My wife and I were lucky to find Lydia's cottage. We happened to find her place last minute, but booking with Lydia was quick due to her quick response. The location was in a good part of town, so the concern about safety is minimal. Upon arrival in early November, Lydia greeted us warmly and showed us to her place. The cottage is located in the back yard where she has plants, as well as orange and lime trees that line the fence. The cottage itself was great! We were impressed. The size was great for the two of us and we felt right at home. The kitchen was equipped with a coffee maker, small refrigerator, microwave, cookware, dinnerware, and utensils. She also had essential spices and much more. The weather was also great. During the day the temperature was about 80F, but then it cooled off at night. It allowed us to enjoy the small private patio when were not out roaming the city. Most of my time was spent at the San Diego Convention Center which was about 6 miles away. However, the location of Lydia's cottage is close to several visitor attractions, including the Old Town Historic park. The only two negative things I can say is that bathroom was a little smaller than expected and there is no air conditioning. The weather wasn't too warm during the day, but there was one day that my wife was trying to get some sleep during the day. She wasn't able to sleep because there were kids yelling and screaming next door at the pool. If there would have been an air conditioner, we could have closed the windows while still keeping cool. Other than that, we were more than satisfied. I would recommend Lydia's cottage to anyone. I hope that Lydia continues to host because we plan on returning to SD soon.