I stayed with Irina for the whole summer while I had an Internship at Illumina. It was a good location relative to the center of Mira Mesa and about 15 minutes driving to the beach, to the giant UTC mall or to the trolley station which will take you downtown. About a half mile walk away, there was a nice park with hikes down to the river. It was wonderful to have breakfast each morning and enjoy the fresh eggs and fruit. Coming from across the country, I had everything I needed in Irina's kitchen for cooking and baking, which made my time there quite homely. I highly recommend staying here, especially at longer intervals and if your intent isn't to be downtown the majority of the time!