This is the first time I have booked Airbnb apartment and I believe it is one of my best experiences of renting an apartment. Kaya is a professional host. He takes care of his guests and provides all the needed basic stuff like clean towels and kitchen tools & items. It was very nice of him to bring an absolutely new pot for me and provide me both with electric stove and cooking gas cylinder, knowing that I like to cook at home.
The main advantage of Kaya's apartment is location. It is located in the very heart of lovely and cozy Kadiköy near ferry and metro station. This neighborhood is full of places with delicious food for insanely cheap prices comparing to Taxim prices. Also, you will find a lot of cheap shops with clothes. Just near the apartment, if you go down the street and to the left, there are two shops where you can buy all the needed food (Şok and A101), in a few meters there will be my favorite gym ( USA Team Fitness Fight Club...by the way, there is online sporcard membership, it can help you pay less for the gym, instead of 170 TRY per month, only 100 TRY). Trainers in the gym speak English and one guy speaks Russian.
About safety, Kadiköy is super safe 24/7 for men and women. When I was going back home from Metrobus station alone, people in the restaurant showed the road to the Bull Statue, so I safely got home and nobody bothered me. In Taxim, it is a bit dangerous at night, if you are a Slavic girl especially, men will definitely try to bother you even if you walk with your boyfriend or friends. Kadiköy is also less crowded with tourists, which personally for me makes it more attractive. If you stay long-term, Kadikoy is definitely the best place.
Transport. You may think to rent something on the European side, however, note that you can always get from Taxim to Kadiköy by Metrobus or yellow minibus that are available 24/7. Therefore, no need to rent and overpay for an apartment on the European side. Those, who like taxi applications, there is one local app and Uber (which works kinda illegally) but at any time, it is better to take subway or ferry due to the horrible traffic especially at the daytime. Do not forget to buy Istanbul card (saves money greatly).
For digital nomads. You will find near one coworking spot but my personal recommendation is Starbucks near the Bull Statue (I used to go early in the morning and work till evening, after 1-2 pm it may get crowded but in the morning it is awesome, another Starbucks near metro station is not as good, much more crowded.
To sum up, I highly recommend staying at Kaya's apartment. Do not be shy to contact Kaya if you face any issue with the apartment, he will fix any problem immediately. Finally, regarding the previous feedback about thin walls, this is quite normal for Istanbul as I have noticed communicating with some locals. Our neighbors were a few girls, they did not bother us.
I highly recommend the apartment of Kaya! Enjoy this beautiful city and have fun. I have learned a lot in this city and met nice people, generous and friendly.
Kaya, thank you one more time for staying in your apartment. I appreciate your responsiveness and professional approach to hosting Airbnb guests!!! :)
p.s. Those who plan to stay at Kaya's apartment, do not take a taxi from the airport, there are some public buses(cheaper) and Havatas (14 TRY).
If you get lost, do not hesitate to ask locals, they will help you even they do not speak English fluently.