Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean
The home is in the heart of Golden Hill, A mile from the Gas Lamp District, and close to other desirable places in San Diego like Little Italy, Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. We are in a metro neighborhood with plenty of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and public transportation. A number of beaches are a 10 minute drive away.
The kitchen is fully stocked and comes complete with an 8 burner Bluestar gas stove.
The house has 2 bedrooms: Bedroom 1: 1 king and Bedroom 2: 1 queen. The living room also has a pull out couch. Bedrooms are cozy with all linens provided.
Private backyard with sectional sofa, fire pit, BBQ grill.
We think it's important to mention that staying in our home will be a unique experience. It's a home built in 1905, it has quirks, cracks, and creaks but we do our best to keep it maintained and well cared for. We expect our guests to be respectful of our home, patient, and understanding that since this is not a hotel, there is not a round the clock staff, so we expect a level of self-sufficiency and flexibility from our guests. That being said, it's an awesome home, in a great location and neighborhood, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Guests are permitted to use the front yard and back yard where the al fresco dining, hammock, and fire pit are. House guests also have access to a driveway that has up to 3 tandem parking spaces.
Check-in/out is completely remote. Check-in is at 4 PM. Check out is at 11 AM. We are available by phone, text, or email but will not be on-site.
STR License # STR-01255L TOT # 614081
Our prices include all fees. No hidden fees.
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Quiet hours are from 9 PM to 9 AM. Any fines or penalties assigned during guest's stay will be assessed to guest's security deposit.
Must be over 25 to book the property. No events or parties of any kind are allowed.
No third party reservations. Person who makes the reservation must be present for the duration of the reservation. Quiet hours between 10pm-8am.
Important information
You need to know
Property Registration Number 614081, STR-01255L
Property # 951031vb
This property is managed by a private host (a party not acting within their trade, business or profession). EU consumer law, including the right of withdrawal, will not apply to your booking. The cancellation policy set by the private host will cover your booking.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a deadlock
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room
About the area
San Diego
Located in San Diego, this holiday home is in the city centre. USS Midway Museum and North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre are cultural highlights, and travellers looking to shop may want to visit Seaport Village and Fashion Valley Mall. Travelling with kids? Make time for San Diego Zoo, or head to an event or a match at Petco Park.
San Diego Convention Center - 4 min drive - 2.7 km
Getting around
San Diego Santa Fe Depot - 10 min drive
City College Trolley Station - 17 min walk
San Diego, CA (SAN-San Diego Intl.) - 16 min drive
Restaurants
Jack in the Box - 14 min walk
Humberto's Taco Shop - 3 min walk
Adalberto's Mexican Food - 8 min walk
Punch Bowl Social - 17 min walk
The Coffee Drop - 15 min walk
Frequently asked questions
Is Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean pet-friendly?
Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 3 total).
How much does it cost to stay at Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean?
As of 15 May 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean on 11 Aug 2026 start from £336, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking at Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean?
On-site parking is available at the property.
What time is check-in at Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean?
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean?
Checkout is at 11:00 AM.
Where is Beautiful Bungalow Near Balboa Park, Zoo, Downtown/Convention Center, & Ocean located?
This family-friendly holiday home is located in the city centre, within 1 mi (2 km) of San Diego City College and Balboa Park. Petco Park and San Diego Zoo are also within 3 miles (5 km). City College Trolley Station is 17 minutes by foot and 25th - Commercial Station is 20 minutes.
Reviews
9.8
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
This home was a great location for exploring San Diego! Truly 10-15 minutes from everything we were wanting to see. The home was beautiful, safe, and had a great yard for the kids. If you wanted, you could use the grill and they even provided sand toys. The home looks just like the pictures...we hated to leave!
Cute house. Nice amenities. Relaxing chill outdoor space, perfect to hang with a fire. Quiet city neighborhood with several restaurants and markets nearby. Easy access to Balboa Park and highway to get to the beaches. Two families with five kids easily fit, the bunk bed room was perfect for the kids.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in San Diego for a graduation! All of our guests loved the house and back yard, both of which were extremely clean and very well done. Very cute! We would definitely recommend this property!
