We had a wonderful stay at Hatice's apartment, in the Pera District. The apartment was up a winding flight of stairs....but the view is simply amazing--many major mosques can be seen, and the Bosphorus River glitters day and night. Hatice was very helpful in getting us transportation to and from the airport, and advising us on places to visit (e.g. the local hammam). The apartment is in a very convenient location and very comfortable and clean. The bedrooms have an incredible view of the surrounding neighborhood and river, and are flooded with natural light. We very much enjoyed living in this older neighborhood with lots of corner stores & friendly local cats, only 10 min on foot to the lively heart of Pera -- e.g. Pera Palace Hotel, and Istiklal Street, home to many restaurants, beautiful old consulate buildings, and of course lots of shops, both chains and small specialty shops--e.g. dozens of specialty musical instrument stores, towel shops, craft shops etc). The "Museum of Innocence" is another 10-15 walk from Istiklal Street. It was amazing to see how lively Istiklal Street was even late on a weeknight. The house was convenient to take public transportation to many of Istanbul's wonderful sights. We visited Hatice's lovely cafe (La Perla) on the same block, and enjoyed her wonderful cooking and getting to know her. This was our first trip to Istanbul, but it will not be our last. Many thanks to Hatice for making us feel so at home--we shall return!