Wow! Our stay at Alison's place was truly wonderful. This was our second trip to San Francisco and we found Alison's place to be perfect for our visit.
Location - We wanted the typical San Fran sights and experiences; cable cars and public transport, great food, safe streets and parking available for our rental car. Alison has a parking spot just in front of the apartment. She also has a rental Mini Cooper if needed, but we found the two block walk to the cable car easy and fun. (And we had an eight and ten year old in tow and they walked it happily as well). The apartment is also close to Van Ness which has every bus line you can imagine. We spent two days using public transport and her central location made that possible.
Food - We stayed three nights at the end of our vacation up the CA coast. We drove the 1 mile to North Beach for Italian the first night. But the second and third nights we ordered take out from a Vietnamese and sandwhich place within two blocks of the apartment. The kids had mac and cheese that we purchased a block away at Walgreen's. Having Alison's kitchen to cook that in was perfect. Both restaurants and Walgreen's are close and I felt safe walking to them with the young kids.
The Apartment itself - For San Fran standards we found the place roomy and pleasant. Our kids shared the pull out sofa bed (which was the most comfy pull out sofa I've ever been on). Alison has a queen memory foam mattress and then a twin futon/sofa mattress in the bedroom. Both were very nice. The street the apartment is on is relatively quiet for being in the city. It's a dead end street so the cars are limited. Alison's bathroom and shower were very clean and cozy. The bathroom is small, but we were perfectly able to have the kids shower and change in there. The tiles are new and clean. There is a nice heater built into the ceiling and made for very nice showers after a long day walking around chilly, windy San Fran.
Host - Alison was a wonderful host! We texted the day before our arrival and she timely responded with check in instructions, where to park, and even that we could arrive early if wanted. During our stay the internet had an issue. It was through no fault of Alison at all, but she was extremely helpful trying to get it fixed. She even credited us some for the internet being out. Even though Alison was travelling at the time, it didn't feel that way. She responded to texts right away and even gave us recommendations on dishes at that great Vietnamese restaurant.
I would stay here again without a doubt! This was our first Airbnb experience and we found it easy, clear, exceeded our expectations, and has turned us into Airbnb believers. Thanks Alison!!