Temperature:
I missed that this place has no AC, this was a big miss because the vents in the house blow out warm air (even when the heat is 200% turned off). The temps were in the 70s in San Diego, when we arrived home from a long day (even with all the windows open, curtains shut to block the sun, 1 provided fan, and a portable/rolling AC unit going) the house was still uncomfortably hot and stuffy. It was difficult to sleep for all 6 members of the family due to the temperature. This was a major flaw.
Also, we are from D.C so we are very accustomed to sweltering heat, but we did not want this for our vacation home. San Diego weather was BEAUTIFUL it was just the house.
Trash:
We also did not have any trash bags to put in the kitchen trash can (besides the one that was already in there and we could not find any anywhere-- we looked EVERYWHERE).
Actually, there were barely any trash cans in the rooms and bathrooms. There was a teeny tiny, step-trash bin in the master bathroom. It was awkward to use because you can't step on it when you are sitting on the toilet, it requires for you to touch the lid :(. I used one of my own gallon Ziploc bags on the counter to make throwing tissues, cotton swabs, Q-tips away more convenient when you are by the sink. In the master bedroom, I would need to go to the kitchen or my bathroom (with the baby-sized, step trash can) to throw something away.
Communication/privacy:
We arrived early and stopped by the house when the cleaners were still cleaning, they were nice and told us that we could store our luggage in the garage (because our luggage was filling up our SUV rental-- we were staying for 1 week). The problem is that when they left they locked the garage. I contacted Zach but never heard back via Airbnb's messaging... and I could not find a phone number. Thankfully, I had a kid that could reach in an awkward space to unlock the door for us so we could get all of our necessities /luggage without the owner's assistance.
When I did hear from Zachary it was a day or two later when we were at Disney with our 4 kids, asking me to leave an Amazon package that he had ordered on the porch because he was coming by to get it right then. We were at Disney, so we could not leave it out, so, Zach entered the house during our stay while we were not there. By the time we got the message, he had already come by to get his package. I personally would not do this to my tenants/renters if I were the property owner.
Location/beaches:
The neighborhood is quiet and nice. I barely saw anyone on our street. The large window in the photo is accurate, that is a lovely view of the ocean & beach, but the beach/town that is close to this home leaves a lot to be desired when you actually visit it. The town is great if you are without kids and looking to bar hop and smoke. It wasn't the cleanest town/beach.
We preferred Coronado (fantastic on a weekday for our kids), Laguna, and La Jolla, but they were further away.
I would not recommend Mission beach (closer to the rental than La Jolla) on the weekend if you are looking to relax. There are vendors walking up and down the beach ringing bells constantly, and I think it is where all the locals go to hang out, so it is crowded in the grassy areas and on the beach. Even though La Jolla had a lot of people it was still a nicer/quieter experience.
Laundry:
* Pro: It was really nice to have a fully stocked washer and dryer with all the necessary supplies.
* Con: The laundry area is not accessible from inside of the house. It is in the garage and the garage is not accessible from the inside of the house at all. You will need to take your laundry either out the back door by the kitchen to the garage or through the front door and down the steps.
Kitchen:
* Pro: there is a dishwasher and plenty of counter space, and fully stocked with utensils, plates, necessary pans, and bar seating.
* Con: the drawer handles for some of the cabinets (spice cabinet) were completely cracked in half, and the cabinets, in general, were just very old.
Bathrooms:
The bathrooms and showers were good and did come stocked with basic toiletries (like you would find at a hotel). Even with two bathroom showers running, the water remained hot and did not run out.
Entertainment:
It was nice to have access to Netflix when we needed some downtime, but again due to the temperature inside (even with windows open and portable AC running) it was not totally relaxing because we were hot. The only thing that alleviated the stuffiness was to open the front door and back door (while we were home) but you can only do that for so long....