Regrettably, this was the most catfish Airbnb stay we’ve had as a couple. The favourable points given are for the hosts who always appear welcoming, the easy checking in process, and the well considered furnishings. The location on this occasion however was less than desirable and we had a fly infestation problem.
Halfway through our stay, when our frustrations and displeasure with the house became unbearable, Rana was kind enough to move us to one of her other listings which felt much more suitable for us. We had stayed at another one of the hosts flats 2 years prior too for context. As a result of the frustrations experienced + the increased price point (what I would consider overpriced), I wanted to leave an in-depth review of my our experience.
Pros
- Quaint historic-ish house.
- Well considered medley of antique and modern furnishings.
- Located in a cool neighbourhood of Istanbul.
- Well informed / smooth remote check-in process.
- Flexible check out process (allowed us to keep our luggage for an extra few hours).
- Friendly, well communicating and considerate hosts.
Cons
- If you’re travelling from the seafront (I.e from kabatas or karakoy) the route to the flat is very hilly and difficult with luggage (intertwine streets = hard to locate without assistance). It’s also a little remote with minimal immediate access to shops and difficult to get in and out without climbing a LOT of stairs (not functional or accessible for short stays wanting to go out a lot).
- Apartment itself is down 2 flights of steep stairs with no lift (difficult with heavy luggage).
- Very small bathroom + broken toilet seat.
- Balcony appears to be private in the pictures, but is misleading as it’s actually just a siphoned off bit of the street, and is connected through a door leading to the bedroom (didn’t feel too safe).
- Ground floor flat so difficult to keep windows open in heat and no privacy from passersby in street (one night someone kept tapping on the windows outside at 01:45 am).
- For passers by to not see into the flat, you need to keep the blinds drawn which means it’s very dark inside during the day.
- Considerable mould on walls and ceiling of one of the rooms.
- Two of the large plants in the living room must’ve been recently been infected as there were a LOT of flies and small insects everyday.
- Washing machine is shared with building residents and is located right next to the flat (at the bottom of the stairs), so you get noise from people using the facility.