lucky with the weather to enjoy outside dining. There is also a small table with 2 chairs for relaxing and having coffee/tea while enjoying the view.
- 10-15 minutes walk to HACIOSMAN (pronounced Haji Osman) terminal (the last station on the green line). The green line takes you to all of the Istanbul major attractions at the fastest time (avoiding traffic when you take the taxi). I have bad knees so sometimes I took the taxi to the terminal using BiTaxi app for less than $2. With Istanbul Card ($3), you will pay about $0.40 per trip on the metro. Very cheap and convenient. On your way to the station there is a market on the left side of the road that sells the card and lets you load the card via cash or credit. You can load it at the stations too.
I would definitely go back to Hakan’s place.