This studio is a budget friendly venue. We unfortunately had to cancel our stay early due to some concerns, so here is our pro/con list:
Pros: It was in a great location, walkable to local restaurants/cafes, and a healthy walk to Balboa park. It was very quiet in the neighborhood and had a great view on top of the hill. The outdoor patio was very cute. Street parking was available with ease during the day. The unit had all essentials, full kitchen with Keurig, table, couch, tv, good AC, bathroom. Check in was very easy and the host was very responsive.
Cons: Parking can be a bit tricky at night, maybe expect to walk a few blocks if you come home late, and we had to wake up early a few days to move the car for street cleaning. We are from NYC, so something we are vey used to! (The host does say they are working on getting parking). The unit fan made a very loud noise. The host was made aware. We opted to just use AC. The bathroom is pretty tight, yet functional. Ventilation in the bathroom was not so great, and the only window is in the shower, so you'll lose privacy if you open it. There was also no screen on the window. As a result I believe, it did smell a bit musty in the bathroom at time of check in. As we used the bathroom and towels, they did have a must smell as well. This was brought up to the host at the time of our cancellation request. The biggest reason why we decided to cancel our reservation early was the overall cleanliness of the unit. We realized that it was a dog friendly studio, and even though we did not have a dog with us, it felt like we were sleeping with dogs. There were hairs noticeable on the bed sheets (also brought up to host at time of cancellation, where she offered to bring clean sheets) which we tried to clean off ourselves. There were also some light stains on the comforter. The fabric couch and couch pillows unfortunately did not feel very clean with pet odor and cleaning stains, and like some other reviews have mentioned, it felt like the studio needed an overall deep cleaning. We tried to settle in, but after a few nights we had to cancel the reservation early without any refund. We notified the host and were told the unit would hopefully be rented to another traveler. Ultimately, no one else reserved the unit according to the host, so we were not refunded for the 2 nights we did not stay, as per policy.
Overall: would probably be ok for a visitor with pets/dogs, good budget option, but would not book again or recommend this studio to a friend