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 — with white brick, kilims and a glass-block wall running the length of the hall.
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 70 m², with the kitchen opening into the living room so the whole social half is one space. French doors look out to Dolmabahçe Mosque and the Bosphorus — they open but don't lead outside, and the room fills with light and air off the water. The dining table seats five and there are two sofas.
Three bedrooms sleep five — two queens and a single, all with fresh linen, extra pillows and blankets and proper wardrobe space. The single room has built-in oak storage and its own glass-block window onto the hall. The view is from the living room; all three bedrooms look inward, which makes them the quiet part of the flat. We can add folding or inflatable mattresses for two more, and a travel cot and high chair are available on request.
Two bathrooms, one of them with a hydro-massage shower cabin with body jets — the only one across our six apartments. 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, 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. All three 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.
