My stay at Verda's apartment near Taksim Square in Istanbul was more than I expected and well worth the price. Literally, everything in the apartment is brand new as it has just been newly remodeled. It's only a block and a half from Taksim Square, so access to the Beyoglu neighborhood is excellent and at Taksim you can take either the Metro, or the Funicular to the Tram and be in Sultanahmet in no more than 25 minutes. You can also catch the dolmus (van shuttle) down to Besiktas from the square, and the bus to the airport is only a couple blocks from the square.

Verda was very responsive to my questions and eager to make my stay a comfortable one.

The only limitation I can report is that the walk up to Taksim is steep (like much of Istanbul), and the stairs up to the fourth floor apartment are also steep. For anyone with limited mobility this location would not be an ideal choice.

All in all Verda's apartment was an excellent choice for me and I would definitely stay there again.