At first I'd like to thank Berk and Ozlem 😊
Here are the summary of our experience at their place:
Pros:
1- friendly and accessible hosts, they provided what we asked for and they arranged our chek in while we arrived late at midnight.
2. Good location, close to Beşiktaş and Taksim, about 25 minutes walking, lots of groceries, shops, bakeries and restaurants are nearby.
3. Dish and washing machines are handy.
4. The backyard garden is very beautiful.
5. The neighbourhood is very green and woody.
6. Very safe and secure place, there are security gurads and cemeras in the area.
Cons:
The bathroom and especially the wardrobe room was smelly, it smeled like a bit swer and moistur, it made the big wardrobe room ( which was really spacious and nice) kind of useless ( although we left our stuffs there and they did not get the smell, the smell was only in the air). We communicated the issue to the hosts, they offered to change the pipes, but we didn't agree as we were there already and we didn't want troubles, it shoulda been fixed before our arrival), they have put many room air fresheners and sprays, for the toilet they helped to a tolerate extent.
2. The road which goes to Taksim has a very sharp slope, although many areas in Istanbul could be so ( there are some stairs to take, to skip the slope, but the stairs are a bit dangerous, yet manageable, we recommend to take those stairs as they are like shortcuts).
3. The beautiful yard and the terrace is occupied by 2 to 3 cats, for animal lovers that could be a plus, but since they were street cats, and we were not sure about their hygiene and health conditions, it was a bit of trouble for us. There are many cats in Istanbul, which is lovely, but mebtioned cats considered the terrace as their home.
4. A minor issue: The front door is difficult to use, as the apartment is 3 stairs down from that side, without an elevator, but it is not a big deal as the beautiful garden door is easily useable, which makes the apartment on the ground floor from the other side.
5. The place has no air conditioning, so we needed to leave Windows open, then some insects and even cats could come in.
6. One of the beds, was 160 cm which was not enough for 2 people to sleep on, the couch in the living room, was big, but it could have been better as it was soft for our back and difficult to sleep on ( maybe we are not anymore young 😂), we were 5 and almost 2 of us shoulda sleep on the floor.
In conclusion, we recommend the place for sure, we had trustable and nice hosts. The place needs some renovations and maintenance, and the price could be more responsible and lower.