We spent the summer (June through August) at Shirley's rental. We enjoyed our stay. However, whether or not I recommend you staying here depends on your situation. There are a lot of pros and cons to this location. Here is what we came away with.
The location is amazing! It is the best part. You are in a great neighborhood within walking distance to Balboa Park and great restaurants/breweries. We had a very hard time deciding where we wanted to each when we went out because there are so many great spots. North Park and downtown are a very short drive or short trip on mass transit. We took the bus to Petco Park for games all summer.
The apartment is in a safe neighborhood. I felt comfortable running around at night. There was plenty of parking along the street for our car, which was something we were worried about being near downtown. The neighbors are very nice and there are a ton of dogs!
Pros about the apartment itself:
1. The backyard is amazing! We tried to spend as much time out there as possible. We had our 3 dogs with us. So having this space to let them run around was great!
2. The apartment is well thought out. Everything you need is there. Way more than you find at most AirBnbs.
3. Pet friendly!
Cons about the apartment:
1. No AC. This is probably not an issue most of the year. However, being there in the summer was rough. Shirley provided several fans, which helped. But given that the apartment is partially below ground, it doesn't get great airflow.
2. The planes. The airport flight path goes right over the house. So from 6:30 am to 11 pm, there are planes fly overhead with the occasional Fedex/UPS planes landing in the middle of the night. We eventually got use to the sound, but it was a challenge at night as we had the windows open to help with the airflow.
3. The Internet. This might not be an issue for everyone. As I mentioned before, depending on what you needed this place could be perfect or not work for you. My husband and I work from home and need good internet to do our jobs. I am not sure if it is due to the orientation of the apartment or what the walls were made of, but internet and cell service are rough. So if you are looking for a temporary place to do some work while enjoying SD, I would suggest looking elsewhere. If you are on vacation and not concerned with the internet, you are probably fine.
The last point I will make is concerning pets. Shirley has a great setup for dogs. The backyard is fenced in and spacious. We and the dogs loved it. However, my dogs tend to be more reactionary than not and were really worked up with how different things were at Shirley's. If your pet is not use to someone walking around above them or loud noises (like the planes), I would look else where. If your pet has separation anxiety and barks, I would look else where. If you have a pet that is chill and doesn't get flustered by new surroundings, this is a great place to be.