My week and half long stay at Amy's place was FABULOUS, plus Amy & Ben were AWESOME HOSTS!! If you want to leave your car parked and/or are flying in; this is the perfect place to stay because you are within walking distance of so many amazzzzing places, and even taking an uber/lyft to downtown SD/Gas Lamp area should only take about 15-20 minutes for approximately $15-20 one way.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! This property is a 1/2 block from the beach, yet right off Mission Blvd and Grand Ave; which puts you right in the middle of all the action. The main strip of Garnet is very close too. I timed leaving the property to the sand, and it roughly takes in between 90 seconds to 2 minutes to walk to the beach. Ralph's is literally right across the street, 7-eleven is right across the ally, and there are 4-5 chill beach bars that you can literally see from the patio area. We really enjoyed walking everywhere and going for long walks on the boardwalk at night.
There are so many fabulous restaurants, bars, shops, stores, gyms, etc. within a short walking distance. This is a relatively busy area and the property is located right around several poppin' bars right off the main drag of Mission Blvd & Grand Ave, so it does get fairly loud; more so on the weekends, but nothing that ear plugs couldn't dissipate for the most part. But, if you are sensitive to sound and need absolute silence for work/sleep, perhaps this is not the most suitable place for you to stay at.
The 1 bedroom apartment may seem small to some, but I found it to be quite cozy, and I treated it like very own beach home ... it has everything you need to feel like you actually "live" there.
Upon arrival, Ben greeted me and gave me the parking pass; parking is very close to the unit in the parking lot next to Mission Surf. I unpacked my truck in the alley right next to the unit, then parked in the lot, while there was still parking available. Please keep in mind the parking lot is small, so if you drive a larger vehicle it may be difficult to get in and out of the lot and park comfortably. My Toyota Tacoma fit snug into a space (I would recommend trying to back your vehicle into the space during slow times at night during the week, because trying to back out into Mission Blvd into traffic during busy times was really challenging); I don't think a larger vehicle would have worked. If you are coming going often during busy weekend hours ... you may not find a spot in the lot, and that is life. My recommendation would be to park your vehicle and leave it there during the busy times like a weekend, and only move it off peak days/hours or you may not have a spot when you get back.
I enjoyed the relaxed beach vibe style of Amy's & Ben's place. The bed/mattress/pillows were solid too! I liked the common area with a nice comfortable couch that opened up to a bed. I really enjoyed the two nice size TV's that were in the unit ... it was nice to wind down and watch some netflix each night before bed. The kitchen is a bit tight, but it maintains a full size fridge and most things you would need to cook a simple meal. I was able to make my daily brunch there without any issues.
It was fairly warm during the time I was in town, and there is no a/c in this unit; so, it is essential to leave the windows and sliding glass door open to allow for proper ventilation; keep the fans circulating too, so cool air from the nice sea breeze can flow through the space to keep you cool. Another trick I learned was to keep the bedroom door open at night to allow air to circulate more efficiently. If you get warm easily or need ice cold a/c pumping, you may be uncomfortable and should consider staying else where. Also, the unit is located upstairs, so if you have trouble walking or are handicapped/wheel-chair-bound this is probably not be the unit for you. I liked the fact that the unit was located upstairs and had a nice patio, which my friends and I enjoyed, while they visited me during the day ... it was nice to enjoy a drink outside and enjoy the views of downtown PB after playing frisbee on the beach. It also feels very safe and secure, because there is a locked door to get up to the patio area from the alley, then each unit upstairs has their own locked doors as well. So, even though there can be some riff raff in the alley's late night ... we felt fine and did not hesitate to leave windows & the sliding door open at all times to keep us cool during the day/night.
PB is my happy place, and I enjoyed staying at Amy's/Ben's place because to me it was the complete beach side package at a fairly reasonable price ... you just need to take into consideration that everything is SD is fairly pricey during the summer months. I think Amy/Ben do an excellent job communicating with and taking care of their guests, treat them respectfully, and I enjoyed the nice personal touches they included in the stay like bathroom products, toiletries, sufficient amounts of towels/beach towels, some eggs, condiments, a bottle of wine, few bottles of water, and snacks to get you started off. I was also grateful that Amy was able to accommodate a late check out at a fair fee, so we could attend the Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert the night before leaving. I would absolutely LOVE to stay at Amy's/Ben's place again for an extended stay next summer AGAIN! :) Thank you