This is a 4 level story house with a garden. The top level is a terrace which was under renovation at the time of our stay. There is a view of the canal from here but slightly obscured by the trees.
The 3rd floor has a spacious master bedroom and washroom (toilet and shower) and laundry; the laundry has a heavy duty washing machine and there is a ironing facility and clothes rack. The room does not have an AC, there is a ceiling fan but this is more decorative than operational. In the summer the room is quite hot and even with the windows open we found it difficult to stay in the room. There are no window screens to keep the mosquitoes out. There is a TV fitted but it was broken and not working.
The second floor has a bedroom and has the entrance foyer; it is the main entrance to the house. The bedroom has no AC or ceiling fan; thankfully Eda provided a portable fan which was a lifesaver. Although functional, the bed is a bit old and dated. The foyer/ reading area has a small day bed which is also very dated. There are no window screens to keep the mosquitoes out so it can get quite hot.
The lower floor has the kitchen and a living area and a TV. There is no AC or fan. There are large bay doors which open out into a beautiful garden which has a patio and a dining area. There are no door screens so no way to keep these open and keep the mosquitoes out. The kitchen is adequately equipped with a stove top and an oven. There is a hot water and tea kettle and enough pots and pans to cook with. A large fridge is also provided. The garden houses a chicken coop at the lower end of the garden, there are also a large number neighbourhood cats who are very friendly. At the end of the garden is an attached garage where 2 vehicles can be parked comfortably. There is a toilet also located on the lower level.
The house is not very comfortable in the summer and gets very hot, we found it very difficult to sleep. I imagine it must be more comfortable in the cooler months. There are a lot of mosquitoes and no mosquito repellants were provided. Ensure that you buy or bring some with you.
She seems to be in the middle of renovating the house, with a few good pieces here and there, but the place desperately needs to have an AC and netting on all the windows to make it livable. The big beautiful windows serve no point if they have to be shut by evening making it quite stuffy.
She mentioned breakfast was included, but that really meant it was up to the chickens and the first morning, we only received one egg from the coup. The second morning, we got 2 eggs but I wouldn't count that as breakfast.
Location wise, it is not far, and walking distance from the supermarkets, and restaurants. There are two places to catch the ferry. The one closer to her in Cengelkoy, which is a 15 mins walk away, only goes to Bebek which is far from main Istanbul. If you want to go to the main Istanbul, you need to go to the Uskudar ferry terminal which you can take a bus to, or is about 20 mins by taxi. I would not recommend taking your car to either of the ferry terminals. In Uskudar, there are plenty of ferries to take you across and back.
Overall, not my favourite place that we've stayed at. It needs a lot more work for that to happen, with the kitchen and upstairs bathroom being the only functional places in the house.