Maçka was a phenomenal neighborhood to live in for a few weeks, the apartment had a lot of windows, good amenities, overlooked a nice green space, and was extremely close to Besiktas, but also very walkable to Taksim. Hakan was a phenomenal host, on my first day in Istanbul, he showed me around the neighborhood and he was consistently accessible in answering my questions about Istanbul and sharing his insights. Glad to have stayed to have stayed in this apartment, in this neighborhood, and to have had as helpful and friendly a host as him. Would recommend to others and hope to return myself.