We are just back from a family trip that we organized in San Diego, California this year, staying in a lovely vacation rental, found on VRBO, that turned out as one of the best ones we’ve tried so far.

We all felt it was actually “tied” with the Airbnb in Oregon we stayed in a few years ago, of a similar style and vibe.

It was open plan with living, dining and kitchen all in one space. It had obviously been remodeled recently. The paint and finishes were fresh and everything was spotless.

This home is in the popular Point Loma area of San Diego, which is right by the airport and an older part of the city. There was a lot of aircraft noise above during the day, but they did have good windows and it was well insulated for sound. The flights over the area stop at 11:00 pm.

I took some pics, before we settled in for several days.

Front Entry, Living, Dining, and Kitchen

I love the warmth of this wood door and sidelights and the Craftsman look works well with this bungalow style.

I’m not normally a fan of typography on home goods, but here, the “hello” door mat is just perfect.

Front Entry | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

There’s an open entry and then you walk right into the living room with a tiled fireplace. The sofa was comfy and the chairs were big. It would have been nice if they had been swivels, to better watch tv or talk to people in the kitchen, etc.

Doggies are accepted at this Airbnb. | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

Big dining table with comfy chairs for lots of late night games. | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

This was one of the best equipped kitchens we’ve ever used with quality cookware and plenty of dishes, glasses and flatware.

I really like the layout here and how they did open shelving to the left of the sink, instead of more upper cabinets.

Open kitchen with lots of cabinets in this Airbnb | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

Open wood shelving warmed up the white surfaces in the kitchen. | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

The range was a gas Forno range, a little tricky to get the oven on, but overall everything worked well.

Side story - We were at an Airbnb at Thanksgiving one year, trying to cook our big meal and the new oven didn’t work at all, even after I repeatedly had asked about it, prior to going. Although that owner was very accommodating cooking our dishes in her oven, it was a pain and something we really wanted to have working or we wouldn’t have booked the house.

Forno range and LG microwave were the cooking appliances.| A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

There was a Bosch fridge and dishwasher, an apron sink with a touchless faucet. (I’m always a bit iffy on those, some clients like them but they aren’t for me. It rather drove me crazy here. :-)

A Bosch dishwasher and touchless faucet were part of the kitchen amenities. | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

A nice hand soap and a little ring holder at the kitchen sink was a thoughtful touch. :-) | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

Bedrooms and Bathrooms

The primary bedroom had a comfy king bed and a large walk-in closet. It also had an en-suite bathroom. Loved the white bedding, everything was really pristine.

Primary Bedroom | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

Primary Bedroom with a big ceiling fan | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

Primary bath vanity with those popular capsule shaped mirrors. | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

Primary bath shower| A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

The other two bedrooms had queen beds and were alike in their size and design. One was at the front of the house with a small en-suite bath, the other one had use of a full size hall bath.

Queen bedroom | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

Small hall bath, you can see the stackable washer/dryer in the hallway in the mirror. | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

As a designer, I love the way they detailed their shampoo niches, just like I prefer to as well. | A California Vacation Rental to Add to Your List of Home Stays

There was a lower level game room that you accessed via an outside stair. It opened to a small back garden. The garage was down there too. The property sloped so the main level looked single story at the front of the house and two story at the rear.

Design-wise, this house was really well done with a very clean aesthetic. It lacked some color that I feel like could have been remedied with more colorful art.

I didn’t photograph much of the art, but it was all black and white or gray. I think that could have given the house a more personal vibe without sacrificing that modern, simple look.

The window shades were nice, mostly all motorized and black out in the bedrooms, all white or neutral too.

I have to say, all the white did accentuate the fact that the house was really clean and I soooo appreciate that!

There is much to do in San Diego, honestly, I think I prefer it to LA. It’s mostly the same vibe with less crowds and traffic.

And the whale watching was cool! We saw fin whales! Check out my little video on Instagram here.

You can rent this house yourself at this link.

This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.