The two of us spent a week in this flat, for our first visit to Istanbul, the last week of a month-long visit to Turkey. We chose this flat because of the reasonable cost, the excellent location, and the almost universally high reviews. We typically spend a week in each city that we visit. This is our 17th AirBnB experience in the past 5 years. In addition to the price and location, we are interested in what features the unit has for preparing and having meals, since we usually have all breakfasts in, as well as either our lunch or our supper. In addition to the A101 market close to the flat, on Kadriga Limani Cd, there are two other somewhat better-equipped supermarkets not much further west along the same street.
We arranged our airport transfers through Hikmet, on arrival at SAW from Izmir and on departure from IST (Atatürk ), on our way home. Hikmet met us on arrival and was there on our departure. He provided a very warm welcome, that included a basket of oranges, as well as a thorough intro to the flat and some basic info about the area. He is a warm, friendly host who was quick to respond to our emails. Although not listed as part of the flat fittings, because we asked had about a filter coffee maker during our first email, Hikmet ensured that there was one in the kitchen for our arrival. The flat is exactly as shown and is clean and tidy. The kitchen is sparsely but adequately outfitted and Hikmet responded quickly when we asked for some teaspoons. He has been in the habit of treating his quests to a Turkish breakfast on his roof top terrace. We had a choice as to which morning of our stay that we did this and we are glad that we took up Hikmet on his kind offer. It was a great breakfast with super views down to the Sea of Marmara and into the gardens of the mosque next door. Also, it was a wonderful, relaxing opportunity to talk with Hikmet and to learn more about him and Turkey.
The Arch Bistro, just on your right as you come down the hill from the flat onto Kadriga Limani, and the Vaha Café and Restaurant, just up the hill from the flat on the way to Sultanahmet Square, are very good restaurants, with both atmosphere and good food.
We visited some of the must-see sights of Istanbul, such as the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia, and although we spent part of an afternoon walking in the Topkapi Park, we are saving the tour of the Palace for our next visit. However, we did visit the Basilica Cistern; the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, on Sultanahmet Square; and we took the full day SH Bosphorus ferry tour from Eminönü terminal to Anadolu Kavagi just short of the Black Sea, which is an excellent way to get an appreciation of Istanbul as a world maritime hub and is very highly recommended. The two other experiences that we had during this visit to Istanbul were thanks to Les Arts Turcs (www.lesartsturcs.com). Bonnie arranged a half-day private lesson in the art of paper marbling (Ebru), one of the many intros to Turkish arts and crafts that they offer, and through them we were able to attend a Sufi service that included the Sema (Whirling Dervish) ritual, probably one of the more accurate explanations and presentations of that religious ritual.
All to say, Hikmet’s flat is in a great location; it is an affordable, comfortable, reasonably-equipped, secure base from which to explore old Istanbul. All this and Hikmet too! He is a truly friendly, warm host, who wants to ensure that his guests enjoy their stay. His flat in central Istanbul is highly recommended.