Re-read reviews to see if there was something we missed. We were really looking forward to our stay in Mission Hill, in this cute bungalow.
the good, in our opinion:
-location. very close to airport, neighborhood offers a lot, much within walking distance
-front porch, lovely landscaping
the not-so-good, in our opinion:
-parking. though we found this to be true in most of San Diego
-photos did not match. mostly decor, but this does interfere with expectations and doesn't help an already less than optimal situation. decorative pillows that were supposed to be on sofas were in a pile on top of "armoire" in second bedroom and area rug was in first bedroom, leaving bare floor and cold, uninviting feeling. house "looks" clean online
-unclean. someone else's trash in bathroom garbage. couches/sofas were draped with blankets/throws that slid down when you sat on them, exposing dirty upholstery. coffee maker was dated and looked dirty. carpets old and worn. bugs, cobwebs, spiders in window sills
-door in second bedroom was wide open to outdoors upon our arrival. seemingly safe neighborhood, but not ideal way to arrive to a new city. concluded it was just strange, but perhaps to help minimize the next bullet point....
-SMELL. decay mixed with "question mark" funk, mixed with low-grade household cleaners. my friend and I both found it downright nauseating
arrived late evening for our 4-night San Diego visit with an immediate dinner reservation in the neighborhood. late for our reservation after spending too much time in dismay-debating "should we stay, or should we go"
result after dinner: stayed one night out of 4. here's how it went: opened the windows to help dissipate the smell. opening the second bedroom blinds to help with air movement exposed glaring light from adjacent building which kept me in corner of bed to try and avoid it- until I gave up and closed them. bed linens were clean, but thin and made for a cold night's sleep for both of us. could have checked "heat" situation, but didn't. then both of us woke up around 5 am (I think?) to the sprinkler system (in my daze, thought someone broke in and was trying to take a shower with bad plumbing issues). walked outside at 5 am after not being able to pinpoint the noise inside.
by morning, we ran out for coffee and shared in a delicious breakfast down the street while researching a new place to stay. Bolted immediately. returned only for check out.
have never written a review in my life, but if this saves a few, or gets some issues corrected, then it was worth my time.