I had been staying at the Sheraton Istanbul City Center (a 5 star hotel) for 4 days for a work event and when I decided to extend my stay for 3 extra nights I wanted somewhere that was in a less “touristy” area. Bulent’s apartment was the ideal choice. Although you do need to walk up some stairs I had no problem carrying by luggage up to the apartment---as soon as you open the door I was amazed at the incredible view of the Bosphorus, the bridge, the boats in the channel, and the stunning city view! The view was even better than the pictures in the listing!
The apartment is compact (great for 1 or 2 people) and is very clean. It has all the equipment (cooking utensils, iron, blow dryer) to make your stay comfortable. The Wifi was fast and worked well for the work I had to do.
The apartment is located in the Cihangir area which is a safe and extremely convenient area. The neighborhood is very quaint and has many restaurants and small markets where you can pick-up groceries and fresh fruit and vegetables. I was able to walk to Taksim Square, Galata Tower, and down to the ferry ports. The tram was within walking distance and I was able to easily take that to the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar as well as some of the fashionable shopping streets. I really enjoyed wandering around the local streets in the Cihangir area and seeing all the cats that are part of everyday life!
Bulent was an excellent host and was very fast at communicating--I booked the apartment and made arrangements to move into the apartment in less than 2 hours! Also, when I asked him for a recommendation on getting a taxi at 4am for my early flight home he made discounted arrangements for me with the taxi company and even sent me a message at 3:55am to let me know that my taxi was waiting downstairs—now that is customer service at its finest!
I truly enjoyed my 3 days stay in Bulent’s apartment much more than I did staying at the 5 star hotel in the congested Istanbul city center. If you are planning to visit Istanbul I would definitely recommend that you stay here. If I return to Istanbul I know I will be booking this place again!