Our stay at Nadia's house was very peaceful and relaxing. The house is newly renovated, very clean, warm during the Istanbul winter, comfortable beds, hot bath water... yes with a bathtub! and fresh and new linens and towels.
It is a two story flat which was the first time we ever saw this in Istanbul and on the top 4th and 5th floors of the apartment building and so with big and sunny windows on both levels overlooking the Sea of Marmara with a construction site in-between which was not noisy due to the new double glazed windows but very fun to watch the diggers and the dump trucks and beyond sailboats, ferries, and the Princes Islands.
The flat on the far east edge of Moda is in a quiet part of the neighborhood but only a 10-15 minute walk to the busy parts of Kadikoy with restaurants in between and a good pizzeria just downstairs and cafes around each corner. To the left, down the hill is a marina and a park that follows the sea around the edge of Moda and makes for very nice walks.
Communication was quick and easy with Nadia and her husband via Whatsapp and when we arrived late from the airport, he was waiting for us to pass the keys and help carry up our luggage. This rental was not from an agent like other places that I have stayed in Istanbul and Nadia and her husband were easily accessible, flexible, and accommodating. He helped to send more drinking water, dishwasher detergent, and also showed us the "secret" little rooftop patio.
We all enjoyed taking warm baths in very spacious bathrooms. The whole flat is VERY spacious but cozy and well decorated with new IKEA furniture. The only drawback was some issues out of the control of the host and this was a mechanical noise that turns sporadically on and off coming somewhere from what sounds to be the ceiling of the upstairs bedroom. It sounds like a water pressure pump and was disturbing the first night but by the third night we were used to it. The other small issue was the occasional smell of smoke in the communal staircase and rear light shaft which I was initially suspecting to be our teenage son and later deduced to be the downstairs neighbor (hopefully).
We look forward to returning to Nadia's house and Moda/ Kadikoy.