My stay at Neal's place was fantastic! They were very quick to respond and let me check in earlier than normal. The location of the apartment is about a block or so from the beach, really close to the boardwalk (which goes all the way to Pacific Beach and maybe beyond that), and across the street from a nice, grassy park.
They warned me about parking which wasn't a problem for me since I didn't rent a car; I think there are several things to do in the area without the need of a car.
Finally, I want to mention that I did feel safe in the area and the place looked just like it does in the pictures.