I will begin with the place itself: it is lovely. The apartment--and that's exactly was it is--is charming and "hip." One enters via a side path where they find a set of keys in a lock box. One key opens the gate and the other the door up to the apartment. Take note: this is not a suitable layover for anyone with a disability or who has trouble navigating stairs. Once through the "front" i.e. side door and up the stairs, one finds a charming Craftsman-style setting with dark hardwood floors and ornate trim, albeit with a bathroom--no bath, mind you, worthy of a luxury hotel. The back yard/garden is nicely landscaped and has a large picnic table and barbeque; however, the area appears to be communal. We were never quite sure if we were supposed to be using it or if it belonged to one of the several other apartments in the building. We opted to use the table but not the barbeque. The neighbourhood is lovely with a variety of non-chain restaurants and shops only two or three blocks to the east. (Read 5 minute walk.) I highly recommend the Reno Room, a well-worn, sports-oriented bar, obviously frequented by local characters. It has some of the best Mexican food I've ever tasted. Now then, on to our" hostess." I've ruminated for a few days as to how this review should be constructed because I wanted to be fair and also needed to get over the ill feeling that lingered after dealing with Susan. On the airbnb website there can be found a proclamation that reads "Susan is here to help." Ha! Piffle! Nothing could be further from the truth. Let me begin by saying Susan was not there at all. She was, in fact, in the United Kingdom, and despite our hostess "running" such a business, did did not see fit to answer her phone--or e-mails--from her guests, despite holding their payments. In the eight months between paying for the stay and our day of arrival, we made a number of e-mail enquiries about such things as protocol, places to eat, and transit availability. Every one of these went unanswered. Every one. If one were to call Susan, they would hear a voice message gleefully announcing that she is in the UK for a few months, but assistance could be had by phoning one of two number options. Once again, promises do not meet reality. One of the numbers connects to a phone whose "voice message service has not yet been activated." The other to a person who does his best to commiserate by saying, "this is not good, not good at all." The upshot of all this is there was by this time a very tired and cold familyof six camped for several hours with baggage and sundries on a communal front lawn on Ocean Boulevard while their unoccupied rental suite, a bed, and a shower were tantalizingly close by. At precisely 3pm and after four hours...