My girlfriend and I had a fantastic stay in Istanbul at Fatih's apartment. Its location near the Galata Tower makes it perfect for exploring this fascinating city: it's a short walk to the tower, also to Istiklal Caddesi with its cafés, shops and clubs, and Taksim square is also not far. Sultanahmet (the old town with the most famous sights) is less than half an hour's walk, but there's also a tram nearby which goes directly to the Hagia Sophia.

The flat is located in a quiet backstreet, so noise was never a problem, and we felt safe in this neighbourhood throughout our stay. The apartment has a kitchenette, a fridge and a washing machine, which is useful.

All of this is nice, but the real asset of the apartment is its owner, Fatih. Long before our arrival, he sent me a ton of very helpful information about e.g. how to get into town from the airport. When our flight was delayed by a day (grrr Air France), Fatih was very helpful and flexible. Upon arrival at the apartment, he had prepared a little welcome pack (some food & drink, a map, a travel card for the public transport system, etc.) and took a good deal of time to talk us through what he felt were the highlights of Istanbul, with countless great suggestions for everything from restaurants to boat cruises to hamams. Make sure you've got a pen and paper ready! :)

We had planned to travel onwards in Turkey after Istanbul, but on our last day Istanbul got hit with torrential rain, yet we weren't due to leave the city until the late afternoon. Without our asking, Fatih very generously offered to stay in the apartment all that time, even though we'd previously agreed to a 10am check-out.

I'm trying hard to think of a negative point to balance this review, but the only thing I can think of is that the bathroom is a little on the small side and doesn't have a shower cabin. Instead, you shower right beside the sink and toilet, and the water goes into a drain in the floor. A bit unusual, but you get used to it very quickly.

All in all, big thumbs up to the apartment and owner. We would definitely go there again!