Location: This Airbnb is conveniently located between Çukurcuma neighborhood and Galaport, within walking distance to Karakoy and T1 Tram, where you go to all the famous attractions in Sultanahmet in few stops (believe me, this is important after multiple Taxi scams in Istanbul).
- Çukurcuma and Karakoy got some great restaurants and nightlife, Çukurcuma is very closed on the map but it is 2 big flights of stairs uphill.
- Galataport has many dining options, but most are below the average since it is flooded with a large amount of curises passengers whenever there's a cruise arrives.
View: non-disruptive view of the bay and can see Hagia Sophia/Topkapı at night. Even the downstairs can see a similar view in the living room.
- Unfortunately, on the 2nd/3rd days we were there, there were 2 big cruises ship parked at the port, and rainy all day long, and we couldn't use the balcony much
Stair: it has been mentioned many times for this listing, and I still feel like it's under highlighted. While we've been walking up/down the hill many times during our first few days in Istanbul and sightseeing a lot, we don't mind walking up/down stairs.
- However, we were on 2 weeks vacation with two check-in luggages and one small luggage instead of just duffle bags for a weekend gateway; walking up a LONG flight of stairs, then another 4 floor to get to the unit is A LOT (even the host has arranged a person who helped us check-in and carried 1 luggage). Imagine when you check out and do it all over again.
- It rains all day on the 2nd/3rd day, and those stairs can be slippering for anyone.
- One night after clubbing, we walked home and were afraid that if we were not careful, sth could have happened, especially after a few drinks at night
Sth to keep in mind if you're traveling with elderly/kids/friends who have mobility issues
Apartment:
- Both bathrooms are def clean and sanitized properly. Unfortunately, there is a strong pipe smell that can't be gotten rid of, and we had to keep the door closed the whole time and didn't want to stay in the bathroom any minute longer than we needed to
- I have average height: 5'11/180 cm; I hit my head many times using the stair (within the unit) to go up to the bedroom
- Same as the upstairs bathroom design, I can't stand and pee or take a shower because my head will hit the ceiling (slope frame design). We both have to use the downstairs bathroom. On top of that, there's no shower curtain for the upstairs bathroom.
- The rest of the apartment has average decor/amenities
Communication: The host is very responsive and caring about what we need, which is a plus.
Overall, this is an average stay in a nice location, but many things in the house can be improved.
**When we travel, we like to split between hotels and Airbnb. We all know each option has pros/cons; in this case, our hotel room has more value than this Airbnb and both options are at similar price points.