I have recently spent 5 nights in Saban's one bedroom apartment.
Pros:
- lovely and quaint neighborhood, must take time to explore the backstreets of this neighbor
- 10 mins walk to Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia
- 15 mins walk to tram station and with tram you can get to pretty much anywhere. If you are going to be there for few days and will use tram often, get a tram card, Akbil, its additional 7TL, but you save 1TL every time you use the tram. You can just top-up when your credit is up. One card allows multiple use so one family only needs one card.
- Grand Bazaar is not far away
- lots of restaurants and shopping options
- Go high: have Sunday brunch at Four Seasons Sultanahmet for roughly US$65.
- Clean apartment with everything you need: fridge, stove, pots, hair dryer, heater, air conditioning....
- laundry is around the corner
Cons
- I think Saban has different units. Just so happened that my unit overlooked the ugliest abandon building in the whole neighborhood. When you look out the window you feel like you are in a slum. However, I did see people having meetings and discussions in and out of the building. I am sure someone is reconstructing it very soon. The neighborhood is actually very safe even when we return at 1am.
- the wall is a bit thin. However, if you neighbor is still noisy after hours, Saban will take care of that!
Tips
- the back street is like a big maze, a quaint charming maze. Do pay attention as you leave the property so you can find your way back.
- get Saban to arrange for airport pick up. I think its a lot easier!
Enjoy!