I went to Istanbul for the first time and stayed there for a long weekend.

First of all: Yes, the view from the apartment is as stunning as it looks in the pictures! In fact, sometimes the view at some of the tourist spots around the city paled in comparison to the one from Hatice's place :)

Also, it is centrally located, an easy walk from the Sishane Metro station and in a lovely neighborhood close to the waterfront.

But what makes it outstanding is Hatice herself, who really went above and beyond to make my stay there as pleasant as possible. She owns a cafe right around the corner (they serve delicious traditional Turkish food) and Hatice sat down with me there the first day and took the time to explain the ins and outs of Istanbul.

All in all, you really can't go wrong with this place!