Overall, the place was okay. I personally wouldn’t stay there again. Just for background, I did not interact at all with the gentleman who lives in the main unit, John. It’s his property, but the AirBnB is managed by a larger company which is where Zeina and Mo come in.
Let me preface by saying I understand early check-in is not guaranteed - this is more of a comment on communication vs. the availability of the early check-in. A few days prior I had messaged and asked if it would be possible for us to get in a little early, as our flight landed at 10:30 and check-in isn’t until 3. They responded and said they would let us know day-of when they finish cleaning and to send a reminder around 11 am the day of our checkin. I did exactly that, and they responded “we can let you know” but then it was radio silent after that. To me, the lack of communication was a little frustrating as I was expecting to hear from them one way or the other. So we were waiting around for ~4 hours. Even if they finished 30 mins early, it would’ve been nice to hear from them.
Once we arrived the room was stifling hot. I’d recommend as a courtesy that it would be nice to have the windows open and the fan running for your guests given that there is no A/C.
It also wasn’t as private as advertised. Directly on the other side of the unit’s entry is the back yard to the main unit which has their pool and patio. If you want to keep the door open to allow for airflow, the whole unit is basically open to their back yard and feels a little exposed.
Oh, also on our first night there was loud music coming from the main unit so I had to message and ask if there were quiet hours. It was around 9:30 pm I believe so that was a little frustrating. They did stop after I messaged but you feel like a burden for asking. (Common sense to not play music when guests are in a unit with shared wall space?)
Other notes, the bed and pillows were very uncomfortable. The place was pretty clean, bathroom tiny but it did the job. For location it’s closer to Pacific Beach than La Jolla but not far from either. Overall it’s fine for a short stay and if you don’t care to be in a stuffy room most of the time. Definitely overpriced for what you get. Next time I’ll opt for the hotel with A/C or a fully private unit.