The first thing I must say about this house is that the location is unbeatable. We were never more than a 20-minute car ride from what we wanted to do: the Zoo, Birch Aquarium, Balboa Park, SeaWorld, and of course the airport and car rental spots. And just 35 minutes from the Zoo Safari Park in Escondido.

Ms. Scott was always available by phone or e-mail to take our questions. Her house manual was full of useful information. We always had a parking spot. The neighborhood seems to be very low-crime, and we were able to leave windows open at night and while away.

Everything was clean and ready for us on arrival. The house is charming and welcoming. And Ms. Scott was very gracious when I broke a coffee mug.

My only negative was the middle bedroom. This is more like a study with a futon in it. It has no windows, and so is poorly ventilated. There is a skylight in it, and thus it remains bright until the sun goes down. The futon opens into a bed, but it was too lumpy to sleep on. We ended up putting our son in there, and using the fold-away mattress on the floor.

Other than that, everything was delightful, and we would stay there again!