Marco & Elif arranged our airport pickup and drop off on departure, with a reliable and fairly priced taxi company and were otherwise very helpful too. The apartment is very close to essential services - small supermarkets, restaurants/bars and a taxi rank almost next door; there are specialist 'Kahvalti' restaurants providing excellent Turkish breakfasts very nearby. It's a bit of a walk (downhill) to a tram stop providing an easy link to Karikoy ferry (and Galata tower) and across the Golden Horn to Eminonu and Sultanahmet (Topkapi palace, Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, Grand Bazaar). The walk back uphill from this stop is one of the negative features, so not for the infirm or unfit ! It's about a 10-15 minute walk in other direction to Taksim Square and Metro and Istiklal Street. The apartment is accurately described and comfortable, with airconditioning and ceiling fans and a good bathroom (Elif installed a tumble drier while we were there), plus another downstairs W.C. . Marco and Elif had provided plentiful bath towels for our party of five, plus other essentials, that was much appreciated. It is next door to a small mosque with loud call to prayers at 5 a.m. and other times but we didn't find this too annoying.
It would be helpful if there was a 'house book' giving advice on transport, restaurants/bars , local tourist attractions etc ., and including useful tips from guests. One of our tips would be to get an Istanbulkart (more than one person can use it) ; they make getting around Istanbul much easier. A second tip would be to take the ferry over to Kadikoy on the Asian side - it has a very attractive and lively restaurant/bar area that is a nice change from the more 'touristy' European side and the ferry trip (15 minutes only, and frequent and cheap) is enjoyable itself. More generally, the Istanbul transport system - trams, Metro, ferries - is well integrated, efficient and cheap - the Istanbulkart can be used on all of them . If you don't mind a bit of walking - it does help you to see more - this apartment is good value, provides an excellent and comfortable base for a holiday in Istanbul and your hosts Marco and Elif are easy to contact and can be relied on .