There is lots to like here. The apartment is large and comfortable. There are fantastic views over the Bosporus and great views of Top Kapi and the Hagia Sophia over the Golden Horn. The beds are comfortable. The kitchen is well equipped and generally suitable for self catering. The bathroom is perfectly adequate and whilst the shower is small there is plenty of hot water and the pressure is good. The living area is large and comfortable. The location is good, a short walk up hill to the Galata Tower, and an easy walk across the Galata Bridge to the spice bazaar and Sultanahmet. The apartment is on the fifth floor and the only access is by stairs This is the price you pay for the great views.

On the negative side a lot of maintenance tasks have been neglected. We couldn’t get the dishwasher to work and washing by hand is difficult (no plug for the sink or drying towels and very limited hot water). The fridge is not cold, some of the lights didn’t work etc. Three of the rooms have water damaged ceilings and if you suffer from CIRS or are sensitive to mould you should avoid this apartment. No tea, coffee etc were provided and the toiletries were limited and inadequate. It would be good to have a brightly lit mirror for makeup. Shopping in the area is good. There is an excellent butcher down the road and several grocers close buy. Our host didn’t seem to be expecting us, despite the fact that we had only just paid a few days before. We had to make several calls to get access codes etc. After checkout we received a rather rude message that seemed to accuse us of breaking the dishwasher.