Spending 4 days with Marina and her husband Can (I hope I spelled that right) was an absolute pleasure.
She's such a kind and gracious host and really spends time sharing her knowledge of Istanbul (that breakfast place was indeed amazing, Marina!).
The apartment is located in the heart of Beşiktaş but in a nice quiet side street providing the best of both worlds...a great place to sleep well but with direct access to the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood, brimming with bars and restaurants. It was simply lovely! Next time I am in Istanbul I hope I can once again stay with her and her husband!
I can't speak highly enough of my time in Istanbul, in large part due to Marina!
I highly recommend staying with her :-)
Thanks for your Turkish hospitality!
P.S. Next time I am over I'll participate in Can's locally guided pub crawl ;-)