Ryan’s apartment more than lived up to his billing here, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. Located on a beautiful and quiet street minutes from the bars and eateries of Cole & Carl; similarly near to several parks with superb views, the eclectic mix of eccentric shops, hippie counterculture and bars of Haight Ashbury - check out the Magnolia, especially the surname of the person it’s named after, Magnolia being her comparatively uncolorful first name…

Consisting of the entire first floor of a house, known in SanFran-speak as a flat, all in traditional SF style – main bedroom having a sliding door to the living room; long, deep rooms with light-well’d windows to add brightness, big rooms, high ceilings, nice furniture, larder full of anything and everything you could ever need – overall, very comfortable and homely.

Clean, well-presented, charming… full of period detail but modern where needed – fast, reliable wifi, big flatscreen cable TVs, speedy heating, lashings of hot water, great well-equipped kitchen. Not that we cooked at all, SF having more restaurants per capita than any US city.

Décor-wise, a Brit like me would describe the flat as ‘upscale shabby-chic’ which is no criticism but reflects the mix of older, classic furniture, the age and period of the property and the newer, modern facilities and home comforts. Industrial but efficient quarter-operated washing machine and dryer in the equally industrial basement meant our hand-luggage-only trip was never an issue.

Ryan was perfect, prompt to reply to queries before booking and I’m sure he’d have been equally fab if needed but glad to say he explained everything so well we had no need to ask anything.

As for San Francisco, it’s a fascinating place, small in size but big in atmosphere, architecture and variety. The Castro is legendary, the shopping is superb, you HAVE to do a cable car and the (free!) cable car museum which is more than that, it’s the actual working cable car system itself.

SF people are lovely, liberal and likeable, but I’d be remiss not to note the large numbers of homeless people, many with mental issues. One man followed us insisting loudly he’d just been elected President, getting more and more agitated. Hopping on a bus got us away but I was worried for my mum-in-law. However she’s from Glasgow and thought the whole thing was hilarious. This was miles from Haight, in the ungentrified Tenderloin, which I’d avoid if not with feisty, working-class seniors who’ll look after you :-) And don't let this put you off visiting this city, please!

Overall, San Francisco delights from A to Z – Alcatraz to Zen-like calm in Golden Gate Park (do the Segway tour from just outside the deYoung Museum early in your visit to get the best overview of this area). And Ryan’s flat is a great place to stay in this great city.