We booked Suat's apartment, based on the photographs and reviews on the AirBnB website. He responded promptly to our booking request, and provided helpful information in advance of our trip.
Although we arrived later than expected, we received a warm welcome from Suat's friends, who also provided us with wine, water, teabags and fruit, and took the time to show us around the flat.
The apartment is well located, close to transport connections at Taksim Square (including the bus from the airport) and the trams from Kabbatas to Korakoy (for ferry tours of the Golden Horn or boat trips across to Kodakoy on the Asian side of Istanbul). The tram from Kabbatas also goes further on to Sultanahmet (where most of the major sights are, such as the Aga Sofia and Topkapi Palace). In the other direction, the impressive Dolmabahce Palace is about half an hour away on foot. It’s a good idea to purchase an Istanbulkart (like Transport for London’s Oyster Card), which can be topped up at tram, bus, ferry and metro stations, and makes public transport much easier and cheaper to use. For the museums, the MuseumCard, (available from Topkapi Palace and a number of other major sights) will save you money and time, as you can skip the queues outside of the main attractions covered by the card.
The apartment is close to some good restaurants in the Cihangir neighbourhood. We dined on two occasions at Miss Pizza and Cihangir Nişantaşı Ocakbaşı. Each time the service and food were excellent. There are also numerous eating places on the busy Istiklal Street, near Taksim Square.
Close to the apartment, there are several small shops for basic purchases such as bread and fruit, and near the Fındıklı Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi tram stop there is also a well-stocked Carrefour supermarket. Some of the streets around the apartment have steep hills and long flights of stairs, and care should be taken when using the pavements as some of these are in need of repair.
The apartment has a good heating system, which was very welcome in the middle of February. The bed was comfortable and our sleep was not disturbed by noise from other apartments or the street. We were able to use the kitchen for cooking, and the kettle was very welcome for making tea. Sui was available at all times during our visit, and responded promptly to any questions we had.
We can recommend this apartment to anyone looking for a comfortable stay in a good location in Istanbul.