We just got back from a week in LA. Staying at the cottage was our first experience with Air B'n'b, and we were very happy with our experience. We arrived early (after checking with Dean to make sure it was okay) to find the cottage open for us. It is located in a middle-class section of town, a couple of blocks off of two main roads, and we felt perfectly safe there (a concern since we were not that familiar with LA). The off-street parking was very nice for our peace of mind about the rental car too.

Dean was very friendly and welcoming, and helpful when we had some questions about the area, but left us mostly to our own at our request. We are both private by nature, so this was an excellent alternative to a motel for us.

The location was great, since we were visiting Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Ontario and Escondido. Entrances to the 405 and 110 Freeways were very close, and major East/West streets nearby (Carson, Sepulveda and Pacific Coast Highway) made navigating easy. We didn't do any walking, depending on the car instead since we are not young or athletic.

There was every kind of restaurant imaginable (tofu fast food drive thru, Korean DIY Bar-B-Que, all varieties of Asian, Mexican, amazing numbers of chain restaurants and lots of local/family places) within a mile, many more if you were willing to drive a little. Large upscale shopping malls are on Hawthorn Blvd and Sepulveda, about 5 miles away. Albertson's grocery and CVS are literally around the corner.

It was nice to have a fully equipped kitchen when we just wanted a light meal or to heat leftovers. We spent a lot of time sitting under the fruit trees in the garden reading, and picked fresh oranges for breakfast. It was very quiet and serene most of the time. The kids next door did play outside in their walled yard during the afternoon hours once or twice and there was an occasional barking dog - much less noise than I would consider normal for being in the middle of a city.

We only had one carry-on bag for each of us, so we were able to keep all of our clothes on a single closet pole (the second pole was over the head of the bed) and in our suitcases. The bed was located in a small nook with a wall on one side. There was a small shelf with a lamp on the wall next to the bed that turned out to be very useful since we read in bed at night.

I brought a couple of exercise DVDs and we kept up with the news on the cable flatscreen TV, but we didn't watch much else (normal for us).

The cottage was a very good choice for us, especially since the cost didn't kill our budget. For the cost of a low-rated motel room, we got a lovely vacation spot instead!