Unbelievably friendly and warm staff who gladly gave expert travel advice and recommendations that only a Roman would normally be privy to. - Loic Diels
I LOVE this website and will gladly recommend it to anyone headed this way. Nothing disappointed us! - Mary-Iris Taylor
I have been using Cross-Pollinate for about 10 years now. The service is consistently great and I can always find just the kind of apartment we like, at the right price. - Hirani Himona
A really great idea - with a network of hand picked little rooms/guesthouses. If only we could have this in more city destinations! - Zoe Buck
I love Cross-Pollinate and every time we go to a new city I look to see whether they have some accommodations over there. - Arantza Aldea
The two places I have stayed at from Cross-Pollinate have been among the best across Europe. Highly recommended. - Nicholas Burn
Thanks a lot to Cross-Pollinate for the opportunity to experience a city as an insider! We really enjoyed our stay in Rome and Venice and look forward to more. - Tatiana Marchenko
Cross-Pollinate was very helpful when the owner of the B&B wanted to charge us for the baby under 2 y o. It would have been difficult without them since the owners did not speak any english. - Yulia Pichugina
This was our only stay with a C-P apartment and we were very pleased with the entire process. Will look to use them again on our next Europe trip! - Anthony Giglio
Great web site and quick response from the team a CP made the whole experience easy and hassle free. I have already recommended CP to quite of few of my airline industry colleagues and I'm sure they will make use of their excellent service. - Shane Pickles
Cross-Pollinate was extremely helpful! They found us a place to stay in our price range when many other places of business couldn't help us. - Sarah Seminutin
Cross-Pollinate was very easy to use, and it is so much better to stay in places like these than big corporate hotels; you get a much better feel for the place. - Kaspar Deane
Very straight forward. Well done. Definitely would use it again. Love these type of alternatives to hotels! - John White
Cross-Pollinate was fantastic and easy to use. We used Cross-Pollinate to book a room in Florence (the second leg of our trip), which was everything I thought it would be. We have recommended Cross-Pollinate to our friends. - Barbara Carlin
Cross-Pollinate are great - the descriptions are accurate and they are very responsive to questions. - Dominique Bayne
Cross Pollinate was just the best. I had tried a couple of places before coming upon them. As soon as I sent the first email I stopped looking for any more websites. I just wish they expanded to every city in Europe. Their knowledge, helpfulness, etc. was second to none. - Caroline Collis
Shellie's Firuzaga Flat
A nice cosy flat in hip neighborhood Cihangir. When you get into the flat, bathroom is on your left and the small bathroom is right next to it. The master bedroom is next to them, facing the backyard with big green trees. There is also a small balcony in this room. On the other side of the flat, there is a a large living room with kitchen and a small, semi-private bedroom attached with a fold-out sofa bed that can be either made up as 2 singles or 1 double. This area could be used as part of the living room or provides privacy when its doors closed.

The flat is modern and cute. The bedroom is very quiet and ideal for light sleepers. Old wood floors painted white and soft colors on the wall make this place a cozy and stylish home. There are many guides, maps, and suggestions from Shellie on the table in the living room. One full and one half bath make it easy for friends to live here together.

The location is great and easy access to almost anywhere. You are already in trendy Cihangir where you find all popular cafes, restaurants and stores. Tophane tram station is 5 minute walk, Karakoy ferry station is 15 minute walk, Taksim Square is 5 minute walk, Cukurcuma is just steps away. Museum of Innocence that opened recently is just around the corner. Istanbul Modern Museum is 15 minute walk.

One great thing about this flat is its host, Shellie. She is from the U.S. and has been living in Istanbul for 8 years. She offers free concierge service for her guests, complimentary Turkish breakfast on the first day, wine and fresh fruits will be provided as well as shampoo and olive oil soap.
Amenities
  • ground floor
  • double glazed windows
  • fan
  • full kitchen
  • tea kettle
  • toaster
  • cable/satellite TV
  • WiFi
  • private balcony
  • hair dryer
  • iron
  • linen and towels provided
Reviews
Liese on Sep 2013:

all perfect!
all perfect!
Ratings
average score
5.0 / 5.0
Price/Value
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Cleanliness
5.0
Accuracy of listing
5.0
Location
5.0
Helpfulness of owner / staff / host
5.0
Helpfulness of Cross-Pollinate
5.0
Booking details
Booking details: vacation rental apartment (1 bedroom / 1 bathroom), sleeps max. 4 people
Payment accepted: cash on arrival in euro
Minimum stay: minimum stay of 3 nights
Cancellations allowed up to: 30 days before arrival
Occupancy: double
Bed options: 1 double (140 cm)
Policies & Extra Charges: smoking permitted on balcony only, check-out time is 11 am, apartment will be clean by 2 pm on day of check-in, luggage can be held before check-in, luggage can be left after check-out, cleaning fee of €40 is not included in the price
Spoken Language(s):
Rates and Availability
Location
 Shellie's Firuzaga Flat
A
Hagia Sophia
B
Topkapi Palace
C
Blue Mosque
D
Dolmabahce Palace
E
Galata Tower
F
Taksim Square
G
Süleymaniye Mosque
H
Miniaturk Museum
I
Istanbul Modern Museum
J
Grand Bazaar
K
Bagdat Street