Private, Quiet, Bright 1BR Near Gaslamp, Zoo, Petco Park, & Convention Center

• Very Nice 1BR

  Very Nice 1BR

  • Guest M Walker A.
  • Date of stay 12/20/12
  • Review Submitted 01/08/13
  Nice apartment, pretty much as described. Very clean and all appliances worked (did not use dishwasher). Very comfortable bed. Adequate closet/cabinet space, but would have been helpful to have some clothing hooks. Nice to have your own secure garage space. Friendly corner grocery met basic food needs, 7-11 and pretty good pizza place at other end of the block. Easy access to freeway and the rest of San Diego. If you're from out-of-state or unfamiliar with SD, get/use GPS to get around, we did and had a great time. Alik, the owner, responded to our initial call, letting him know we had arrived, and again when we checked out. He is friendly and efficient. Would recommend for a couple or small (3-4) family. One minor CON: firehouse is around the corner and if active, sirens will be heard-not bad, but be aware. Overall, a very nice place, we would definitely pick it again.

  Owner response: thanks. please come back.

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• good location to enjoy San Diego

  good location to enjoy San Diego

  • Guest Wendy B.
  • Date of stay 11/30/12
  • Review Submitted 12/08/12
  Clean and in a good location for getting to Balboa Park and downtown.... Good space to relax when there, but we were out and about much of the time. There was no bottle of wine as listed though... In walking distance is the park, a great morning breakfast spot and Counterpoint restaurant right in Golden Hill Neighborhood...

  Owner response: Thanks for your review and the stay. Sorry the wine wasn't there. Not many people actually drink it not realizing it's free and the cleaning crew sometimes forgets to check and replace. Wish you'd told me. I would have gotten one to you.

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• Loud and dirty

  Loud and dirty

  • Guest sprizee
  • Date of stay 11/08/12
  • Review Submitted 11/20/12
  I arrived the 1st night of what was suppose to be a 5 day stay and the place had never been cleaned up after the last guest. The bedding appeared to have been slept in, a paper lamp in the living room was lying on its side sad and broken, there was no wine like mentioned in the listing or FAQ and there were several dirty dishes in the kitchen. The floor was also so dirty that walking around for 15 minutes in my bare feet, my feet turned black on the soles. But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that although it was specifically called out as "quiet" it was actually quite noisy with a loud water heater. Having no other place to go with my one year old son and husband we decided to make the best of things and stay the night. MISTAKE. Around 3AM we were woken up by a loud squealing sound coming from the general direction of the water heater that came and went randomly for the rest of our stay there. When I contacted the owner I explained we would were leaving as soon as possible and asked that he please issue us a refund. He reluctantly issued us a refund for the nights we did not stay there but refused to issue us a refund for the 1st night even after I sent him video proof of the loud squealing noise. His only response was, "I've spent the last 24 hrs in the unit, taking multiple hot showers and otherwise running and not running the hot water and have not been available to reproduce even a squeak. Are you sure it was coming form the water heater and not something else? Also never had anyone report it before." When I responded that I didn't know exactly where it was coming from, he simply stopped responding. AVOID this place. And if you don't make sure you pay with a credit card so you can get your money back if things don't work out. Ugh, so unprofessional.

  Owner response: I was traveling across the country to deliver emergency supplies to the hurricane Sandy victims when this person asked to book the place last minute and checked in, handling all my business form a moving car. As a result I did get confused and screw up thinking the place had been cleaned when I t has not. That much is true. The rest is unwarranted and false. For starters, all the things she list as “wrong’ are just the details of a place that was not cleaned by mistake, which she already knows. Upon finding out and confirming this I immediately dispatched the cleaning crew to go out there AND offered to refund the cleaning fee regardless. She said she preferred to check out and get a refund for the “remainder of the stay” (her own words) and even though that’s not normally an option, under the circumstance I apologized and immediately agreed (there was no “reluctant” whatsoever) and even told her I’ll still also refund the cleaning fee, even though she didn’t ask for that. (I can only assume she really left as she knew I wasn’t there to check). She agreed and said that would be fine. Then, AFTER getting the refund, suddenly demanded an additional refund for the time she did stay, threatening to complain otherwise. She also made claims of a water heater making a whistling noise and smelling gas. But when I told her the whole gas system was literally just upgraded, tested, and inspected by the city AND the utility company, she suddenly dropped the claim (I believe she read if from previous review before the upgrade and decided to use it). I also spend a full day in the unit, even spending the night, waiting for the claimed heater noise, but there wasn’t a peep-squeak, whether or not I used the hot water. There have also been no such complaints from anyone ever before or after. She emailed me a phone video of the water heater doing nothing with some kind of noise in the background that could be coming from anywhere including something in her hand which suspiciously does not change as she get closer or farther form the water heater. I now believe this is a con artist trying to get a free stay and retaliating for not pulling it off all the way. Don’t believe it? Read all my other reviews, including the other units - all on the same property.

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• Perfect

  Perfect

  • Guest Harsha C.
  • Date of stay 06/07/12
  • Review Submitted 09/24/12
  We stayed for a week here, and we completely loved it. It was cozy, and made us feel right at home. We were close enough to many of the things we had wanted to see while in San Diego. I really enjoyed my stay here, and plan and visiting again!

  Owner response: Thanks. Good guests. Would definitely welcome again.

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• Best Location!

  Best Location!

