Firsix — Hotel in San Diego

This place has lots of good reviews on both Airbnb and booking.com - I don’t really understand why, so let me share my review.

First of all, I booked a “luxurious studio” for 4 nights. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect a 5-star experience for the price, but there was literally zero luxury about it.

The apartment itself was worn out, surfaces were greasy, and my hands were so nasty when I had to touch the blinds because they kept falling down.

The interior has seen better days. The bed was a full / double size - fine for me, but too small for two adults. There was not enough plugs to charge and Roku on the TV didn’t work. WiFi was not super great either.

I’ve never experienced such thin walls before. I was on first floor and could hear every step from the people above me, there was noise on the staircase all the time, and I could even hear people talk. Didn’t sleep well at all.

On top, the apartment is placed directly below the airstream for planes flying into SAN, so you hear loud plane noise every 5 minutes all day. They did provide earplugs.

The neighborhood isn’t very nice. You’ve got homeless people right outside on the street. Walk a few blocks north or west and it’s fine, but I didn’t feel safe right outside the building.

These apartments are great if you just need a place to sleep and don’t mind sounds. Also, the kitchen will allow you to make your own food if you’re into that (didn’t use it).

The location is perfect for accessing Balboa Park, and you can reach downtown by foot in around 15 mins.

The manager was friendly, and I was provided access codes before arriving. My two stars here are for that and the location next to Balboa.

To be fair, I will also state here that I didn’t reach out to the manager with any of above concerns. The noise leading to poor sleep has been my biggest concern with this place, i.e. out of their hands (but something to be open about). I live in a city downtown so am used to traffic and also planes flying over, but the lack of isolation here is...

I may be a bit biased because this was my first trip in some time since having kids, but I really enjoyed my stay. My apartment had a great view of the palm trees hanging over the park and it was a wonderful sight seeing the sun pour through the fronds in the morning. The apartment provided all that I needed to make my stay comfortable from the mini fridge and television, and air conditioner and kitchen supplies, I was all set. I often walked to my destinations (approx. 25-30 walk) , but when I did not feel like walking many destinations was a $10 Uber ride away, which is all you need to get to Little Italy and the Gaslamp District. We enjoyed some of the music scene in town from the band karaoke at the Tin Roof or the dueling pianos at the Shout House! If you are in the fitness scene, I would suggest Invictus Crossfit Gym. They had a great facility, warm and welcoming staff, and were only a mile or so away from my stay. Also, if you are looking for a cut at a local barber shop their is Barber Craft right up the rode and Robert did a fantastic job.The stay also gives a sense of security with their padlock system. Guests have one door that opens to the street that is padlock protected, another for their group of room, and a third for their individual room.This helped give me piece of mind in an unfamiliar place, but I would recommend writing these down incase your phone dies! Overall, it was a good price, close enough to local scenes, clean with good accommodations, and I would choose them again. For what it's worth, these are the thoughts of a biased dad in town for...

I can’t say enough good things about our stay at FirSix in San Diego. From the moment we arrived, everything was smooth, welcoming, and genuinely above expectations.

The location is perfect, just a short walk to Balboa Park and super close to all the downtown attractions. The apartment itself was spotless, beautifully designed, and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. The space felt more like a luxury apartment than a rental.

But what really made the experience stand out was the hospitality from Fir and Ali. These two go above and beyond in every possible way. Anything you ask for, they’ll sort it.. quickly and with a smile. Whether it was local tips, a last minute request, or just checking in to make sure everything was perfect, their attention to detail and care truly set them apart.

You can tell they genuinely care about their guests and want you to have the best stay possible. It’s rare to come across hosts who make you feel both completely taken care of and totally at home.

Thank you Fir and Ali for making our time in San Diego so memorable. We’ll absolutely be back and we’ll be recommending FirSix to...