memorable Christmas celebration

Guest: Sue, alabama (Pond)
Date of Stay: 12/26/10 Review Submitted: 01/21/12

My family rented this 12/26/11-1/2/12 the listing description was accurate and the photos definitely reflected the appearance and amenities. We are a family of six--grandmother, daughter, son-in law, and three children ages 3-12. The location is perfect; it is within walking distance of Belmont Amusement Park and numerous restaurants and shops. It is a short drive to Sea World and to the airport. The house is right on the Mission Bay beach which is much quieter than the Pacific side. Right in front is a boardwalk where one can bike, skate, walk, or ride a segway (segway rental shop is near and we loved riding them). There were four working bikes that saved us the cost of renting them. The view is spectacular; when sitting on the front patio one sees sailboats, paddle boards, kayaks, and numerous other water vehicles. We ate a number of meals at the table on the patio watching water and boardwalk activity. Perhaps my favorite memory is the gas fireplace which we turned on every evening when we came in from our adventures. The fireplace is in the living room which is open to the dining room that then opens to the kitchen. Because of the age of the children and the comfort of the living/dining area we ate almost all our meals at the house. The dining room table seats six easily; we used it for meals but also for games. The kitchen was well stocked; it had everything we needed for cooking and serving. Having a washer and dryer, which are tucked away behind the kitchen, was a special treat. With a family this size we certainly needed it. The beds in the master and second bedroom were large and comfortable. The third bedroom has a medium size bed with a trundle; it comfortably slept two of the children. This last bedroom was sort of a hall to the back porch which led to the garage. The back porch had numerous extra stacked chairs, the hot tub, bikes, and beach toys. The garage is definitely for one car only but with parking on the street at a premium, it was great to have. The owners could not have been more helpful; I recommend this rental to any family group or two couples traveling together. It is now a special memory and we definitely hope to return.

Recommended for:People with disabilities, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

A wonderful retreat

Guest: Katie (San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 10/06/11 Review Submitted: 10/12/11

My family and I rented this beautiful vacation oasis for my mother in law's 60th birthday weekend. we had an amazing time relaxing on the beach. the home is beautiful and very cozy, fully stocked with everything we could ever need. we truly enjoyed relaxing and watching our kids play on the beach all day while relaxing on the patio. The owners made us feel at home in their home and were available for us if we had any questions. I would definately recommend this rental for anyone. We would stay here again and again without question.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

Stop your search...This is the place you want to be!

Guest: Mike (Phoenix)
Date of Stay: 09/29/11 Review Submitted: 10/05/11

10.8.2011 - We just completed our third stay at this condo and as always it was a great trip. This unit has every thing you need and then some. Location is perfect, right on the bay and a short walk to the beach. The bayside is quite and provides the perfect atmosphere for families or small groups. The owners are very accomodating and very accessible. They are attentive to your needs and always make sure the place has what it needs for a great experience. We are regulars to San Diego and have rented numerous units over the years. As long as this unit is available we'll always rent here. Rent with confidence and enjoy your stay.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Summer Vacation

Guest: summervac (Phoenix, Az)
Date of Stay: 07/31/11 Review Submitted: 08/08/11

From looking at pictures from the website my family and I were really looking forward to our summer vacation in your home, when we arrived were very disappointed on how misleading your ad was. To start, growing up we had birds as pets, would consider us bird people, but the cage of birds outside the master bedroom window was smelly. Being that there was no air conditioner in the home we slept with the window open and birds started singing when the sun came up, therefore we were up at 6am. There is a porch curfew of 10pm, which is strictly enforced by the grouchy live-in tenant upstairs. I would say that we are not loud, very reasonable adult family and the one night that two of us stayed up past 10pm we were told like noisy teenagers to go to bed. We had a ten week old infant with us, who made limited noise, but from our experience, this would not be a very kid friendly place. The ad pictures a very languorous Jacuzzi, my father whom loves to hot tub looked in and would not get in, to be nice it was gross. Someone did come to service it on Friday when we left on Saturday, after which he would still not get in. The room that the Jacuzzi was in was a mess! There were toys and chairs everywhere, two of us spent an hour just to get to the Jacuzzi. Speaking of toys, they did have four bikes at the house, only two worked. My husband and father who are very handy tried to fix both bikes, unsuccessfully. We only brought two bikes with us because of the ad that said there were four bikes there, when we found that the bikes did not work we were very disappointed and all six of us could not go places together with out driving. The night we arrived we made a quick stop at the store for supplies, we stopped in the blue parking for our two minute unloading, which we knew was against the rules, but we were only going to be there for a couple of minutes. The man that lived upstairs can down and verbally accosted us and physically assaulted the trashcan. Needless to say we did not go anywhere near the blue the rest of the trip, afraid for our safety. We had fun in spite of these misleading conditions, but we will not be staying here again.

