Pelin was a very kind and extremely helpful host. She was always responding to messages immediately and helped out with anything we needed or any questions we had. To find her apartment she sent a very detailed description, even with videos, to orientate in the hidden streets of Istanbul.
The studio is located in a very old and beautiful building surrounded by other antique buildings. The surrounding streets were filled with restaurants, various cafés and small boutiques which made it a very cozy and authentic neighborhood to spend your time at. Also, it's located in a walking distance of just 10min to the central Taksim square and just 15-20min to the shuttle-bus station connecting you to the airport. I would keep in mind though, that he streets can get quite narrow and hilly, which might get quite exhausting with a bigger suitcase.
There are a few unfavorable things I would like to point out:
• The studio was located in the lowest floor in the far back corner of the street so it was quite dark during the day.
• Since the buildings are quite close to each other and the neighbors very lively, it could get quite loud at night. We don't like to sleep with the AC blasting, therefore we had to keep the windows open, which meant staying awake until the neighbors slept. But if you're fine with AC at night, the closed windows blocked the sound quite well.
• The biggest down point though was the humidity, or rather the humid smell, that was trapped in the apartment. We tried everything from leaving the AC on dehumidifier mode to keeping windows open as much as possible, but it hardly made a difference.
We stayed for almost 10 days, but I would recommend this studio for shorter stays of max 5 days. So if you're not very picky and are looking for an authentic place to stay with a great location, this is definitely your choice. The price is also pretty much unbeatable. And if you love cats, you can be sure to have adorable visitors regularly checking on you during your stay!