Hillcrest House Bed and Breakfast

Of all the B&B's we have stayed at in the United States, Hillcrest House is our favourite to date. To start with, Ann Callahan is gracious and a most delightful person to know. Public transit is readily accessible to virtually anywhere in the San Diego area for those without a car. For us, the real highlight of the Hillcrest area are the incredible restaurants that are all within walking distance of this B&B, all very reasonably priced and some of the finest cuisine we've ever experienced. This is one B&B that we definitely plan on staying at again - it was great!

Ann, We so loved our stay at Hillcrest House. The Balboa room was terrific; so very quiet and private. We absolutely loved our time there. Your breakfasts are just fabulous. I couldn't believe all that was available. The fresh fruit, especially the fresh berries, was fantastic. Thayes was the perfect hostess. How fortunate for you to have found such a wonderful stand-in for you when you have to be gone. She was so fun to talk with. My hubby and I ate only 2 meals a day: a large breakfast and then another meal in the evening. We loved the brochure telling about the restaurants/shops in the area. We ate at a Greek restaurant (Daphne's, as I remember) in the area the first evening. It seemed to be a take-out restaurant with a sit-down area (we ate on site). The food was fantastic and the presentation of the food was certainly far better than what one would normally expect from a 'take-out' restaurant. We loved it. We also ate at the Saigon on Fifth restaurant our last night there. It was also fantastic. We were surprised at how reasonable the prices were, given the interior of the place. We couldn't have asked for a better, more private, place to stay than Hillcrest House. So nice not to hear the proverbial noise next door, cars starting up, horns, airport noise, etc, . . . all the stuff you usually find in a regular hotel/motel. We are already talking about returning on our 1-year anniversary.

My husband and I had an intensive scientific conference to attend in San Diego, and it was our first experience to stay in Bad and Breakfast. This was a wonderful B&B, and we feel lucky to have found it. We stayed in the Balboa Room an it was small enough, but was very clean and nicely decorated, the bed was very comfortable and nice, and I love the bathroom! We want to thanks Ann (owner) for making our stay at the Hillcrest B&B a most pleasant one. We are looking forward to our next visit. Alex and Larissa

I had an intensive Real Estate Conference to attend and Hilcrest provided me with unparalleled service and value for my $. Ann has been in the hospitality business forever and it shows. She knows how to provide a quality service for clients, who loyally troup back to her door routinely. It was a much needed respite in a wonderful oasis!!! "Lucky" Lindy Gelber

My husband and I stayed at the Hillcrest House B&B for our 20th wedding anniversary in February, 2010. The house is charming, spotlessly clean, and very well-maintained. The Gaslamp room was warm, cozy and intimate, and I loved the bathroom! The bed was very comfortable, as was the whole house. Ann is a very warm and welcoming host, and she made us feel very welcome. I highly recommend the Hillcrest House.

Close to the Zoo, near Old Town, a short drive from the beach ... Hillcrest was convenient to every point of interest for us. Ann was a most gracious hostess, always helpful with hints and ideas.

I stayed here for two nights and found Hillcrest to be very clean, comfortable and a home from home. Friendly and welcoming.

Very good stay at the Hillcrest!Nice reception, beautiful zoo room, not so far from everything. Ann will show you where to go easily. Very good breakfast with pleasant guys. If you come to SAN DIEGO, you need to go there!:)

I've always wanted to do a b&b, just didnt know where to stay at. My sister lives in San Diego, so I started looking into places to stay around the area. I went through this websited to find one that was reasonable and nice. And I booked it, well let me tell you, it was the most pleasant place to stay, it felt like a second home... everything was so homie; and then Ann helped me find the place, cause I got lost... once I got there she came out and gave me a hug and said that she was glad that had arrived... I went inside and the place was so cute... and neat.... our room was cool as well... in general our stay was relaxing and a nice experience that I hope to do in the future once again. So I recommend this place to anyone that is looking for all of the above. Thanks Ann

Our trip to San Diego was part vacation and part attendance for a wedding. Ann's website was very appealing to us and what you see is exactly what you get! We stayed in the gaslamp room and it was very clean, modern and simple. Just right! Ann was very helpful, informative and punctual in responding to my emails prior to arriving. Ann herself is very bubbly and a true people person. She takes pride in her home and the services she offers travellers. We would definitely stay there again !

My wife and I were able to get a room on a very busy weekend, for an awesome price. They were extremely flexible with their hospitality for our late arrival, and we enjoyed meeting Anne in the morning for a great breakfast and conversation! They rooms were immaculate, with a plush bed and private bathroom with your own thermostat to keep you comfortable all night! We will definitely be coming back!

Ann was a wonderful host, going out of her way to provide information about the area and directions to the things I wanted to visit. Everything in the house was very clean. However, I was disappointed in the room; it seemed like there was no sound insulation at all. Breakfast was plentiful but very simple; for the cost of this room, I would have expected more warm selections. I did not have a car and found walking home from the bus stop after dark in this particular neighborhood pretty scary.

[Resource Id: innkeeperresponse, Set: reviews]
Hillcrest House B&B is located in the Artsy, Eclectic, Urban neighborhood of Hillcrest. Also considered "Uptown", Hillcrest has just been Nationally, recoginized as "One of Americas 10 Great Neighborhoods" by the prestigous, National Planning Association. Full of energy, sights and sounds, why stay anywhere else !

