Alexis was out of town, so his very nice parents greeted us...the language barrier was challenging but we managed. We arrived at IST airport at 11:45pm, but after customs, etc. and taxi drive, it was after 2am before we arrived at the apartment. The door is a little tricky to learn how to lock/unlock so make sure you have it figured out before the host leaves after checking you in. Our driver had difficulty (at night) finding the place despite Alexis detailed directions that I printed out...so just a heads up. We had four in our group, all requiring separate beds, and the arrangements met our needs. Close to grocery stores and a food cart was just steps outside the rental...hot sandwich which was pretty dang good. Easy walk to metro station. Travel guides a plus. Large container of bottled water was on hand and so was an iron, laundry soap, and bar soap. Apartment is well maintained. Positive experience. Istanbul is a great city...clean, historic, and not expensive in my opinion. We took a ferry to the Asian side and found it to be a wonderful first day of exploring everyday street life which was the highlight of our brief 2 day stay.