We had a fantastic stay at Mehmet's place. Loved this part of town which is way quieter than the rest of the city which is busy, crowded, congested and loud (all in a good way). But after a long day Balat was ideal for us to wind-down and relax. The street has several bread shops, a cheese shop, super market and several restaurants and bakeries very conveniently located. Lots of nice quirky cafes, a beautiful local tea garden and an old school taven ideal for a drink of raki or beer are also close by.
Now Mehmet was a perfect host, very accommodating, gave us perfect directions to reach the apartment and helped with the check-in and also the bags. He was kind enough to let us check-in earlier which we highly appreciated. The apartment is super clean and is very comfortable with all amenities one needs to feel at home. Mehmet also gave us recommendations for eateries in the neighborhood which gave us a perfect local experience of the area. Balat I feel gets less credit than it deserves - the lanes of Balat are gorgeous and there is enough and more street art and antique shops and galleries (Mehmet has one himself) to feast your eyes with.
Had a fantastic stay and highly recommend this accomodation.