My husband and I stayed in Tuna's cottage for four days on a short vacation in Istanbul as we prepared to move back to the U.S. from Ghana. When we arrived at her place, we were thoroughly exhausted from packing up our lives in Ghana and a few nights of inadequate sleep, and the cottage was the perfect place to rest and recharge. It's fairly unadorned on the inside - just a couple of sparsely furnished bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen - but that was all we needed! The heat and hot water worked well, the bed was super comfortable, and we had a lovely view of the city from our bedroom window. It was too cold to enjoy the courtyard while we were there, but it looked like an ideal place to drink morning coffee, with two hammocks and a table and chairs.

All that said, what made our experience with Tuna really special was not the accommodation itself but our interaction with her and her family, who were absolutely the most gracious and attentive Airbnb hosts I've ever encountered (and almost all of my Airbnb experiences have been great). They greeted us upon arrival; walked us around the neighborhood to point out pharmacies, ATMs, supermarkets, and the like; and (most essentially) pointed us toward bus stops and even talked to the drivers to make sure we got on the right one. On the Asian side of Istanbul, at least in this particular area, not many people speak English, so this was a huge help - I don't know how we could have navigated the city's massive public-transit systems without it! Tuna invited us to accompany the family to their restaurant/lodge outside of town, where we had a lavish Sunday breakfast and took a short hike up into the hills. Her two teenage children were always happy to answer our questions and show us around. On our last night, they invited us into their home for tea and a chat, and Tuna helped us arrange for a taxi to the airport that could accommodate all our many bags.

While there are other Airbnb options that put you closer to the major sights in Istanbul, I don't think we would trade our stay with Tuna's family for anything! Highly recommended if you want a more local experience and a truly warm welcome.