Sadik is an amazingly generous, thoughtful, and caring host. Upon my arrival, he invited me over to his favorite cafe in Cihangir with his great group of friends and bought me lunch. We discussed Turkish literature, healthcare policy, current events, etc. - a great way to start my first trip to Turkey.
Sadik's place is a clean, bright 2-bedbroom/1-bathroom apartment right in the middle of Cihangir. The bed is prepared with clean sheets and he will give you a hand towel and bath towel. The room has its own balcony with a couch, so you can relax outside and read after a long day of sightseeing. The bathroom is clean and the shower has good water pressure, with no issue of low hot water supply. Sadik is generous and will let you use the kitchen, borrow his iron and iron table, use his washing machine, etc. Sadik works as a doctor, so he works long days. But at night, he'll invite you to hang out his friends to debate over some drinks and fruit. Sadik will call you "my friend" and he treats you as such.
As for the neighborhood, I think Cihangir is the best place to stay in Istanbul. The neighborhood is so hip and filled with young, open-minded people. Also, it has great restaurants and cafes, and at night, Cihangir is bustling with young professionals and students. It feels so much like West Village in NYC. Also, it is centrally located to destinations east and west. You may be a tourist in Istanbul, but you'll feel like a local in Cihangir.
This was my first time using AirBnB and Sadik has set an extremely high bar that I don't think future hosts I stay with will be able to surpass. Sadik is beyond a Super Host! I highly recommend that you stay with Sadik while in Istanbul, that's assuming his apartment is available. His apartment is getting popular on AirBnB, so you need to book way in advance.