Since my partner and I stayed in Abraham’s apartment for more than a month, I think a detailed comment about 1. The host; 2. The apartment would be a great source of information for travellers who are considering to live in this place.
TLDR:
Regarding the host, Abraham is an outstanding, supportive, considerate host. I guarantee you will be thankful to have a host & friend like him.
Regarding the apartment, it is spacious, convenient, and easy to access. The time for hot water is limited, but not a big deal. As a side note, there are cats around.
Here are the details:
I. the host:
Abraham is both an amazing host and a great friend of us. Whenever you need something, he is always here for you. Here are few examples:
① During our stay, the washing machines was broken, but Abraham regularly come and collect our clothes, and do our laundry for us
② there is no hairdryer at the start, but when we text him via WhatsApp, he immediately delivered it to us, with two pillow sheets which we didn’t even asked for.
③ Besides above, he bought brand-new microwave, coffee maker, heater, and bring sofa and working desk for us and the future guests.
④ Our laptops were stolen in Istanbul. Because both of us couldn’t speak Turkish, police didn’t bother to help us at all. However, Abraham helped us as an interpreter, and assist us throughout the whole process (it takes more than 8 hours in total for us to get the police report done, and Abraham is there with us the whole time)
⑤ After what happened in ④, he offered us some sort of reimbursements for our loss, even he is totally not responsible for it.
II. The Apartment
① spacious
Large living area and bedroom. In addition, there are lots of storage space, so it is perfect for travellers who want to stay in Istanbul here for long term.
② convenient
2 mins to grocery store, 5 mins to metro station & bus station, and 8 mins to shopping mall. Also, there are lots of restaurant around here too.
③ easy to access (no slope)
Compare to other apartments, it’s nice and flat, and just few steps down ground the road to the entrance.
(FYI: Istanbul is quite hilly, and it’s not fun to carry your luggages around ups and downs.)
Things to notice:
① water heater for shower
It’s not a big deal for us, but time for hot shower is limited. So if you come to this apartment in Winter, perhaps try to take showers in different time than your travelling partner.
② cats around the neighbourhood
I’m sure it applies to Istanbul in overall, cats are all around here. If you like cats, it’s heaven in here :)
In conclusion, it’s our pleasure to meet Abraham. We really enjoyed staying in his apartment. He is not only a 10/10 host, but an amazing friend. At our last stay, we even grab lunch with his family! Let’s keep in touch, and looking forward to see you in future :)