It is not the places you go, it is the people you meet - even though Istanbul is a fantastic city!

The place itself is very central, steps away from Taxim, but affordable, simple and cozy. Jared is quite a home-maker and keeps it in great shape. You hear regular calls to prayer and meet a friendly local corner store owner as part of the experience.

Cerith (aka Jared due to peculiarities of the way Turkish is written and read) has been one of my best hosts on Airbnb so far. In fact, with his kindness, intelligence and quirkiness he has renewed my faith in the platform: I arrived from Boston with what was diagnosed in a couple of days as pneumonia. This was a result of my previous Airbnb stay.

Far from quaranting me off, Jared took me under his wing, cooking and getting medicines for me, and taking me to the doctor. He made me forget for a while that I came all this way and was sick: we had the most fascinating conversations on a range of subjects from international cinema (somewhat of his specialty) to history to current politics to intellectual life in the UK. In the hours that I had the energy to go out, he showed me snippets of the diversity and beauty of Istanbul life: the bohemian cafes, the area around Bosphorus University, most beautiful rooftop views of Istanbul etc. My pre-paid tour guide was so much less informative and, naturally, less entertaining.

Jared is a great host, who will share a priceless experience of Istanbul with you - this is something to be appreciated, please treat him well.