Like many of the reviews before, this place is really an excellent choice. Ignore the reviews that complain about distance or steps or small bathroom or bedroom or whatever it is that some people feel the need to complain about – and it is not old and worn out. Those little things don’t matter (unless you are in a wheelchair) when you can sit and stare out the window and be dazzled by the view. Appreciate the many, many things that Hatice has put into this apartment to make it comfortable – everything you need and more to have an enjoyable holiday is in there. Maybe just don’t go out onto the balcony if you are afraid of heights. Enjoy the seagulls as they fly past the windows; the stunning sunsets and the colours of sunrise (get up early).
This place is on the edge of a residential neighbourhood and is walking distance to everything – it is a lot closer to the sights than G-maps will have you believe. We mostly walked to Istiklal street, Galata Tower, over Galata bridge (and enjoyed the sights), the spice markets, historic monuments, etc. If you don’t want to walk, take the Metro – it is affordable but you will be missing out on so much. Sometimes we walked, sometimes we took transport.
Getting to the apartment from the airport is best done with a taxi – it hardly costs anything (~250 TL) especially if you come from an expensive country. Getting in was easy with the information that Hatice provided. We each had 15 kg bags and managed to get up the spiral staircase stopping for a few seconds at each floor. To get the view, you need to climb – the apartment does sit at a high point and a tip to avoid walking uphill from the Karakoy area is to take the tram to Beyoglu. Then walk towards Pera Palace via Istiklal Cd. (it’s always interesting to walk along this street no matter how crowded) and return via walking downhill along the main road to the apartment. If you are lucky enough to find this apartment available for when you plan to be in Istanbul, it’s definitely worth considering. We’re in our mid to late 50s and we didn’t have issues with the hills or stairs (yes, it was tough but it didn’t kill us).