are concerning points to consider before considering staying in this apartment:
Access to the property
The apartment is only accessible by foot. No cars or other vehicles are allowed access to the small street/avenue that this apartment is on as it comes off Istiklal Street. Istiklal Street is not for vehicles, the traffic on that street is foot traffic. So beware if you have any large bags or multiple luggages or have any physical needs because you will not have direct access to a vehicle. This is most troublesome when arriving and departing the property. We requested in advance for assistance when departing the property as we had a number of large suitcases and knowing that no vehicle can pick us up, we had to climb the very steep Avenue where the property is in and walk through the busy Istiklal Street through all the crowd and meet at the nearest spot where our driver could pick us up from. this was very tiresome. I have stayed in numerous hotels and accommodations in Istanbul and not one was ever difficult as this one, and it was because of the property's accessibility issue.
Support from the hosts
Can and Mehmet seem like helpful and friendly people. Mehmet greeted us upon our arrival, which was fantastic. He helped us with our luggage pieces, showed us around the apartment, arranged for us to have bottles of water, and provided his number for any future needs that we may have. Can was reachable through messaging to which he responded quickly and frequently. However, when it was of time of most need was upon departure. I ensured that Can knew that I needed support in someone who speaks Turkish to communicate to our driver picking us up as to where we should meet as we knew very little Turkish and the driver as all drivers in Istanbul, knew no English. Can said he tried to see if one of his helpers could help us, but stated they were all busy. This was a big problem. We were going back and forth on the phone with the driver as to where we were, sharing our location on WhatsApp, and after 1 hour of waiting and failing in communicating our meeting spot, he met us at a common hotel on Istiklal Street and walked to where our bags where. Then because of vehicle access issues, we had to wait for another half-an-hour for him to pick us up.
You will need to be fit and agile
We enjoy walking, so we went out all the time with no problem. However, if you like to grab a cab from your accommodation to take you from place to place like when staying in hotel accommodation, then this is not a suitable place. Istiklal is fantastic as it has transportation nearby and it is centrally located in Istanbul.
The apartment
Beautiful and grand. The views are spectacular. A very nice space for a large family or group. Plenty of food and restaurants at your doorstep being off Istiklal St.