Happy to have some space to spread out, my husband and I dropped our suitcases and toured the rest of the home, which has three small bedrooms (two kings, one queen), two bathrooms, a washer and dryer (huge news for us city folk), and a dining nook with a long oval table and eight rattan chairs. We chose to sleep in the largest of the three bedrooms, the only one with an en suite bathroom, and used the other two bedrooms as our closets. As I mentioned, the bedrooms aren’t huge and share walls at the back of the bungalow, so the property is probably best suited to close groups of friends or families with kids.

The biggest draw of the home is the backyard, accessible via a sliding door in the living room. You come to California for the sunshine, and the compact but well-designed outdoor space allows guests plenty of opportunities to soak up every last ray. Depending on the time of day, you can bounce between a smattering of adjustable lounge chairs, a small dipping pool, an outdoor dining table next to a barbecue, and a lounge area with a firepit. Despite backing onto a busy street, the backyard feels like a little oasis, thanks in part to the walls of greenery bordering the space.

Hannah Chubb

Hannah Chubb

Over the course of our three days at Hamilton I, my husband and I hit most of La Jolla’s most popular attractions, either by foot or via a quick Uber ride. We managed to dip our toes in the salty sea, kayak over to La Jolla Cove, wander through nearby Coronado, peruse the shops in La Jolla Village, eat a shocking amount of Mexican food, attend a magazine-worthy wedding, and so much more in so little time, returning to the bungalow to sleep peacefully each night. Every amenity we could have needed had already been thought of by the host, from extra blankets and fans to strong Wi-Fi and water pressure. We also had 24/7 access to a dedicated hospitality manager, who sent a couple of check-in texts throughout our stay to make sure everything was hunky-dory (it was).

Hannah Chubb

Hannah Chubb