Thanks to Firat, our stay in Istanbul was just awesome. We loved the apartment and stayed there 5 nights. It is very close to the historical city center. I don't know, which route other people went that stated something about a 40 minutes walk. Of course "center" in Istanbul is up to the interpretation - for us, it was the historical town which we liked most and staying with Firat made that easy accessible. Also the bus is right around the corner and a taxi was not even 10 Lira from whereever in town we had to come back to the house :-) The apartment was clean and looked as pictured in the photos. We slept wonderful (for me VERY important...) because it is a quiet area and the window faces the backside. So much for the location, now about Firat. He can be described as my best Airbnb experience so far. The Welcome breakfast was delicious and Firat is very knowledgeable considering the "go to's" and "must see's". We had a wonderful dinner at a seaside restaurant and close to the Taksim square in restaurants we would have never found without him (I highly recommend them). For those coming from the Airport, take the offer and call Firat once arrived, I guess, there exist many routes which differ in their prices ;) we paid 65 Lira (coming from the airport) and 50 Lira (going to the airport). If you have a local person with you, we made the experience that 1st --> you receive fairer prices everywhere and 2nd --> you can "move like a local".
Firat does his best to make your stay unforgettable and is a true gentleman. All in all --> HIGHLY RECOMMENDED PLACE!!!
Thanks to Firat, for having my mom and me - tescheküler and scherefe ;-P