Owner response:We are shocked at this review! First, the home is NOT advertised as having air conditioning. Air conditioning is not needed at the beach in California and certainly not at 6:00am. Each room has an overhead fan if renters want to use it. The home IS advertised as having an aviary outside which most renters and passersby greatly enjoy. It is cleaned on a regular basis and is not "smelly"! All this renter had to do was close the bedroom window and turn on the fan if she chose. There is both a wood deck AND a porch in the front of the home facing the bay. We ask that renters enjoy themselves only on the open porch after 10:pm in order to reduce noise out of respect for other owner's renters and neighbors. This renter chose to ignore that and was asked to comply by a neighbor. She was not "told to go to bed" but simply to please be on the porch only, rather than the wood deck, after 10:00pm. The jacuzzi is serviced on a regular basis. We have renters there now who have not complained and neither did the renters just before this renter. Most importantly, these renters did not call us with their complaints while they were there. If they had we would have had the jacuzzi service there the same day. Additionally, one [let alone two people] could not possibly "spend an hour" [or even 5 minutes] clearing room to get to the jacuzzi. The area does have both beach toys and extra folding chairs for guests in it which we think is a plus for renters. The bikes all work. Again, no complaints from renters after this renter or before. Again, this renter chose not to call us about the bikes. Had she done so, AND THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BIKES, we would have had them fixed that day. As to the blue parking spot, this renter admits that knew the spot is reserved for others and that she was told that parking was not allowed there. [ Parking is at a premium at the beach and this spot is reserved for tenants of other owners]. Yet, she chose to park there anyway and now complains that she was told again by another owner that she could not park there. Our ad is absolutely not misleading as this renter complains. Any prospective renter can call or email us to discuss our property and the rules at any time. She says they had fun in spite of these alleged conditions. We are happy to hear that. We do our best to ensure that everyone has a great time! Craig and Robin Griswold [Owners]

Recommended for:

Family Vacation!

Guest: Teri O. (Hastings, Nebraska)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 06/26/11

My family and I just returned from a week vacation at this condo. It was a beautiful place on the bay with plenty of room for the 7 of us. It had all of the amenities listed which made our stay fun. The bay side was quiet and peaceful and just steps away from the ocean. I recommend this place for family fun!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

What a place!

Guest: Mark (Bonita, California)
Date of Stay: 12/17/09 Review Submitted: 05/31/11

My family of four stayed here in December 2009 during the off-season. The accommodations were terrific, better than advertised. And the location ... wow. We were right on the water so the kids could play football on the sand right in front of us and then hop into the kayak and paddle around in the beautiful bay. We are definitely looking forward to staying here again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

A perfect hide-away

Guest: Double E (Austin Texas )
Date of Stay: 06/28/10 Review Submitted: 05/22/11

Wife and I flew in from Texas with our youngest daughter, husband and 4 year old daughter who were flying in from Georgia for a summer vacation week in San Diego. Fun, fun location, walking distance to ocean and local restaurants. Sea World is less than 5 miles away. Bikes, sand toys, hot tub and much much more makes this a perfect place to get away from all the noise in our lives. We had a fabulous time. Thanks for the memories...

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Anniversary Get-Away

Guest: Pete (Indiana)
Date of Stay: 09/19/10 Review Submitted: 10/16/10

My wife and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 25th anniversary with family and friends. A great location and a well maintained property. The kitchen had everything we needed and the washer/dryer allowed us to pack much lighter than usual for a week's stay.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children.