Seckin's home near Taksim was the best out of 3 places that I've stayed in in Istanbul in the past due to location, cleanliness, convenience, and amazing hospitality. The apartment is beautifully and thoughtfully decorated and gives you an immediate homey vibe. It was super easy to settle into and well equipped with everything needed for my one week stay.
For context, I am a digital nomad so I've stayed in nearly 3 dozen short term rentals through Airbnb and it's competitors over the last year. The apartment was on the second floor (so a couple flights of stairs but manageable) and the self-checkin process was super easy.
Seckin was an incredibly patient and thoughtful host when, unexpectedly, my arrival was delayed due to issues departing from my previous destination and checked in without adding to my stress at the time. He also generously extended my stay for free without my asking so that I could make up for the days I had missed. He ALSO allowed for a late checkout on my departure day due to my having a late flight. Hosts like him are rare to find, if you want to feel secure in your booking, look no further :)
The route towards Taksim from the apartment is at an incline that took a couple of days to get used to but is relatively short (about 10 minutes) and gives you easy access to tonnes of restaurants and shopping areas. The nearest money exchange is across the streer from the Delhi Darbar restaurant. I was able to get an uber to and from the nearest bus station without any trouble.
The washing machine was a great touch and water pressure was good as well. I had no issues with running out of hot water in the shower.
There's a robust heating system that I'm sure will come in handy in the winter, in the spring all you need is to cozy up with the extra wool blanket that Seckin provides as the heating is a bit overkill!
I had a light workweek so I managed with hotspotting from my phone as the internet wasn't the strongest but it was good enough for a few meetings and light usage.
The location of the apartment is just perfect if you want to have a little less street noise but still be right by the action in Taksim and the hospitality if Seckin as a host is unparalleled. He's up there with all of the superhosts that I have stayed with and I've bookmarked his place to recommend to others and return to when I am in Istanbul!