We stayed here for Christmas with family. The house was well equipped for a big family hangout. There’s nice yard for dogs/kids/grown ups to chill. We even held our Christmas Eve dinner outside since the weather was perfect! The kitchen had everything we needed to cook a big traditional meal too!
Great house and hosts were very attentive!
Great location. Quick walk to restaurants, local grocery store, and convenience store. Driveway is a plus. House was clean and charming. Great communication with owners. Would 100% stay there again!
Great place to stay but note that its only a 3 bedroom
Really loved staying here. The living room with the wide doors that lead to the backyard was awesome. Stayed for a weekend trip with some friends and we were all very comfortable here. We did have the expectations that it was a 4 bedroom because when filtering our search we filtered by 4 bedrooms and this is listed as one. however, per the description it says its a 3 bedroom which it really is.
other than that our stay here was great. check in was easy. we also had two big dogs with us who loved the house.
This place was understated as to how accommodating it is to a Family gathering. We had a pretty big group for the Thanksgiving holiday and it fit us perfectly. The setup of the house is perfect for social gathering and meals and the location was excellent being just on the fringes of downtown. Everyone that came in said how awesome the place was !!
We utilized the fantastic kitchen with a commercial double oven for our side dishes and cooked 2 turkeys as well to feed the masses. The open space family room thru dining room thru the BIG open doors (these are a game changer btw) to the back yard area really made it special to enjoy the week with friends and Family.
The house hosts are extremely helpful/friendly and i can't say enough how much we appreciate them letting us borrow their beautiful home for our Family to enjoy !!! (we want to buy this place off you !!!)
Brady and Tasha B.
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2023
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Steven L.
5 Jul 2018
Beautiful San Diego Home
We rented the house for a friends getaway weekend. The house did not disappoint. There was ample space for our large group. The house was clean and had all necessary amenities. The backyard was perfect for an leisurely afternoon of hanging out with friends. The house is centrally located such that we never had to pay much more than $15 to catch a cab to any other part of the city. Overall, the house was perfect and had everything we needed.
One small note, the upstairs bathroom does not have a door (it's one continuous room with the bedroom). We didn't have an issue with it, but some others may!
Steven L.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018
Verified
6/10 Okay
Daniel H.
27 Nov 2022
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication
Pretty good house in a less than ideal vacation location
Well decorated, well-appointed rental house. Good size for 4 adults, but anything more than that might feel cramped. The lot location is unfortunate. Plenty to do nearby (Balboa Park, downtown SD), but the backyard is surrounded on two sides by parking lots that play host to, shall we say, late night visitors. A few nights during our long weekend stay we were awoken by noise -- yelling, what seemed like an argument/altercation, someone shouting "Open up, FBI" into a bullhorn. Members of our party didn't necessarily feel safe walking alone in the neighborhood. We made sure to be inside at night.
Daniel H.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 19 Dec 2022
We are sorry to hear that you had a less than ideal vacation but thank you for staying and for the review, it is definitely useful for future guests to be reminded that the home is located in an urban area and we are not exempt from any issues, good or bad, that occur in a city. We usually don't get the "not ideal location" feedback since we are only a mile from downtown, the zoo, and Balboa Park. Our backyard backs up to a pretty popular restaurant's parking lot so you may have just been hearing patrons leaving from the restaurant. We do have white noise machines to help with the city noise. We also have a very high and solid fence all the way around the backyard so the backyard is completely private and secure. As for safety, we visit a few times a year with our 5 year old children and don't feel unsafe walking around the neighborhood but we lived there for ten years so we are used to the urban vibes. Certainly, if you have never lived in a city or don't visit one often it may be a bit of an adjustment. There is a montessori school two houses down and a really lovely playground that we walk to about two blocks away at the Golden Hill Rec Center. However, it is an urban neighborhood so we are as cautious as we would be in any city. I will also mention that the homeless population has quadrupled since Covid began but that is the case throughout all of San Diego and not just unique to our neighborhood.
