Location: Easy access to Lake Merrit, walking distance to a grocery store/pharmacy. Residential street with friendly neighbors (who said hi to me when I went in/out). A bit hard to find parking if you arrive late in the evening but that's expected given that it's a city. Neighborhood can be really loud at night but the host has ear plugs in the medicine cabinet for that.
Apartment: Beautifully decorating with plenty of nice backgrounds for my zoom work calls (haha). Kitchen has some bare essentials (pots/pans) but not everything I might expect (e.g. no toaster, no small/med frying pan). Lots of spices/beverage amenities. Bed was incredibly comfortable and the bedroom has lots of storage for bags. No AC which is OK because the bay gets cool at night, but again it can be loud in the neighborhood (see above comment on host leaving ear plugs). Lovely plants (the real ones) and some fake ones to create ambiance. Good water pressure and a clean bathroom. Wifi was OK for my work but not strong enough to handle my remote access/VPN PLUS a video call (totally great for normal use).
Host: Friendly and responsive when I reached out but mostly absent and did not initiate contact herself. Several people came to the apt looking for her during my one week stay which doesn't bother me at all, but might bother you? Great guidebook with emergency numbers, details, recs, etc.
Overall, a lovely stay