First, the positives:
1) Great location in San Francisco! Wonderful neighborhood feel. Close to everything: grocery store, restaurants, shops, public transportation, park, playground. Well lit.Felt very safe!! 2) The easy first floor, at grade, access, via garage code, and two sets of keys, is wonderful, as is the availability of off-street parking. 3) The flat was very clean, newly remodeled, and spacious and included quality kitchen appliances, and a washer and dryer. 4) There were plenty of fresh white towels and linens. 5) The temperature of the flat was perfect, even though SF was somewhat chillier than usual. 6) The shower/bath was wonderful. 7) The beds were comfortable. 8) Plenty of closet space and dresser space.
The negatives:
1) We experienced some communication problems, just before our arrival, probably due to the Christmas holiday, having received no response to our pre-arrival messages on the airbnb site, from Scott, the host, or Katie, his assistant. 2) While the flat was advertised as having 1-1/2 baths, and the host knew that it was very important for us to have two working toilets, the host left us a typed note indicating that the 1/2 bath had some problems, and that our use of it would be limited. The host explained that a plumber would be coming by, but did not call ahead to say he would be entering the flat, causing one in our party some privacy concerns. 3) We also experienced some difficulty with coordinating the use of the driveway and garage with the host, who lived upstairs. 4) The kitchen was missing a few important things: a tea kettle, and more dishes, flatware, and glassware. It would also be helpful to have a few additional pantry items. 5) There was plenty of toilet paper and paper towels, but no supply of garbage bags or trashcan liners. There were no swiffer pads -- important because the new rugs were shedding. 6) There was no binder with household instructions, garbage/recycling protocol, and the little information card still had the phone number of Scott's previous assistant.
In conclusion:
What could have been a perfect Christmas holiday was marred by some unfortunate circumstances, causing me the stress that I had hoped to avoid. I would highly recommend this place for other travelers if Scott could correct the problems that I mentioned.
My previous experiences with airbnb have been fantastic, and I was dismayed to have had the problems during this visit. Hopefully, our explanation and this feedback can make for a better experience for future visitors.