A first-floor apartment in Sami Bey Apartmanı, built in the 1950s by my grandfather, Dr. Zülfü Sami Özgen, and the family's home for thirty years. It has since been fully refurbished — new kitchen and bathrooms, heating and air conditioning throughout — and furnished with kilims, framed İstanbul engravings and pictures of ships.

The entrance is typical of post-war İstanbul: a heavy iron-framed glass door and white marble steps up to a landing. Once that door shuts behind you the noise of the city drops away.

The flat is 90 m², and its living room sits on the corner of the building with windows on two sides — the most open room of any of our apartments. Dolmabahçe Mosque and the palace clock tower on one side, the Bosphorus on the other, ferries crossing all day. The dining table seats eight, and a balcony off the living room has a table and two chairs.

Three bedrooms sleep six — two queens and a king, all with fresh linen, extra pillows and blankets, and proper wardrobe space. One has its own balcony over the garden with the sea beyond; another keeps the building's original parquet and a set of framed İstanbul engravings, and faces the garden wall rather than the water, which makes it the quietest room in the flat. A sofa bed and two couches in the living room take two more, and we can add folding or inflatable mattresses beyond that. A travel cot and high chair are available on request.

Two bathrooms, both with walk-in showers. There's central heating for the winter and split units in every room including the living room, which double as heaters on a cold night. The TV has Netflix and cable. The kitchen has an electric hob, a countertop oven, a microwave, a fridge and a dishwasher, along with Turkish and filter coffee, a kettle, a toaster, pots and pans, plates, cutlery and basic cooking ingredients to start you off. The washing machine and iron are in the kitchen area, with spare towels.

On the ground floor, a large garden shared with the other residents — grass to lie on and mature trees for shade.

Getting up to us: we're on the first floor and there's no lift — 31 steps in all. It's the shortest climb in the building. Tuna or her husband Nesi will meet you at the street door.

A note on noise: we're on a lively stretch of waterfront and the road below carries traffic through the day, so the living room isn't silent. The bedrooms sit at the back and are noticeably quieter.

Parking: none private, but several options within a few minutes — paid street parking directly outside, a valet service 200 m along the road during working hours, the Dolmabahçe Palace car park almost opposite which usually has well over a hundred spaces free, and the new Kabataş Transfer Centre, which has its own car park.

Turkish law requires every guest's identity details to be registered at check-in. Sending them by message before you arrive makes check-in quicker — or there's a short form to fill in at check-in, with your ID or passport to hand. Cleaning during your stay can be arranged on request for a fee.

Tourism rental permit 34-0058.