Staying at Mario's place was a great experience.

First and foremost, Mario is a professional host, who manages his property well, with excellent responsive communication. If you read his bio, you'll see that he works as a "prop and photo stylist". What this translates to is that walking into his place is like walking into a magazine ad... literally. It's very well decorated. This sets an overall tone for your living environment that I find both comfortable and inspiring. It's also larger in person than the photos would suggest.

The location is ideal. I was in town for a two-week work visit for my SOMA-based tech job. Each morning I had a casual 10 minute walk eastward to the office. Heading the other direction (west), the Hayes Valley neighborhood has tons of great shopping/restaurants. I walked a bit further and found Alamo Square, a nice little hill-top park with great views of the city. At night I often found myself sipping a bourbon at Brass Tacks, or at Rickshaw Stop listening to some live indie-rock. Explore a bit and you'll find your own favourite place within a few minutes walk, I'm sure of it.

Some other minor details that made the stay great: built-in washer/dryer in the kitchen, very comfy bed/sheets, lots of natural light, nice soaps, plenty of cookware in the kitchen, quiet neighbors, and quiet street in general.

All that, at a price that is about half of nearby hotels. What a deal!

No fair review would be without some criticism, and I have to dig to find it, but here it is: no microwave (reheat food using stove/oven), no hot water in kitchen sink (use the dishwasher), washer/dryer is a bit slow (~4 hours for full cycle with dry, plan accordingly).

And finally, the worst thing about Mario's place is how disappointing it is to go home to your own place afterwards. I wonder if Mario would be available to come decorate my house? :)