With regard to the house size, we agree with minimizing adults in the home and more than 4-6 adults may feel cramped. Two of the bedrooms are based on two person occupancy so if this wasn't the case for your group than I can definitely see how you would have felt cramped. The bunk space has 6 twin beds in one room so this room is definitely better suited for children or one or two adults max. We typically warn groups larger than 6 adults that they may feel cramped but we have groups that choose to book anyway. Thanks again for your feedback.
Overall, this is a nice little place in an area that is close to a lot to do in San Diego. However, I think there are some areas that could be upgraded to make it a bit more suitable for stays.
1. The Beds are VERY firm and need some TLC. They are very loud so whenever someone moved in any of the beds, everyone else could hear them. This was across all the beds in all the rooms. They are also very firm so getting a good night's sleep was inconsistent.
2. None of the TVs have cable or similar TV service. If you have a family that will be inside when its raining, this is a bit of an issue. Streaming TV services are not very expensive so my recommendation would be to add something like this for when its raining, in the mornings, or evening when kids and families are winding down.
3. The bathrooms could also use some TLC. Both bathroom sinks had very slow drains so we were all brushing our teeth while watching each other's spit floating around in the sink. Not great.
Everything else was great. The owners were responsive, the place was clean and had everything we needed for our stay.
We stayed here with my brother and his family. I love the atmosphere of this house, so charming and cozy. Such a wonderful location, easy access to the beaches and downtown. The parking was so easy. I’ve stayed in houses before in San Diego and many don’t have designated parking so this made it convenient to park two cars. Having a backyard was also a huge plus. I would stay here again for sure!
Property was as described.
Check in was easy.
Great location (lots within walking distance).
Would definitely stay here again.
Joseph R.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Verified
8/10 Good
Mimi F.
10 Jan 2019
Nice property exactly as described.
Wonderful stay. We had everything we needed. The kitchen was well equipped.
Mimi F.
Verified
10/10 Excellent
dandan x.
31 Aug 2018
The place is great
Great location. Check in was super easy. Rooms are clean. Short drive to the downtown. Every detail was covered. We enjoyed our stay!
dandan x.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2018
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Jaqueline B.
10 Sept 2017
Great location and great backyard!
The house is minutes away from all the tourist locations. The house was spacious with a nice living room and dining area that fits everyone. The backyard is perfect for night chats and relaxing. Overall great experience!
Jaqueline B.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2017
Archival
8/10 Good
foster t.
15 Aug 2017
fish relax fish repeat
Myself and 4 others stayed there for 3 days while on a mixed fishing trip
We found it to be very relaxing and plenty of room for the five of us.
One of the best features is that it is in walking distance of every thing you need
We were there @ the end of July (hot @ humid )the bunk room was a little warm during
the day but @ night it cooled off , the kitchen is GREAT a 8 burner stove and very modern
appliances , we did not do any cooking , but if we stay there again we sure will.
The back yard is great , enough seating for 6+ and again very relaxing, we did not use the hot tub and unless you make prior arrangement to have it cleaned before you get there , I would not use it.
If you feel the need to contact the owners of the home they will get right back to you.
Over all the home is what it is presnted to be, and maybe a little better.
I would stay there again
foster t.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017
About the host
Hosted by Shauna and Anna McElhenny
We LOVE to travel and collect treasures along the way.
Why they chose this property
B St Bungalow is a historic and charming bungalow in an urban area of San Diego, called Golden Hill. The home is within walking distance to a few restaurants, stores, and parks but we are also very accessible to all the other wonderful things about San Diego, like the zoo, Balboa Park, and many fabulous beaches. Of course when you are not out sightseeing we have tried to equip the house with all the creature comforts of home while you're resting at the house.