I loved my stay at Secil’s place. The apartment was sparkling clean and looks like the pictures, in fact is better than the pictures, which are not photoshopped at all. If you stay in Sisli, this neighborhood will give you the feel of how locals live. Many grocery stores, cafes and restaurants are nearby.
There are vegetable and cheese vendors across the street from the apartment and a big grocery store almost below the apartment building. The kitchen is all set up and we made some very nice meals instead of eating out.
Also, there is a washing machine in the bathroom, which was so helpful as we had some laundry to do.
The neighbor who lives in apartment across from Secil speaks English and is very friendly and helpful too. They have a little boy, who came in and played with us and his mom shared homemade pumpkin dessert with us :)
The security guard/front desk personnel are incredibly polite, friendly and helpful. Despite not being able to speak English they did their best to give me directions to the bus stop and cafes around. I shared sweets with one of them and next day he gave me local cheese :)
There is a bus stop 5 minutes walk from the apartment which can take you to Taksim Square or any other area of interest. If, you have a lot of time to spend in Istanbul then this apartment would make a great base to explore the city. I wish I had more time and I could have stayed here for a couple of weeks.
To go to the airport, take the bus to Taksim and then board the Havaist bus to the airport. We gave ourselves all in all a little over 2 hours to get to the airport. It was easy and stress free.
The maid, is an older lady, who is such a friendly and gentle soul. I wish I had time to get to engage with her.
Secil herself is a very nice, friendly and helpful host. She is easy to reach and responds quickly to questions or requests.
I would highly recommend this apartment, it’s clean, is located in a residential neighborhood with plenty of grocery stores, bus stop is nearby, the front desk personnel are lovely. Most important of all, it’s not a scam—it’s owner occupied. Secil herself is an honest and trustworthy person. Thank you!