Airbnb is based on and continues to work because both hosts and guests give honest reviews, preventing hosts from getting bad guests and guests from arriving to places that may not meet their needs or expectations. So, here is my honest review.
This is a very clean apartment, is as pictured and in a convenient location to many attractions. Amenities in the building are fun -- bowling alley, pool table, pool, etc. The apartment was adequately outfitted with the exception of lack of adequate seating in the living room.
However, what is not seen in the photos and no one mentions in any of the reviews is that the apartment is located directly above the main bus terminal for San Diego. Diligent review of the listing and reviews does not make one aware of this fact. The buses are there all night, driving in and out, with men calling back and forth, all of which prevented a good night's sleep. There is also a "bus wash" that operates directly below the bedroom. This is much more noise than is normally expected in a city. There are also a lot of lights shining into the unit, but the owners did provide blackout shades. I think it's odd that not a single review mentions the obvious noise problem. One review even states that it is quiet! It is not. Could the reviews be for other units in the same building?
There are also a fair amount of unhoused people on the streets which did not seem to be dangerous but may be uncomfortable for some.
Checkin is a multistep, somewhat complex process. It went smoothly with the exception of the lack of a parking pass which we had arranged prior. The instructions included a phone number that, as stated, could be used to contact the owner at any time. I called, texted and emailed that night in order to procure the parking pass. There was no response and my son needed to park on the street at midnight. I was able to reach someone the next morning and was told that their printer was down. They delivered a parking pass later the next day and compensated us for our inconvenience.
Finally, as is made clear in the listing, guests are not to make it known that this is an Airbnb. This is a rental building and presumably it is against the lease to operate an Airbnb. I personally was not comfortable playing along with the deception and will avoid those situations in the future.