Nestled in the hillside, 10 minutes from downtown LA. NEW 10,000BTU AC in bedroom! Original artwork. Swinging chair. Full kitchen. Outdoor dining table. Private patio. City & mountain views. Comfortably fits a couple (+baby 0-12 months). Free street parking. We donate 10% of the money you pay to stay with us to orphans in Zambia, Africa through our partnership with Mothers Without Borders.
Space
Bright & airy 1 bed/1bath back house. Our Casita is nestled in the hillside, just minutes away from downtown LA. Private entrance on gated property. Original artwork. Swinging chair. Outdoor dining table. Private patio. City & mountain views. Comfortably fits a couple (+baby 0-12months). NOTE - If you are traveling with kid(s) over the age of 1 year old or multiple adults that are not a couple, please check out my other listing > click on my profile > click Bright Kid Friendly Hillside Home. This larger home is located on the same property & is kid friendly, suitable for unrelated adult travelers or families with older or multiple kids. What our guests are saying about us - the good, the bad & the ugly! "Not just an apartment, not just another airbnb listing. You get the most active, interested, caring host of all on airbnb." "Apartment is very clean. I mean it's really more clean than hotel rooms. " "We met Heather right before our departure But within these 10 minutes we got blown away by her stunning personality - she's very kind, helpful and caring all along. Her Casita is perfectly located and everything is right as it is shown in the pictures. We felt safe our entire stay." "We had an AWESOME stay here. The casita was exactly as shown in the photos and Heather was a fantastic host. Very accommodating and understanding. She really helped us make the most of our time in LA. " "Check in and check out were smooth. Apartment is exactly as pictured. Street parking is easy." "The only downside was finding parking at night when I got back from town. The cars were parked really close to one another so you have to be comfortable with parallel parking or walking a bit." NOTE from Host - there is a free flat parking lot 10 doors away if you don't feel confident parallel parking. Parking in LA is a THING! Some think it's no big deal, some get freaked out. This is not the suburbs, it's the 2nd largest city in the US, consider finding a resting spot for your car part of the adventure! Casita features outdoor dining table & futon with stunning city & mountain views. Avocado tree (seasonal) cactus & rose gardens. Indoor living room/kitchen combo. Kitchen includes stocked coffee maker, pots, pans, snacks, dishes & utensils. Full bathroom, hair dryer, full size soap, shampoo & conditioner & towels. Iron & board. Comfortable loveseat & cool swinging chair. Original artwork by an LA based activist. Ceiling fans in each room. NEW 10,000BTU AC in bedroom! Tons of windows & natural light throughout. Plenty of closet space. Full size bath with tub & shower. Queen bed perfect for a couple or single traveler. Mid-week cleaning as well as fluff & fold service available for a fee. We love accommodating your special requests, just ask.
Guest access
Gated property with 2 homes, this listing is for the back house. Guests enjoy - private entrance, private patio off bedroom, shared patio with outdoor dining table & futon.
Guest interaction
My family lives in the other house on the property. I can be available or respectful of your privacy - as you need. I have helped many of my guests plan their trips with great success. Or if you prefer, we may not even see another. My schedule is busy with kids, business & frequent traveling. Of course, anything you need I will make happen quickly regardless of where I am on any given day.
Neighborhood overview
We love our safe, friendly, working-class, hillside Latino neighborhood. Please NOTE - this is not a trendy/hip area, if you like to be in the heart of clubs, exclusive restaurants & bars - check out West Hollywood, Silverlake, or Downtown LA. If you want a convenient, safe place to serve as your base, if you like quiet, if you like to see how the people of the city really live if you like the convenience of being a couple minutes from 4 different freeways - you will be happy here. The neighborhood consists mostly of families that have lived here for 3 generations. A block downhill is the main street - consisting of 2 small markets (fresh fruits & veg, milk, eggs, cereal, meat), a local 99 cent store, a traditional Mexican bakery, a couple liquor stores (mostly beer & liquor), the library is the yellow building on the corner & of course the neighborhood Catholic Church. City Terrace Park is 4 blocks away. Great park with jungle gyms, climbing sculptures, grassy hills & a giant splash pad. There are always tons of kids running around. If you like to visit a place & see how the people actually living there live - you found your spot. FOOD - There is a great Mariscos (seafood) truck that parks in front of the church during the day. At night you can get super tacos, tortas (Mexican sub sandwiches) & quesadillas, there are 2 competing street taco stands to choose from. The ice cream truck passes every night & if you hear a young lady walking the streets yelling about 9:30am it’s fresh homemade tamales they are $1.50-$2 each & they make a great, convenient lunch! If you prefer to eat at a restaurant check out El Tepeyac for the burritos. I moved to LA from Oaxaca, MX - the birthplace of mole & the mole at Moles La Tia is the best around! El Gallo Grill is the nicest of the local restaurants. For vegetarians ask them to make you the roasted veggie tacos - they aren’t on the menu & they are amazing. We love the tacos at Guisado's & that's good because they only serve tacos. We are located just minutes 7-10 from Downtown by car, closest to the Arts District & Little Tokyo. It's easy to get to the Convention Center (E3) & LA LIVE for concerts. Downtown LA is vibrant with new clubs, bars & world renown restaurants. USC MEDICAL CENTER - 5 minutes by car from the hospital & we host many residents/interns, visiting Docs & patients. CAL STATE LA - 3 blocks away GOLF - 5 minutes away from Monterey Golf course and Montebello Golf course. DODGERS - 10 minutes by car from the stadium and you can see the Friday night fireworks from the dining room window! LAKERS - 10 minutes away from tip off by car. POKER - 12 minutes away from the COMMERCE CASINO by car. HOLLYWOOD BOWL & GREEK THEATER - 30 minutes away (10 miles) BEACH - 45 minutes (19 miles) DISNEYLAND & CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE - 35 minutes (23 miles) UNIVERSAL STUDIOS - 30 minutes (14 miles) BEVERLY HILLS - 40 minutes (17 miles) THE GETTY - 45 minutes (22 miles)
Getting around
We recommend using a car to get around unless you are planning to visit only a small geographic area in which case UBER/LYFT will serve you fine. If you are a new user download the UBER app & use ima09 for a $25 credit. The LYFT app is the same and HESA13 will get you a $10 credit. If you wanted to take the bus - there are someplaces it makes sense like to a Dodger game. The bus stops on the corner & offers straight service to Downtown LA. If you get off at Union Station (Downtown) it is a transit hub - meaning you can catch the subway, or take the Amtrack train throughout CA. Car - if you bring a car - free, unrestricted street parking. We suggest making the most of your trip to LA by having access to a car. You will also need a GPS APP with TRAFFIC notifications, our favorite is WAZE. In LA, it's not how many miles away something is but how long it takes to get there. Traffic is intense, be prepared for it, breathe & know that you'll eventually get there - enjoy the ride!
