Reviews of Property: Fantastic luxury big 1 bedroom apartment, 4 Blocks to Golden Gate Park,

My husband and I (in our early 60's) have just stayed in this apartment for 4 nights and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The apartment is very light and airy with a very comfortable bed and adequate storage space. We chose to stay in an apartment in order to reduce costs of eating out and the kitchen is reasonably well-eqipped but would have liked a measuring jug and small bowl to heat things in the microwave; some of the china was chipped. The flat was very clean but could do with some painting. Its' quiet location is to the west of SF and there is a beautiful coastal walk from Point Lobos; the drawback to the location is that it is a long way from the centre of the city but the bus stop is opposite the flat and buses run very frequently so don't be put off by it. Paul (owner) certainly provided good customer servivce by giving lots of information prior to booking and I would definitely recommend it to a friend and/or use again. Vladimir the caretaker lives in the next door flat and gave us helpful advice on our arrival; however, we had difficulty getting hold of him during the stay and when we spoke to him on our final evening, he seemed rather abrupt. A trip to Alcatraz is a must - allow at least 3-4 hours there; we went as part of a combined city tour and only had 2 1/2 hours and felt we needed more time. We were glad that we did not have a car with us as parking is at a premium and public transport is very good and reasonably priced so own transport is not necessary. Although the flat can accomodate 5, there is only one bedroom; there is a double sofa bed and single pull out bed in the livingroom but I would find this inconvenient for taking young children. However, having read the guest book comments, lots of families have stayed at the flat and enjoyed it so obviously it is a matter of personal choice. We had excellent weather and the Golden Gate Bridge was clearly visible every day; apparently this is not usually the case in June so we were very lucky. Although the windows could be opened, it got quite stuffy at the kitchen end and we felt a small fan would be an advantage. My husband felt in was slightly overpriced but, compared with hotel charges and cost of eating out, I felt it was reasonable. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and well worth staying there.

Stupendous Holiday. We booked a package with this apartment and the cabin in the wine country. This was our first time to visit the US, so we decided to follow all Paul’s tips in his information brochure. We took a taxi from the airport to the apartment, and planned to pick up a hertz car on the day we were to go to the wine country. The first night we had dinner in the Pacific Café, The second night we went to Chapeau and our third night we had dinner in Khan Toke Thai House. Each Restaurant was fabulous. We also had a few drinks in Trader Sam’s, what a hilarious bar! We also had breakfast in the little café 2 doors away, cheap and really good. Did all the touristy things, the 38 bus comes every few minutes and has you downtown really fast, Tip: get off on Powell Street, then take the cable car to Fisherman’s wharf. The apartment was wonderful; it felt like you were staying in a friends place, The drive to Sonoma was great, especially driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, Of course we stopped took tons of photos of the bridge. WOW! The cabin is so romantic & quaint. We didn’t want to leave it. We went to the local supermarket and bought a bottle of wine and snacks, We snuggled up beside the fire and watched TV. We got up early the next morning and drove to Bodega Bay, wonderful views and walks. Had a great dinner in Bodega Bay, then back home to the cozy cabin. On our third day, we visited some of the local wineries. The town of Guerneville is full of local shops and restaurants, Had breakfast in Pat’s place twice, really good. Our last night we had dinner in Mosaic in Forestville, you have to go there, it was one of the best meals we ever had. Follow the tips in Paul’s brochure, we did and every bit of advice was spot on.

