My husband and I just stayed in Ali's apartment for four nights - and it was wonderful. He greeted us upon arrival, showed us around the apartment and balcony, then gave great recommendations and a map of the area. His apartment is situated perfectly for exploring the city: it's just minutes walking from Istiklal, about ten minutes walking to the lovely Galata neighborhood (we spend most of our time here - it's more quaint then the business of Istiklal) and you can also walk down the hill to grab the ferry near Karaköy in about 15 minutes. The ferry to Kadiköy on the Asia side is a must - gorgeous views of the city and the neighborhood was great.
The apartment was exactly as pictured: perfectly clean, quite large, insane view from the balcony.
Getting to and from the apartment was super easy too. Ali provides very thorough directions to his place and even called us a cab for our departure - which showed up exactly on time.
All in all - it was a great experience and Istanbul is so lovely! Thank you Ali!