We had a wonderful trip to Istanbul. We were a group of 7 with 4 adults, 2 of which were senior citizens in their 70's, and three teenagers.
I contacted Selim in April inquiring about Dualis for a possible place to stay.
My father had earmarked some hotels in SultanAhmet square and we had already made the reservation but had not finalized payment yet. Then I stumbled upon Selim's property through Airbnb and I sent him a message requesting more information. He responded right away.
Since we were a largish group, with varying needs; I had to coordinate between 3 different families. Different people were arriving in and leaving Istanbul on different days . This meant coordinating airport pickups and room reservations accordingly.
I sent Selim several messages trying to figure out room reservations, 5 different airport pickups and dropoffs and managing some special needs for my parents who had difficulty with walking. Selim communicated promptly in all cases. He also helped where he could and made arrangments that suited everyone.
Selim also helped us plan a day trip to Troy. This was not an easy trip to plan. But he made arrangments for a car and driver. We are very grateful for this. My parents are especially grateful as they were not sure if they would be able to manage a tour which had a strict schedule and a lot of walking.
At this point I'd like to mention Adem; the driver of the 7 seater van that Selim arranged for us. Adem is an amazing driver. During our trip we would pay Adem to pick or drop us places, because my parents had some difficulty with walking too much. No matter how busy the high tourist areas were, Adem would find us and easily pick and drop us. He was respectful and pleasant with an every ready smile. We had a memorable time with Adem and my parents still talk about how much of a help it was.
As a host, Selim is:
1. Extremely prompt in communication. I find this actually to be his greatest strength as a host. It is the reason I booked Dualis. He always responded to my many, many questions and worked with me to find the best option for my family.
2. Hospitable. Selim was there to greet us when we arrived. He walked with us in the neighborhood and showed us the local places to eat. My family LOVED the feel of being part of the neighborhood and going to the local eatieries and grocery store for little necessities.
3. Ready to help with arrangements. We relied on Selim for airport pickups/dropoffs, day trips, local trips and questions about where to eat and where to go.
I know this is a very long review. But this was a once in a lifetime trip for my family as we had 3 generations together in Istanbul. In choosing a place I read Selim's reviews and that was 70% of the reason I chose Dualis. The other 30% was based on the location.
It was a bullseye in both cases.