If you're looking for a small, simple, quiet studio apartment in a traditional Istanbul neighborhood near the Golden Horn for a stay of several weeks, a month or two, at bargain prices, Cibali Efendi Apartments may be just right for you.
Located at the corner of quiet Bıçakçı Çeşmesi Sokak and Çağa Sokak, opposite the Bıçakçı Alaaddin Camii (mosque; map), in the Cibali neighborhood these 3 small studios are clean, tidy, and cheerful, with new, modern private bathrooms.
The building has a resident caretaker and security cameras even though this is a stable neighborhood, considered by its residents to be safe and hospitable.
How can a clean, tidy, safe hotel-type studios with private bath and kitchen in a newly-renovated building on the hillside above the Golden Horn be "bargain-priced"?
Simple: Cibali is not touristic, it's a real traditional Istanbul working-class residential neighborhood. There's nothing touristic about it—except that it's a good place for foreign visitors to stay.
If you really want to "live among the local people," experience real working-class Istanbul daily life—but with the comforts of touristic Istanbul only a short ride away—you'll probably like Cibali.
Each of the 3 studios, reached by stairs (no elevator/lift) has either a queen-size bed or twin beds that can be pushed together to make a big bed, a flat-screen TV, free Wifi, air conditioner/heater, kitchenette with appliances and utensils, refrigerator, and small private bathroom with shower.
The ground-floor apartment is quite small. The 2 studios upstairs above it are large enough to comfortably sleep two persons.
Views are of the street, but because the building faces south, the rooms receive plenty of natural light and, depending on the room, the hour and the season, some direct sunlight.
Above, the building façade.
Note that he building has no other services. No breakfast, no English-speaking staff, etc. You're just renting a small studio apartment.
The rooms' compact size and non-touristic—but convenient—location keeps the rent delightfully affordable in increasingly expensive Istanbul. Here are the daily rates per room, including for the Gedikpaşa Efendi Apartments and Cankurtaran Efendi Apartments:
Low = Low season: January-February & November-December
High = High season: March through October
Holiday = Christmas & Easter periods
| Apartment | Low | High | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gedikpaşa | 30€ | 45€ | 60€ |
| Cibali* | 30€ | 40€ | 60€ |
| Cankurtaran | 35€ | 60€ | 75€ |
*4-night minimum stay in Cibali apartments
These apartments are owned and operated by Efendi Travel. When you contact Efendi for availability, rates and reservations, please mention TTP. Here's why.
Efendi Apartments
Efendi Travel Agency
Yeni Akbıyık Caddesi No: 30 (map)
Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: +90 (212) 638 6343, or 638 6344, or 638 3746
Fax: +90 (212) 638 3922
info@efenditravel.com
—by Tom Brosnahan
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