The studio is charming; it’s central, right next to a little 24h mini market with a very friendly owner, good wifi, and Astrid’s communication was commendable. However I did notice few details that sort of unnerved me.
— the stairs to go to the studio are covered in pigeon feces… I can’t blame the owner for this because after about two weeks of being there someone DID come to scrub it all off, but after two days or so the birds got back to work and gave the stairs their usual gift.
— There was only one towel suitable for drying after every shower, so I had to buy three more and I left them there because of a lack of space in my luggage. The shower sliding door is broken at the bottom and to get it to move is a hassle. Bathroom door handle broken and flimsy.
— There wasn’t a sponge or a kitchen brush to wash dishes with, so I bought those too. the stove miraculously is real, not a portable one which I appreciate; however, the sink is extremely small so if you happen to use more than one pan and other things to cook once, the clutter can get excessive pretty fast and the surroundings get dirty easily too from the water dripping.
— An important detail to note is that the studio is located in the basement and there is no bell at the entrance to ring. the terrace outside is pleasant, albeit being a giant block of concrete shared by the entire building. It is surrounded closely by other buildings, so making eye contact with neighbors less than three meters from you is really common. I was very frequently visited by lots of stray cats, which I in turn loved.
Again, it’s cute, but in my opinion definitely too small and uncomfortable for the nearly $600 I paid in a city like Istanbul.