I highly recommend staying at Çesim’s apartment. Çesim is very friendly and attentive host, his apartment is nice, and it is close to the major historical sites (Aya Sofya, Blue Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque etc.) while not being in too touristy an area. There is a lovely court yard area to sit in, and Çesim and his assistant kindly offered tea and coffee and passed the time of day with us each morning. There’s also an excellent brunch place directly opposite.
On the first night there was a problem with the waterworks in the apartment, but Çesim arranged for us to stay in a nearby apartment without any problem. We then booked in to Çesim’s place the following day.
There were two double beds and two sofa beds in the apartment, so for our party of 5 two of us had to share a double bed.