- Ann Callahan (innkeeper)

The Hillcrest House B&B was Excellent!!! Plenty of Space, All the amenities, Breakfast was great (Love the Muffins!), Walking distance to great places to eat...including getting my daily Starbucks fix :-). Ann is great! Very professional, and was treated with the utmost care. I have already made recommendations to about 10 people!

Booked after reading on line reviews. They were right on the money! Stayed 2 nights in the "cottage" with 2 other couples in our party (3 rooms in all). Ann is a wonderful host and makes you feel as if you are family. Rooms were well-appointed and comfortable. The neighborhood of Hillcrest is centrally located and convenient to all of the major attractions of San Diego and is also close to major highways, though you are staying in a quiet, safe residential area. Our side trips to La Jolla & Coronado took no more than 15 minutes! Walking distance to many, many fine restaurants and shops (ask Ann for her recommendations - she is a self-described "foodie"). Nice breakfast with Ann's fresh-baked muffins daily. Highly recommended.

First let me say what I like about it; It is very clean and it does have a homey feel to it. Ann is very nice and she really loves her little town. However, I am not very impressed with the town, tons of traffic and it appears like a dirty community. For a bed and breakfast, I expected a breakfast (eggs, bacon, waffles,etc)...not fruit and muffins, for the price of the stay I expected more! The rooms are very small, not enough room to move around, the bed however, was very comfortable and nice. Overall, I wasn't impressed, but I had a great time in San Diego..next time I will just stay at a hotel!!

Spent four nights at Ann's Hillcrest House. The owner is great... hugged us when we left. She loves her neighborhood and provided great tips for dining and shopping. She did the remodel to the house herself and it's gorgeous. Every detail is well done and appropriate for a craftsman bungelow. We stayed in the Gaslamp Room which if you look at the pictures of the house, it's the room in the front upstairs gable. We knew going in that the room was economical and small. It was nearly too small for two people. The bathroom is nice but the toilet nearly sits under the sink. Again, it was just small. It also faces the street and at least once a night, ambulances drove by on their way to the large hospital in the neighborhood so it was kind of noisy. We toured the other rooms and none of the others had the size problem and they were all away from the street making them much quieter. So my tip to you is to stay here, but spend the few extra bucks and upgrade to any room but the Gaslamp. A couple of other things: parking is a challenge in the neighborhood. You may end up parking a block away but that's standard in a popular place like Hillcrest. Breakfast is simple: yogurt, fresh fruit, fresh muffins and cereal. There is an Einstein's bagels two blocks away if you want something different. The restaurants in Hillcrest are awesome. We loved Arevaderci, a neighborhood Italian place. It was four blocks away from the house. The bottomline is that we had a great time.

my husband and i stayed at hillcrest in march/07 for 2 nites. very clean, homey, welcoming, and warm home. we even called them during the devasting fires in the fall, to make sure they were safe. would stay there again definately.

San Diego has so much to offer that being situated at Hillcrest House made it so convenient to get to any where we chose to visit! From the Zoo to Point Loma, all were an easy drive away. Ann, along with Callie, greeted us warmly and truly made us feel right at home in their home! From the moment we walked in, I knew that Ann was at the ready to help make the most of our weekend - from dining options to area attractions, to unique oddities about the area, Ann knew it all! We loved the continental breakfast! The warm muffins each morning were delightful (since I don't particularly care for eggs and breakfast meats). If I were to add one thing it would be a source of protein for the breakfast - cheese, nut butter, meat (much like European breakfasts). Ann and Callie are extraordinarily quiet - we never heard them on the stairs, in the kitchen or even in their private quarters. What a wonderful hostess to be so concerned about her guests. We loved the Hillcrest neighborhood and so wish we lived someplace so charming! Ann and Callie made this a wonderful, relaxing weekend away. I can't wait for a return stay at the Hillcrest House.

My husband and I celebrated our 31st anniversary at Hillcrest the last week of August 2007. We were greated very warmly by Ann (owner) and her very sweet little yorky, Callie. We stayed in the Old Town Room which was larger than we expected. It had been completely remodeled (as was most of the house) and was very clean, confortable and very nicely decorated. The bathroom was larger than I expected and we had our own back entrance. The location of Hillcrest was perfect in that you could go the many places within 2-5 miles like Sea World, Old Town, Balboa Park, Coronado and the Embarcadero. The only complaint we had is that we expected a regular breakfast and instead was offered a buffet style with muffins, fruit, cold cereal and coffee/tea/juice. The food was good, but would have preferred a full breakfast. We had interesting conversations with Ann and found her to be very comfortable to be around, just like an old friend. I would definitely return and recommend Ann's B&B to everyone. Thanks for a great stay!

Ann and her "Operations Manager" mom Barbara were wonderful hosts. Their attention to my needs as a traveller exceeded my expectations. I had a meeting to attend prior to their breakfast hours, so they prepared a to go breakfast for me, ready and waiting in the refrigerator. When the room was unusually warm, due to rare hot weather in San Diego, they showed me how to cool the whole house down (and it worked fast!). In addition, they are both just delightful people who made me feel at home and welcomed. I travel a lot for work, am a high end member of both Marriott's and Hilton's frequent guest program, but when I travel for pleasure I like the hospitality of a friendly host at a B&B. Their hospitality was so appreciated as they commisserated with me as I left my son at college at SDSU. It made a tough weekend a lot easier! Oh, and about the room, mine was the smallest in the house (by my intention) and was still beautifully decorated and very comfortable.