PROS
-Excellent location. Close to many restaurants, grocery stores, and Istikhal Street, which had tons of clothes, souvenirs, and food (baklava and turkish delight) shops. Additionally, on Sundays, there is a huge market down the street.
-The nearby shopkeepers have reasonable prices and are very nice.
-Garen really went out of his way to welcome us. Our flight came early in the morning so Garen arranged transportation for us and allowed us to check in early. Since he had a prior engagement and couldn’t meet us, his parents welcomed us and we were provided with a water jug, snacks on the counter, towels on every bed, toilet paper, and other bathroom amenities. He had lots of glasses, bowls, plates, pots, and pans for us to use.
-After we arrived, Garen provided a list of places to go and see. It was a really detailed list and we did end up going to a few of those.
-There’s 3 bedrooms, all with queen beds, which was really nice. There were also additional beds in case you had more people, and a crib.
CONS
-When we entered, the floor was very dusty. It could possibly have been due to the open windows and outside construction, but our feet got really dirty and we had to mop the entire flat ourselves on the first day
-The neighborhood is in a very ghetto area. It was really rundown and in a narrow street. From the previous reviews, I didn’t expect it to be nice, but I also didn’t expect it to be as dingy as it was. The streets are pretty steep, especially towards Istikhal Street, and there are a few steps into the building itself so be conscious of that if you have a lot of luggage or stroller.
-We came at a pretty bad time. I was told before booking that there was mild construction (painting) happening on the exterior of the flat and that it should finish on our second day. Based on that explanation, I thought it would be okay. The exterior painting finished a week later and by then, they moved on to painting the inside of the building. Additionally, I was not told about the pipes in the entryway that made the entryway of the building smell damp and dusty. Even though we were told it would be gone the next day (and it was), it reappeared the day after. We were also not informed about the MAJOR construction on the street itself. I’m talking about two bulldozers and an excavation in the middle of the street. It was incredibly inconvenient. Our stay would probably have been a lot more enjoyable if we came after all the construction.
-In our time there, the iron and dryer (it’s a 2-in-1 washer/dryer) did not work. We told Garen about the laundry machine and to his credit, he did try to get service to come in, but they could only come after we finished our trip. We used the laundry hanger but it didn’t really work, so all our clothes smelled damp the entire time.
-The light sensor in the front door and the bathrooms are weak and turn off even if you’re under it. We had to wave every time we were in the bathroom or outside for more than a minute. Additionally, there are three locks to the flat and two of them are finicky. So when you’re struggling with the locks and the light keeps going off, it can get really inconvenient.
-The pictures of the flat look great, but it's not accurate. As someone put in another comment: it’s smaller than it looks and not as brightly lit. Additionally, the door threshold (the plastic at the base of a door) for most of the rooms are broken.
Overall, it was an okay place. But if you’re looking for a nice place to enjoy your vacation, which was what my parents were hoping for, this is not that - especially for the price.