This charming and so Turkish lady met us at her apartment, speaking perfect English and very quickly reviewing all details of the apartment, as well as the surrounding area, restaurants and transportation systems. She encouraged us to use the local public ferry (we did) and the bus north along the Bosphorus and correctly told us in times of difficulty that people would help us. She was so right. We stayed in the apartment just one floor up (no elevator) and liked being so close to the ground floor. The apartment is well appointed, spotless, and with lovely touches such as a backgammon set to use and a hamam keze and soap. The beds are extremely comfortable and the kitchen functions beautifully, including a large canister of bottled water. The only drawback is the 3-block walk up to the Pera Palas Hotel (read Barbara Nadel's newest mystery set there) but this is a good exercise to balance the wonderful meals in the local restaurants. Hatice recommended one called Sofyali and it was delightful. We ate there 2 nights in a row! You can't lose with your stay here.