I liked this place. Pay heed to the reviews... if you're traveling with anything heavier than a backpack, or with wheels, just take a taxi. 5-6 lira. The streets are charmingly bombed out, with lots of stairs and chunks missing, and crazy drivers! It may look dodgy if you're used to first-world USA, but I felt safe... there are local businesses around and people out late. Eat at the little restaurant across the street! Erdal's place is a short walk to everything you need - Metro, Taksim, Istiklal etc... and it's an older building, but very clean with good water pressure, heat, and tons of dishes, a refrigerator, and tasteful furnishings. Also, it was no problem at all getting anything taken care of - the first night, while showering, the showerhead slipped off the wall, slammed against the tile, and broke. It was fixed the next day, but the really amazing part was that my 3am email about it was replied to in 5 minutes!