Overall this place is really nice and the location is GREAT. Beautiful view from the balcony and very short walk to tide pools, sea lions, and Lo Jolla underwater park. A very short drive to La Jolla shores beach. Walking distance to a grocery store and restaurants, and across the street from a community center. Centrally located and short distance to the theme parks if you are going to do any of that on your visit.
The apartment is very spacious and comfortable - that is great! The patio is awesome! The view is great! There were plenty of towels which I really appreciate, and there is even a boogie board available to use! The kitchen was really nice and well stocked with cooking utensils, pots and pans, and appliances.
Some of the issues in previous reviews have clearly been addressed which is nice and shows responsiveness from the host! The fridge was great (no issues closing), the shower drained well, the patio doors are a little sticky but that's really no big deal at all.
A few opportunity areas to be aware of - I don't know if the upstairs neighbors were permanent residents or vacationing, but it was loud. Not partying, but really loud living noises around the clock. As a heavy sleeper it only woke me up a few times, but the light sleeper in our group had a hard time getting any quality sleep. The place was pretty clean, but not super clean (tables were clean, but not chairs, windows and blinds really dirty - details like that). We were there in October, so we had no needs to cool or heat, but it appeared that there is no thermostat or central systems so it's hard to say if that would be an issue if the temps were to swing. (I did notice that there was a fan and a space heater in a closet though - so they do provide appliances to help!) Last thing is that some of the typical airbnb hospitality was missing - there was not spare toilet paper, there was no cooking oil or spices in the kitchen, things like that.
Check-in/check-out was a little cumbersome. They wouldn't budge at all on check-in time - probably a product of working with vacasa rather than an individual host. But vacasa was responsive to text message inquiries leading up to the visit which was nice and I really appreciate that!
Pro tips for parking... be sure to read the signs. Most of the available parking is limited to 2 or 4 hours, but there are a couple of spots available to use for longer times - just be sure you're aware of this so that you don't overstay your parking welcome. And turn your wheels when you park - apparently this is a big deal in San Diego and you will get ticketed if you don't do it.
Overall - if you have more budget, you might want to explore your options; but it was great for us, the location outweighed any drawbacks, and I would definitely stay here again.
Thanks for having this lovely place available to rent! We had a great time!