Kris was a great host. Her unit was comfortable and had everything we needed for our stay. We'll definitely stay here again!

Kris was a great host. Her unit was comfortable and had everything we needed for our stay. We'll definitely stay here again!

Ideal location between my mom and brother in El Cajon, and my son's family in La Mesa. Neighborhood reminds me of the Berkeley hills

Nice property, but small. The kitchen was nice and well stocked. The owner was very attentive making sure we had everything we needed. I enjoyed my stay here and would stay again.

Nice property, but small. The kitchen was nice and well stocked. The owner was very attentive making sure we had everything we needed. I enjoyed my stay here and would stay again.

Thank you again to Kris. All went as expected. Clean, comfy and close to all our needs.

Charming and quiet

Charming and quiet

So clean, convenient, comfortable and quiet. Highly recommended. An excellent hostess. Thank you Kris.

So clean, convenient, comfortable and quiet. Highly recommended. An excellent hostess. Thank you Kris.

My son and I were greeted by Kris right on time. She acquainted us with the details of her lovely place. Cozy and just the right amount fun details to make a relaxing home away from home. The location is close to the freeways and minutes to shopping for anything. Twenty minutes or less to attractions of all kinds, which is just what we wanted. We will likely return to San Diego and the Zen Retreat will hopefully be available. Thank you Kris!

We loved our stay at Kris' home! She's very communicative and her cozy apt was welcoming and organized. Her place is 20 mins from everywhere. She even had beach gear for us, ready for the beach! Kris knows it's all about the details! We will definitely stay here again if we're ever visiting San Diego again. Thanks!

I had to book this location last minute because my airbnb account was hacked. I'm so grateful that Kris allowed me to stay at her quaint cozy apartment styled space. Felt like I had an entire place to myself. Very clean, although I woke up to a caterpillar looking critter in my luggage that I left open on the floor. No biggie. It's also walking distance to Brigantine restaurant. My friends and I arrived very late back to San Diego after driving from San Fran. I was literally there from 8pm till 5am. Would have been nice to stay longer or to be charged by the hour instead of the entire day. That has nothing to do with how great this space is. You should definitely book it if you're in the area. Kris also provided me a link to get $10 off for the Lyft to use back to the airport. I couldn't get it to work so the drive to the airport will cost you about $22 without it. I would most definitely stay again. Kris is very very pleasant and welcoming.

We would return in future. It was close to many great restaurants and stores. La Mesa itself is a clean, safe community, probably underrated. The host was excellent. Thanks for a great stay!

We would return in future. It was close to many great restaurants and stores. La Mesa itself is a clean, safe community, probably underrated. The host was excellent. Thanks for a great stay!

convenient to downtown, full kitchen, comfortable for a couple.

We stayed here for 5 nights, we had been on a long 3 week vacation,this was our last leg. Kris allowed us to use the washer and dryer, which made things much easier. This location for us was great we have grandchildren in Santee and was a short drive. We had no trouble locating it. It was private, quiet and fit our needs. Thank you for sharing your house with us.

The owners were very communicative and this helped me select this location; I am glad that I did. I only had need a couple of times but they were very easy to get in-touch with and responded immediately. The property is only a few blocks from the interstate but is insulated well enough that there is no noise. There is plenty within walking distance. Within a few blocks there is a convenience store/gas-station and at least 3 restaurants. At just 1.2 miles away there is a shopping mall with everything you could want, including a movie theatre. I happened to stay during an epic heat wave and the temperature was always cool and comfortable inside. I rarely heard anything even though the owners were upstairs; I did hear a dog bark once or twice but never in the evening and I never saw a dog. The full kitchen had everything, much more than most would use. I especially appreciated the assortment of teas available to me since I don't drink coffee. The bed was comfy, plenty of pillows and extra blankets, but the sheets could be softer. I will be sure to see if I can stay again on my text trip out and I will definitely recommend this to my friends.

It is a beautiful place to stay. The only things I didn't like were: 1) no cable even though it was listed with cable 2) no dvd player or any way to buy and use one with the tv 3) The owner lives upstairs so if you're a light sleeper, it's difficult to sleep with all the footsteps. Overall, it's a great inexpensive place to stay. Beautiful and peaceful area with a mall nearby.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 2-night stay at the Zen Retreat. Kris is a gracious hostess and made me feel welcome. I loved being in a residential neighborhood instead of a commercial complex. The hike up to Mt. Helix from the unit was a fun way to spent part of the morning. I would definitely recommend this special retreat.

