Amazing flat!
First of all, the AREA!
Beyoglu (say Beh-yoo-luh) is the perfect location. Istanbul is HUGE so wherever you are you’ll need to travel a LOT (beware scammy Uber drivers that say Uber is broken and you must pay cash! Also, don’t expect seatbelts or safe driving from most taxis). Still, this felt like it was perfectly in the middle of all the great Istanbul locations. And, you get to be in a place where Turkish people actually live.
Lots of great places to get food. Special mention to the Carrefour Gurme (gourmet) for the best food selection!
Also you MUST check out “Katina Meze Evi”, in a street nearby, for the best selection of little dishes with vegetables, some with fish, and more :)
The FLAT!
The flat is really nice. You’ve gone lots of hot water (but you can’t drink it anywhere in Istanbul), and the upstairs bedroom is amazing with the veranda and the view. The downstairs bedroom is also perfectly nice and functional with good space to store your stuff.
The kitchen is really functional (although there is no microwave). The flat also has a washing machine and a dishwasher.
The negatives (I still consider the flat overall to be great!)
- The wifi can get pretty slow, especially if there’s more than one person on, and that you’re doing zoom calls.
Upstairs, you barely get any. If you really need internet no matter what, get a turkcell SIM card with unlimited 4G. It can get pricey, around $100 in April 2022, but you won’t regret it.
- As of writing, there was no working AC. Some nights were too warm, others too cold. I judge it was not a big problem in April, but in the summer the heat, especially upstairs, will be a big problem. For info Dilek said the AC would get fixed.
- Finally, in the upstairs bedroom, there are no windows. This is a real issue as the room gets inundated with light as soon as the sun starts rising. I hope this gets fixed with thick curtains on all windows, but until then you’ll need a blackout sleep mask.
Dilek was pretty responsive when we had issues, although I’d say mostly during “work hours”. Although if you really have an emergency I think she’d reply if you called her :)
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your trip!