My husband and I stayed at the SOFYA apartment for five nights a few days ago in August. We had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend the apartment! It's very clean, nicely and comfortably decorated and really felt like our home-away-from-home while we were in Istanbul. It was quite hot while we were there, so the air conditioning in the bedroom was fantastic. We also appreciated the full kitchen (everything but an oven -- but there was a coffee maker, cork screw, etc.) and a washing machine. Unlike some other apartments I've rented for vacations, they provided the basic necessities like dish detergent, toilet paper and detergent for washing clothes.

The apartment is perfectly located, just a short walk from Taksim and various types of public transportation. We really enjoyed exploring the area and eating at some of the very cute cafes nearby. However, you should know that the apartment is located in older backstreets of that area so the sidewalks are basically non-existent and some of the streets at night may seem a bit dark at night but we never had any problems. The neighborhood children played outside in the street most of the day and it was fun to get a glimpse into local Turkish life.

We found the Sofya staff very accommodating and helpful prior to arriving. However, once we arrived and asked for a few additional towels it took a few days to get a response. The apartment is one of three apartments in the building, so there isn't a front-desk or anything like that to answer your questions or provide extra services. That was fine with us, but if you are looking for an apartment with hotel-like services this particular apartment is not that.

If you are coming from the airport, I would also recommend that you arrange a taxi service as it may be difficult to roll luggage on the sidewalks near the apartment. We arranged a separate taxi service that was much cheaper than the service offered by the SOFYA apartment staff, so look around!

Overall a wonderful experience and we are really glad we picked this apartment during our stay in Istanbul! This was our first Airbnb experience and it has raised the bar for all future apartments we rent!