I had a wonderful day at Akiko's. Her dog Chacha is adorable and very calm. The room was clean and very welcoming with a comfy bed. She has two full bathrooms so there is never an issue of having to wait for her or other guests. The room even had a water bottle, apples, and bananas for my stay.
The location is also good as it's just a few blocks to santa Mònica college and has several good dining spots & coffee shops within 5-10min walk. In the other direction you can walk 5-10mins to the metro station or take a pleasant 30-40min walk to downtown Santa Monica (3rd Street promenade, beach, and pier).
I definitely recommend this place and will stay there next time I'm in santa Monica.