Malik is a considerate host who goes out of his way to accommodate you. His own vast travel experience (and not to mention his love of languages) makes him well suited for people seeking to get a authentic experience of Istanbul. His place is clean and while minimally furnished, it serves every need conceivable.
The room I stayed in was large and comfy with a balcony, couch and double bed. The balcony did not look on to anything (it looked on to the wall for the apartment block next door), and so that provided some privacy though no views.
His neighbourhood is very well located less than a 10min walk from Taksim metro and the vicinity of his home is surprisingly quiet and peaceful. This made for a great stay where one can experience taksim/istiklal street but be removed from the noise.
His place is also very easy to reach from Istanbul airport via the airport bus.