Our Stay with Zelal was very comfortable and she was super nice and helpful. Make sure to contact her even if her place is not available. That is what we did and we ended up with an apartment a few doors down from hers and the location was just perfect. Istanbul is very hilly and if you have issues with breathing (like I do), there is a steep 5 min walk from Zelal’s location to Istiklal and Taksim but the good news is that this location is just 5 min walk away from the kabataş taksim füniküler line which will take you to Taksim for less than a $1 if you have the Istanbul card and it takes less than a min (make sure you get the Istanbul card it will save you so much on public transport and you can buy it from all venders who sell stuff near metro, tram and ferries for 7 TL). Overall our stay was very comfortable, the bed was great, the apartment was clean and the location was perfect. I would highly recommend Zelal to anyone who wants to stay in Istanbul. Make sure to contact her she will have many good tips for you. She is also a very interesting individual.