  • Guest LittleAlk
  • Date of stay 08/16/12
  • Review Submitted 08/21/12
  This place had a lot of pros, and just a few cons, as mentioned by previous reviewers. Starting with the pros: 1. Location - near the most amazing little restaurants, and the grocery store/Mexican bakery was convenient. The walk to Balboa Park is nice, and was perfect for us and our two dogs. 2. Dogs - Alik was great about our dogs, esp considering one of them is a Great Dane pup. For us, the folks next door with the two big dogs was also a pro, because those dogs are friendly, and made for great playmates. But they are big and slobbery and cuddly, so if you are not a dog person, go inside. 3. The shared yard was nice. 4. Amenities - as described, down to complimentary bottle of wine. We made use of the kitchen, but if you are a culinary genius, you may want better knives and pots. But, all were sufficient for our purposes. There was plenty of towel/sheet/blanket stuff for 2 people. 5. Space - perfect for a weekend away with two people and two dogs. I wouldn't try to fit more folks/pets. 6. Instructions - Alik provided perfect instructions on keys/garage door opener, etc, as well as where everything was in the townhome. 7. Garage - It was great to have one! But if you drive a giant truck, it may not fit. Our Tacoma fit tightly with the side view mirrors folded. 8. Flexibility - Alik is one of the few VRBO folks in San Diego that does not have a rigorous rule for length of stay. Cons 1. No AC. This should not matter any other time of the year than two weeks in August. We were there during that period of time. And we're from Phoenix! What was perplexing was that it was hotter inside than outside. This made for fitful sleeping because the place never cooled down. Advice - close the kitchen, because that is the hottest room and the fridge radiates heat. Once we figured that out, it became bearable, although still uncomfortable. Also, bring a fan. The fan in the unit is terrible. 2. Natural gas smell. We emailed Alik promptly when we arrived bc we smelled gas, and he responded very promptly. Apparently there is a small leak somewhere, but they don't know where. Well, its gotta be the oven, because if you open it, it reeks. When you close off the kitchen, the entire kitchen smells strongly. The closet in the bedroom that shares a wall with the kitchen also smells of gas. We did not use the oven, but did use the stove on top with no problem. But, overall, a lovely stay, only marred by the difficulty we had sleeping due to heat and smell.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, pet owners.

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• Small, but cozy and well appointed.

  Small, but cozy and well appointed.

  • Guest Rick W.
  • Date of stay 05/18/12
  • Review Submitted 07/03/12
  All in all our stay was quite pleasant in Alik's cozy cottage. It is a quite small one bedroom with a small kitchen and eating area. It was about right for the two of us, but it would get crowded quick with more. Alik was very helpful in setting up the stay and keeping us informed. The location, while not ideal, was a less than $10 cab ride from the heart of San Diego night life. Most of the time we walked down (about a 40 minute leisurely walk), and cabbed back. The neighborhood feels a little run down, but never at any time did we feel unsafe. Everything we wanted was close, the grocery store around the corner was a very handy for getting the minimal supplies we needed. The Mexican Bakery a couple of doors down from the grocery was amazing. The pizza place a couple of blocks up makes an outstanding Calzone. There were some minor downsides. The cottage definitely has a musty smell which I assume is because it is closed up so much, there is no air conditioning, which might have been a problem if we had been around during the day, but San Diego cools off most nights so it wasn't a problem for sleeping. The unit could use a few care and feeding repairs. It is not run down, but clearly some little wear and tear issues should be tidied up. The lady in the next unit has a couple of large dogs which she sometimes lets loose in the shared yard. They seem friendly enough, but can be quite a shock if you are not expecting it. Would I stay here again! Yes! The value for the location is outstanding. Just be aware of the limitations.

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• Good guests

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Good guests

  • Guest Vagrham
  • Date of stay 02/24/12
  • Review Submitted 06/21/12
  Good guests. no problems. Would recommend.

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• Good guests

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Good guests

  • Guest Curtis
  • Date of stay 02/09/12
  • Review Submitted 06/21/12
  Good guests. no problems. Would recommend.

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• Good guests

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Good guests

  • Guest Ron
  • Date of stay 12/20/11
  • Review Submitted 06/21/12
  Good guests. no problems. Would recommend.

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• Good guests

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Good guests

  • Guest Dianne
  • Date of stay 12/02/11
  • Review Submitted 06/21/12
  Good guests. no problems. Would recommend.

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Additional information about rental rates

1) Automatically calculated rate assumes up to 3 people.

There is an additional $20/person/night charge after that.

2) You will also need to provide a credit card to cover any potential loses and a damages not covered by the insurance.

3) There is no fee to book and pay online if paying by bank account. There is a 2.5% fee if paying by credit card.

4) Pet fee is per night/pet & subject to approval

Fees:

• Cleaning: $35
• Property Damage Protection: $49
• Taxes Not included

Cancellation policy:

1) Automatically calculated rate assumes up to 7 people. There is an additional $20/person/night charge after that. 2) You will also need to provide a credit card to cover any potential loses and a damages not covered by the insurance. 3) There is no fee to book and pay online if paying by bank account. There is a 2.5% fee if paying by credit card. 4) If you have pets there is a $20/night/pet fee subject to approval. I would need to know the animal type & breed and they need to be non-aggressive (to both people and other animals) and non-nuisance (no continuous barking, chewing & scratching items, marking, etc.). Also need to know if the animal is neutered. If it's a concern, feel free to call me directly. Inform us upon booking request if any of the above fees apply to your stay. If so, we will send you a serrate payment request which must be paid before entry is granted.

If you have any questions please contact the owner.