Golden Horn, aside from crowds: authentic and arty greek house with terrace

My husband and I stayed at Verystanbul for 10 days, with our daughter and son-in-law joining us for a portion of the time. For all of us, staying in the Fener neighborhood, in this beautifully appointed home was a top highlight of our nearly four week trip in Turkey. This proved to be the perfect location from which to explore the city. We took a walking tour (Rick Steve's Istanbul) starting at the house - we were able to scale the ancient city wall (greatly surprised be the fantastic panoramic view), tour the Chora Church and the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of St. George (headquarters for the Greek Orthodox Church), and saw many, many other interesting sights. From the house, we took many walks down along the Golden Horn. Down on the main road we easily caught the bus or a taxi to take us into the main tourist area.
As much as we loved seeing the main sights of the city, what won our heart is the very neighborhood in which Verystanbul is located: the beautiful, hospitable people, the wonderful little cafes, bakeries, restaurants, and shops down on Vodina, the street vendors that come by the front door with vegetables and bread, the children playing in the street, and so much more.
As for Verystanbul, it is equipped with everything you could possibly need. Beatrice has thought of everything! The bedrooms are particularly beautiful and we loved spending evenings and mornings outside on the third floor terrace. The wifi connection was superb and worked without a hitch. The only thing we would do differently next time is to be sure we have an international cell phone plan so that we can use our phone in case of an emergency. Also, for travelers coming in the hot months, be prepared for very warm nights. Every room is wonderfully equipped with a ceiling fan, but inside temperatures were regularly over 90 degrees in the upper floors. We could not have been happier with our choice of staying at Verystanbul and hope that someday we can return.