Great place, my daughter and I spent a week in Paul's end of June 08. The place is everything it says it is in advertisements. You have so much more than you possibly would get in a hotel room. In fact if I ever go anywhere again for more than 3 nights I will never stay in a hotel room again. The neighborhood is good too. We ate at Bills Place on Clement twice it has great American cuisine. Also ate at Tommy's Mexican a few blocks down Geary, excellent food really excellent Margaritas. Also had breakfast our last morning in SF 2-3 doors from the apartment can’t remember name, very good food. We also enjoyed a movie around the corner on Clement at the 4 Star theater to relax awhile...very nice...The bus service was great we had 7 day Muni passes. My daughter loved the Haight-Ashbury area so we went twice. I had my best meal all week in a Thai place can’t remember name. The people watching in the Haight is excellent. Vladimir, the man who looks after everything is a great guy very interesting to talk with.
San Francisco is a great city, cool people, good food, easy access and thanks Paul, you set us up in your home, made us comfortable and saved me a few bucks on top of everything else...Have you checked the hotel rates in San Francisco? Holy smokes! Forget that! I'm staying at Paul's if I ever go back to this beautiful city...
Oh, almost forgot...I highly recommend the night time Alcatraz tour. Not only is the tour of the rock incredible but you get an amazing view of San Francisco all lit up and proud!

Thanks again Paul, Vladimir

Don S

My partner Annie and I had a great stay in this flat using it as a base to explore San Francisco and surrounding area. It is very comfortable and practical with the most comfortable bed I have come across. All linen and towels pillows etc are is wonderful quality and plentiful in supply.
Paul has equiped the flat with thought and care so all the amenities are there easy to find and use. Beyond that, his generosity in leaving open access to dvds,books and internet connection makes life so easy. Great big fridge freezer and good cooker makes self catering easy instead of eating out all the time.
Bus routes are good, frequent and reliable to get out to parks and major tourist attractions beyond the local parks and beach. Fiteen minutes gets you into Golden Gate Park, or down to China Beach. The 38 and 29 are good to get out on. Use the 38 to link with the cable cars! Take the cable car to Russian Hill and take a harbour walk when you get there! Visit the cable car museum for the wealth of information it gives about San Francisco as well as the fully functional Victorian Engineering very clearly set out and Free!. Get to the beaches, galleries, botanical gardens. Walk the coast walks and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Come back to the flat to relax in real comfort and peace.

Vladamir, in the neighbouring flat is friendly helpful mine of local information about the best local shops and accessible places to get to, without ever being intrusive. There is a good selection of food stores nearby and handy varied eating places too!

We walked about in the area in daylight and at quite late at night and felt very safe and relaxed there.

The additional sleeping provision for 2 seperates in the living area worked fine for Annies grown up kids for the time they had with us while we were there. Easy enough to put away when not in use.

I am happy to recommend this flat as very good value, comfortable and convenient.

After 6 months on the road it was wonderful to find ourselves in such a lovely appartment. We had a fantastic stay in San Fran, in fact we came back after a month and spent a further few days there. The appartment was fab, providing us with all we could possble want by way of facilities (and very stylishly too) and the location was great. Thank you Paul - we hope to come back some time.

Wow - first time I have ever gone with a homestay / rental apartment and I can honestly say I would absolutely try it again every time I travel because I had such a great experience at Paul's place.

The apartment was amazing, exactly as described, instructions were easy. The care takers were very gracious when we accidentally turned up two hours early - it couldn't have been better.

All I have to say is - Why wouldn't you rent this place if you wanted to stay in San Francisco - you'd be mad!

Also, Trad'r Sams is possibly the most hilarious bar I have ever been into in my life - the cocktails are deadly. I would stay away from the Scorpion unless you are very very tough!

Thanks again Paul - can't wait to come back to SFO and the Apartment!
Michelle Lucas, Sydney, Australia

We had 10 night's in Paul's place and it was just the perfect place to stay. The apartment is furnished with everything you need to make your stay enjoyable. It even has a PS2 and games which kept our 6 year old happy. It was well kept and very clean and every thought was put into having everything you need to make your stay feel like home from home. If you are coming to San Francisco and need even just a few night this is the place to stay.
The area is fantastic with lots of nice restaurants and nifty pubs within walking distance and the bus line takes you to downtown San Francisco in about 20 minutes. Was delighted to find John Campbell's Irish bakery a few blocks away which was attached to an Irish Bar called The Blarney Stone. Serves good Irish breakfast on weekends and an even better pint of Guinness!
Thanks Paul for a fantastic time. We would have no hesitations in recommending your property to anyone.