We had a lovely stay at Ferda's home. We really liked how well equipped her home is for guests, with all the basic amenities you would need during a long-term stay. We did not have children traveling with us, but can say the children's room she has prepared warmed our hearts and is well arranged to suit a baby and a toddler. Ferda’s home was very clean when we arrived, is bright with many windows, has a small balcony, is cozy in the wintertime, and is very well situated.
---The apartment is located in an excellent area, as the local neighborhood affords tranquility and just a 5-10 minute walk away is the famous Bagdat Street area for all the shopping, cafes and socializing your heart may desire. The Marmaray station is also about ten minutes walking distance from the house, making it an easy commute to other areas of the Asian side like Uskudar, and the European side of Istanbulas well. We really liked the shopping at the local markets which were a 2 minute walk around the corner from us, and just could not stay away from Umit Pastanesi where we got weekly fixes of cookies and baklava, and other pastries :-)
---We were greeted by the building superintendent who also lives on the property. He gave us the keys upon check-in. Ferda was available via the Airbnb messaging system, and was kind enough to check-in on us weekly.
If you have been to Istanbul before and have mainly stayed on the European side, I highly recommend you stay at Ferda’s place and check out the Asian side. It’s just as active and enjoyable as the European side but with a slightly different character - you won’t regret it!
We liked Ferda’s place so much that we wanted to extend our stay for another month, but unfortunately it had already been booked by the time we could be certain of our timeline. So book it before you lose your opportunity :-)