My husband and I decided to go back to our old stomping grounds for the 4th of July weekend so the search for accommodation began with hotels. I was horrified at the holiday weekend rates so I broadened my search and came across this little GEM!! We arrived in our scheduled window and met with Kris who gave us a quick tour of the Retreat. As others mention, it is small, but very comfortable for 2 people. Full sized bathroom with great water pressure (hard to find these days in CA, I bet). Fully equipped kitchen, albeit small. Anything you can think of to need for cooking, most likely, is stocked in this kitchen...even an ice cream maker!! =) One thing that stood out for us was that Kris offered up fresh oranges from her trees growing in her back yard. There was a juicer in the kitchen, so fresh squeezed OJ was a delight!! Another bonus for us was that it was walking distance to 2 amazing restaurants nearby. The Brigantine-La Mesa and La Casa Blanca Mexican Restaurant. Give them a try! We hope to make the Zen Retreat our regular accommodation on all our future visits back to SD. Thanks Kris for a great stay!!

I was in town to visit family for 5 days and was looking for something near their home. This location caught my eye; so I decided to book. Kris was very prompt and accommodating. Upon arrival, Kris greeted me and gave me a thorough tour of her beautiful unit. Everything was as described in her listing. She has truly tried, and succeeded, to make this a restful retreat away from all the hustle and bustle of San Diego. I will not hesitate to check this property FIRST when I next visit. With that said, I do feel compelled to confirm what Kris has already said in her listing: This unit accommodates one person wonderfully. It will accommodate 2 nicely if you pack lightly (there is both closet, as well as dresser space, but if you are traveling with more than 2 "checked" sized bags you might be a bit challenged for storage). Also, if you are a tall person (as I am at 6' 2"), take note that the bed is a "hotel length full" meaning shorter than yours at home, and the kitchen/dining area has low ceilings which could be an issue if you are claustrophobic. If this does not concern you; I can not recommend this property and gracious host highly enough! (and if you enjoy seafood DO check out Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar jus down the street; its pretty terrific too.)

The unit was beatifully decorated. The kitchen had everything i needed and the bed was comfortable. I expect to come back again

Zen Retreat is a wonderful option instead of a hotel stay. I stayed there for Comic Con and had no problems getting to the Convention Center or coming back. It is only a 20 minute drive into downtown San Diego and only 1 mile from the trolley station to get to downtown. I walked a few times to the trolley station and back since the weather was fantastic to walk in. The accommodations were very relaxing as was the decor. I felt safe and secure and the property was extremely clean and well-maintained. I absolutely loved the ease of travel, the accommodations, and the honest and straight forward owner. I hope to return soon as it was truly a delight staying there!

My boyfriend and I stayed here for the weekend and it was wonderful. Small intimate setting, which is just what we were looking for. Way better than an uncomfortable hotel stay. Everything was very clean, user friendly and comfortable. We relaxed, sat out on the little porch for coffee and used the kitchen for our meals so we did not have to eat out every meal. The bed was very comfy! Kris was very welcoming and helpful. Even printed out a document we needed for our travel. She was just a phone call/e-mail away. We were on her property and did not feel uncomfortable or awsward at all. :-) We would definitely stay again. Thank you for everything Kris!!

This was a great place to stay. Kris was very welcoming and place was very cozy. The description in the advertisement is very accurate as it pertains to location and layout. The place is centrally located for just about everything you'd want to do in San Diego. The nearest mall is about 3 minutes away and downtown San Diego is about a ten-minute drive. Kris was very helpful in terms of letting us know how to get where we wanted to go and was available if we needed her for anything. The personal highlight of the place was the kitchen. It was well-stocked as far as tools and utensils were concerned. I would certainly recommend this place to a friend and I will definitely keep this place in mind the next time I want to stay in San Diego.

We spent six days in the San Diego area to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday. The location of this property is very centralized. With the exception of a drive north along the coast and the Safari Park, everything else (from downtown San Diego to the beaches, airport, etc) everything was easily within a 20 min or so drive. Access to the freeway is literally one minute. Very easy to get to and from any direction. Grocery store very close. Huge open air mall (with many restaurants, movie theater, etc.) just a couple miles. The property itself is just as the owner described it. Excellent condition. Great decor and amenities. We loved having the full kitchen in order to enjoy breakfast and to make picnic lunches for our day trips. Highlight of each morning was going out to the back yard and picking oranges from the tree, and using the juicer, while my wife enjoyed the brewed coffee. After a busy day, it was great to come back to a quiet place of our own (including off street parking), and just relax. The owner is a wonderful person who knows how to take care of her guests. She went above and beyond by ordering flowers and candy for my wife (had them waiting when we checked in). She explained how everything worked and where everything was. Also was most accommodating in terms of printing out any maps, coupons, etc that we requested. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to rent this property again if we make a return trip to the San Diego area. Thank you again Kris, for helping make make my wife's birthday vacation memorable.

I would highly recommend this rental home. The owner was very friendly and helpful during my stay. She provided a nice fruit basket which was ideal for taking with me as I rushed out to enjoy my day. There are so many places and things to do close by. After a busy day it was nice to be able to return to the house and enjoy the fully equipped kitchenette for dinner because I was too tired to get dressed up and go out again. I was even able to BBQ one night. I felt very much at home. I certainly enjoyed being able to use the laundry and go home with clean clothes. Everything was very clean and the bed was very comfortable. I will be using this rental on my next visit to the San Diego area.