Oh my goodness!!! Where do I begin with this review? This was our first trip to Turkey, first booking with Airbnb, and first international family reunion. Four families, fifteen people with 70 years age difference between the oldest and the youngest family members. Seven of us traveling from America and eight from Iran, arriving and departing at different times and I was the one planning it all. You can imagine what kind of concerns I had regarding accommodation, transportation, and coordination of activities for all of us. This trip was my dream trip to bring my family from East and West together and what city is better than Istanbul to do that?It was the first time that my parents, brother and his family, and my sister were meeting my 21 year son, and seeing the rest of the family after 6 years. This was the first time we were meeting my youngest nephew and my sister's fiance, our newest family members. Too many first time experiences for all of us and too special for me. I wanted everything to be perfect. Not having any experience with Turkey and Airbnb, I relied on reviews to pick this place that could fit all of us and have a trustworthy and helpful host. Thank God I did...You can see in all the reviews how others have described their experience with the lovely and helpful host, Lindsay. Let me tell you that with all the nice things you read about her, you still can't imagine how wonderful she is until you meet her!! I must have done something right that God connected me with her on my first trip to Turkey and first booking with Airbnb. From the very first text message that we exchanged before I book her place until we returned from the vacation to America, every single interaction with Lindsay was simply fantastic! She helped me in every step and in every possible way, from finding a minibus and negotiation a very reasonable rate with the driver (definitely look into it if you are more than 4 people) to calling the airport and check on our delayed baggage, finding best activities for my family to do, recommending places to see/eat/shop, checking ferry schedules and routes, giving us a tour of the neighborhood and market place, and even making us turkish coffee at home for us to have homemade authentic Turkish coffee...the list of her help goes on. We all were just in awe of her! I honestly do not know how I would have managed this trip without her help. She is just amazing!
The house has everything you need, I mean everything. We all loved the location which is in the older neighborhood so you get the authentic experience of Turkey's culture and its beautiful people. It is close to all the sights in Istanbul and you have access to all kinds of transportation to go around. It is also 5 minutes walk to local shops and restaurants. The neighborhood is very very safe and people are just lovely and very friendly. My young daughters and sister would go to the near coffee shop, Nest Cafe, at midnight and walk around the neighborhood without any issue. If you are traveling to have a cultural experience and the local life, this place will give you that. We totally loved it!
Istanbul....uuuffff I am in love with this city!! Beautiful! Beautiful!! Beautiful!!! Unbelievable history and culture, breathtaking landscapes and sceneries, delicious food, gorgeous weather, fantastic shopping bazars and malls, friendly and kind people...this city is simply amazing! We can't wait to go back!
Our first largr family trip to Turkey was amazing and unforgettable! I can't tell you how grateful I am that God connected us with Lindsay. I thought I was renting an apartment but God connected me with my soul sister. I highly recommend her and her place.
My dear Lindsay, Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for everything you did for us. We all love you and greatly appreciate you. I can't wait to come back and see more of your beautiful city and sweet people. Next time you and I need to spend more. We are already planning our next visit 😇🙏 God bless you my dear sister, friend and Angel in Istanbul ❤😘🤗🙏