I stayed with my girlfriend for one week (from July 12 to July 19, the week of the now infamous coup attempt).

The apartment is very nicely decorated, feels comfortable, and the rooftop terrace is a great bonus. We didn't speak to Giuseppe at all, and didn't see Ugur (his assistant), though we spoke with him on the phone and he was very helpful. Mustafa, the guardian angel who lives in the building, is very friendly and asked regularly if all was going well. The last day, he went down to the main street to hail a taxi for us. Communication with him can be difficult if you do not speak Turkish or Italian, but he is patient and can make himself understood.

For us, the big problem was the neighborhood. While it is well located in the city (it is easy to take a bus from/to Taksim or Eminönü), it felt a bit uncomfortable for us at times. We didn't have any serious problems, and I am pretty sure it is safe, at least in the day time. Still, I feel like more should be written about it in the listing than just calling it "conservative".

It is quite run down at places (many buildings look like they are falling apart). Almost all of the local women wear hijab (and many are covered in black from head to toe), and we felt stared at for not conforming. There is a quran school nearby and you will hear the children shouting the verses at all hours of the day. Kids play in the street below the apartment, babies cry, moms gossip. You will see a lot of street vendors pulling their food cart and loudly advertising what they are selling. All very "authentic" and fun for a day or two but as a result it is very hard to have a moment of quiet in the apartment during the day (it calms down around midnight).

That being said, there is a street (Voodina) a few blocks down to the sea that is much nicer and is starting to even become touristy, with lots of coffee shops and stores. Still this is not how it looks like next to the apartment, and if you go up instead of down it will look even more run down. Also, the people there can be quite friendly and smiling. It helps if you know a tiny bit of Turkish (hello, thank you, and the basics of numbers).

In conclusion, we felt more information about the neighborhood should feature in the listing. From other reviews, it seemed like it wasn't a problem for most other visitors (especially if they are just elsewhere during the day), but one should be aware of the situation.