A third-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 bathroom, heating and air conditioning throughout — and then painted cobalt and orange, with a neon-lit hallway and a Vitruvian Man over the dining table.

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 80 m² and it's the highest of our apartments in this building, which shows in the view — Dolmabahçe Mosque sits almost level with the windows, with the Bosphorus opening out behind it and Çamlıca on the far shore. French doors open onto it; they open but don't lead outside, and the room fills with light and air off the water. The dining table seats six.

It's also the boldest of the six. Cobalt and orange run through the flat, the hallway is lit with neon, and the walls carry a Vitruvian Man, a motorbike blueprint, a Rothko and a Kandinsky.

Two bedrooms sleep four — both queens, with fresh linen, extra pillows and blankets and proper wardrobe space. A sofa bed and a couch 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. The view is from the living room; both bedrooms look inward, which makes them the quiet part of the flat.

A shower room and a separate WC — two loos rather than two full bathrooms, which with six of you is often the more useful arrangement. 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 behind glass-fronted cabinets, 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 third floor and there's no lift — 65 steps from the street. It's a proper climb, and it's also why this flat has the closest view of the mosque and the longest run of the water. 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. Being three floors up helps, and both bedrooms sit at the back where it's quieter still.

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 34-1730.