We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have stayed with Shirley. We could not have found a more perfect apartment or host for our five month stay in San Diego. It was truly a home away from home that we were extremely heartbroken to leave. During our entire stay Shirley was incredibly kind and understanding, especially of our two dogs who loved coming upstairs to see her (and the cat food). She gave us our space, but was always available whenever we needed her, whether for questions, a book exchange or to share a meal or glass of wine

If you’re considering spending any time in San Diego, you will be hard-pressed to find a more perfect place than Shirley’s Canyon Hideaway. Equipped with everything you would need, from a full gas stove/oven, access to a washer and dryer, and beautiful view of the canyon next door, it is the true epitome of what you want out of an Airbnb stay. The neighbourhood is extremely safe and all the neighbours are kind and welcoming. There’s no way you won’t feel right at home.

The bed is extremely comfortable, the shower has great pressure and even during the heat/humidity wave we had this summer, the apartment managed to stay cool with the help of a fan. In the fall, the fireplace helped to take a bit of the chill off at night.

The apartment is located in South Park, arguably the best area of San Diego. Within walking distance are the Food Bowl grocery store (amazing tortillas and fresh-made salsas), Stehly Farmers Market (all organic produce), Left Hand Black Tattoo Shop, South Park Dog Wash, restaurants and cool stores. As previous guests have mentioned, it is also a quick bike ride to the Gaslamp District downtown or to North Park and Hillcrest which is home to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, lots of vintage/thrift stores and more great restaurants. The apartment is close to all the major highways, making travel anywhere along the coast a breeze and you can avoid the downtown traffic that can build up on the 5.

We came to do a “test run” of living in San Diego and our stay with Shirley solidified our decision to move to this amazing city. We are incredibly grateful that we got to meet Shirley, Simon, Chumley and Daisy and now can call them our friends.