This was our first Airbnb experience and it was terrific. We stayed three nights during the President's Day long weekend and the nightly rate offered for Charles & Diane's house was 1) within our budget and 2) comparable to hotels we had been looking at. Given all the additional space in the house compared to the hotel and the fact there were four beds (including the trundle) allowing us to stretch out, it was a no-brainer of a decision. The convenient and free parking is also nice as most hotels in San Diego charges for parking. We also stayed at this house right in the middle of our two-week Southern California vacation so having access to the washer and dryer was also very nice. Check-in was a breeze. I should say we are a family of four with two small children (aged 5 and 4) so we appreciate the security features of the house such as a security alarm which you can set everytime you leave the house, the exterior security door, and the additional locing mechanisms on the windows and patio door. Our kids enjoyed the extra space in the house to play with their toys, and they also enjoyed playing in the backyard. They also got to enjoy some children shows they had never seen before as we do not have Hulu nor Amazon Prime at home. The location provided easy access to most of the things we wanted to visit such as Balboa Park, SeaWorld, USS Midway Museum, and Coronado Beach. Cabrillo National Monument was a little further out but hardly a deal breaker. We would definitely stay here again.
We did not do any cooking during our stay as we wanted to try all the great food options nearby. For those budget minded folks, I recommend getting take-out from George's Cafe for breakfast. Large delicious portions for very reasonable prices especially their breakfast burritos and tortas. $15 will get you more than enough food to feed a family of four. George's Cafe is about 3 miles north of the house. The North Park area also has a bunch of good restaurants (although parking can be a bit of a hassle). We tried Poki One N Half and Lucha Libre Taco Shop and we would highly recommend both. We also had a great bbq dinner one night after getting take out from Coop's West Texas BBQ -- it's a little further out though, about 7 miles east in Lemon Grove -- but also highly recommended.