One star. Dangerous listing, should be removed from airbnb.

Toilet cistern on the first floor leaks, resulting in a cascade of water pouring from the ground-floor bathroom light fitting(!).

That the toilet leaked was not our fault. My girlfriend and I never used it, because the shower in that bathroom has no hot water. We used the 2nd floor toilet.

The leak occurred on our last night there. This was also my girlfriend's birthday, and after spending 100 or so GBP at the Armada Hotel restaurant (pricey, but truly the only edible food in the area), we return to find said leak.

The apartment had issues during our 3 night stay. Eg the door handle for the terrace falls off constantly, the 1st floor bathroom has no hot water. However the cistern-leaking-into-the-ground-floor was new.

We alerted management. They move us, as the leak is a fatal electrical incident waiting to happen (and I stress you should not book this apartment).

They move us to the smallest room in the Armada hotel.

My girlfriend feels lousy, as anybody would be when this happens on their birthday. I complain, they move us to a slightly-larger-room than the smallest room. Bear in mind we were paying (airbnb fee included) 200 GBP a night, with the intention of an apartment, not a hotel room.

This is unacceptable, so the next morning, I speak to the manager (she was not there on the night) - her name is Llkay Sinem Altay. She expressed that I "should have expected this from staying in a historic apartment", and that they would not refund me for my stay for the night, squarely blaming our use of AirBnb on this decision. It was, in her words "impossible".

I complained - politely - that if I should have expected this, they should have a warning on their listing, and also that that isn't the response you expect from the Armada Hotel when one of their listings leaks water through light fittings and they move you to a tiny room.

She then said that the room we were eventually moved to (the slightly-larger-room) was more expensive than the apartment we were in. This is a *lie*, the apartment (as on the Armada Istanbul website) is the most expensive listing.

It was my girlfriend's birthday, and though she did not want to make a scene complaining, I could tell she was very upset by this.

Airbnb has offered us a 100 USD gift voucher, which is very nice of them.

Armada told me they fixed the problem *overnight*. Impossible. This apartment is still a deathtrap - maybe yours?

For the money you pay, you should not take the risk with this place. Go elsewhere for that special stay in Istanbul.

The Armada Hotel did begrudgingly give us a free "luxury" (a maxi-cab) taxi ride back to the airport for our troubles, which saved us 20 GBP.

PS the food in all the old town restaurants is uniformly terrible, do not eat there.