Akif is an amazing host who is very warm, welcoming, flexible, and understanding! He is willing to help even if it's 4 am in the morning and his communication is very good (he also speaks very good English). Our flights were at odd times and he was happy to adjust our check-in/check-out times based on our needs. Because we were staying long he offered to arrange the cleaner once a week or as needed during our stay. On the last day of our stay, one of us tested positive for COVID and we had to extend our stay to quarantine for 2 weeks. He was quick to arrange an extended stay for us despite the short notice. Normally people would have a bad experience catching covid and quarantining in a stuffy, poorly lit little expensive hotel room with annoyed staff but we had the very opposite experience and we really enjoyed relaxing in a whole private hotel with spacious rooms, good natural lighting and fresh air at the upstairs terrace with a great view of the city. Not to mention the breathtaking sunrises, sunsets and night views. We used a few food delivery apps (getir, trendyol and yemeksepeti) to make food come directly to the apartment door which helped a lot during quarantine. The wifi was very strong and reliable too which is important when you need to make changes to your travel arrangements at short notice and I was able to catch up on Netflix and the Turkish series I was missing in the last few weeks.
In terms of the place itself, it is an old building as are many that are in the vicinity of Fatih (old town of Istanbul) which means there are no elevators. If you are a fit person climbing 4 levels of stairs isn't too bad but it can be a bit of a workout if you have a lot of heavy luggage you need to take upstairs. This is not something the host can change but it's a heads up so that you're prepared. The apartment is very private and secure with an external metal gate that can be locked at the top of the stairs on the floor of the apartment in addition to the apartment's wooden door with 3 separate types of locks. Downstairs there are shops lined with butchers, cheese sellers, honey sellers, spice, tea and oil sellers as well as restaurants, a pharmacy, a mosque and grocery stores. They are conservative but friendly. The meat and cheese can smell pretty strong at times when coming to and leaving the complex. Recommend keeping your mask on when downstairs if you're sensitive to the smell. There are three bedrooms - one is large and spacious with a cupboard (with a good stock of towels, coat hangers, sheets, pillow and blankets inside) and a table, another with two beds and a smaller room with a single bed and table. The beds were pretty comfortable to sleep in. Each room comes with its own extension cable so it's easier to charge devices and the largest room has a vacuum cleaner and an iron. The living room is long with a couch and table. There is a single toilet with a sink and a separate bathroom with a shower, hairdryer and a sink. Both come equipped with toiletries and the cupboard under the bathroom sink there are many cleaning products and extra toiletries if needed. The kitchen is very traditional and self-contained. It included a stovetop, cups, utensils, cleaning products, a coffee machine and a boiling kettle. The host provided a large bottle of drinking water, cooking oil and some fruits in the fridge. The apartment also has both a washing machine (detergent provided) and a dryer which was super convenient. The apartment and many of the furniture were shabbier and more worn out than the pictures but still fairly clean and usable. I didn't mind it as much because I expected it after reading other reviews. Although we went in winter, the apartment was pretty warm and cozy. There are also fans in some of the rooms for summer and the windows can be opened wide to let in some fresh air as well. When closed, they block out the noise from the busy street down below. As mentioned previously the terrace upstairs has an amazing view and one of the reasons why I had booked the apartment was to view the New Years' fireworks with a nice view of the city while avoiding the crowds. The accommodation suited this need perfectly and we got to see the fireworks as planned. Just a heads up for tall people - the ceiling of the terrace is pretty low so you'll need to crouch a bit. My height is about 157cm and it was just right for me. The terrace also includes everything you need for a bbq and a hanging rail for drying clothes.
The building location is very good and in close proximity to all kinds of public transport, tourist attractions, shops, pharmacies, petrol station, medical center, restaurants - pretty much everything you need. With the transport, it's very quick and easy to get around the whole city of Istanbul and we were even able to do a couple of intercity trips! The area the apartment is located is very popular with the locals and they rave about some of the restaurants there including the one that sells chicken on rice (Meşhur Unkapanı Pilavcısı) and Vefa Bozacisi (a type of cold drink that is sold in many other shops from this place). I'm not sure I liked the drink as much as the locals though... If you have time and happen to be close by the Suleymaniye mosque, I highly recommend going to Süleymaniye Çikolatacısı for some chocolate and dessert in a very relaxed and ottoman atmosphere.
The checkout process was extremely easy. The host was even happy to arrange an airport transfer if needed.
Many thanks to Akif. There's no way