The “Garden Room” is just one of several rooms, all differently styled, that Michael rents out in a large restored Victorian (called UpFront San Diego) located a little north of downtown. The property (especially the garden areas) has the feel of a bohemian artist’s studio, and it is nice having other travelers staying in the same house; my partner and I felt like we were staying at a funky B&B. The “Garden Room” itself has a comfortable bed and soft lighting—it was a soothing place to relax after a long day of sightseeing (although the house is almost directly under the airport’s flight path, you can hardly hear a thing down in the Garden Room). While the ceiling is a little low (the room used to be the cellar), I am 5’9’’ and did not have to bend over to walk around inside. The room has a half bath and a dresser, making it nice to put on make-up and organize your stuff if you are staying for a few days. To take a shower you need to walk upstairs into the main house, but I didn’t find this to be a problem. The room also has a TV (if you ever have time to watch it!) and there is free wifi throughout the house. It is also very nice that guests have access to the kitchen; we were able to keep a few things in the fridge and pack our lunches each morning. Additionally, if you cannot find street parking, the house has its own private spots that guests can use.

The best reasons to stay at Michael’s house are its location and Michael himself! He is a great host—warm and energetic, with many wonderful suggestions on places to eat and things to see. Michael was also very responsive; all my emails before our visit were answered within hours, and while staying at his house a light bulb burnt out above the bed and he responded immediately to fix it. Finally, the house is perfectly located for first time visitors to San Diego—we were able to safely walk to Little Italy for dinner and the Saturday farmer’s market (a 5-10 minute walk), down to the marina and the waterfront museums (15-20 minutes away), over to Balboa Park and the zoo (20-30 minutes away), and up to the Hillcrest neighborhood for brunch and great nightlife. If you like to explore a city by foot, you need to stay at Michael’s house!