Welcome to the first home ever built in Hillcrest (1903) - completely reimagined as a sophisticated, artistic retreat designed to create moments of wonder, peace, and joy! Sleeps 8 in spacious rooms. Secret room through a bookshelf. $25K vintage red stove. Slow-motion art. Custom European 3D map. Game room with pool table, Pac-Man, foosball. Rock n Roll room with guitars and vinyl. Private yard oasis with fire pit, putting green. Coffee station. 1-2 blocks from everything. This is bliss!
The Story Behind the Bliss
This is our one and only Airbnb, and we designed it ourselves with a clear vision: to create a space where every detail serves relaxation, peace, and joy. I'm a professional storyteller and keynote speaker who's spent 30 years teaching people to "follow your passion, live your bliss." My partner Polly has 30 years of hospitality expertise.
Together, we renovated this historic home in 2022, transforming it into a contemporary sanctuary where at least one moment will make you say "OMG, that's cool!" We continue to pour enormous time, energy, and resources into making this house extraordinary.
The Space - Bigger Than Photos Can Capture
The house sleeps 8 comfortably in rooms so spacious they surprise everyone - those 1903 bedrooms were built on a grand scale!
Three king bedrooms downstairs:
The "Flower Room" (master) features X-ray flower photography on glass, flower stained-glass windows, and an en-suite 1/2 bathroom.
The Rock n Roll room is themed for music lovers with an electric guitar on the wall, an acoustic guitar you can play, and a record player with a vinyl collection - perfect for those who've never played a record or haven't in years!
The "Resort" bedroom is a serene sanctuary with a luxurious tufted bed, golden accent pillows, and a window alcove with cushioned bench - perfect for reading or morning coffee. Woven macramé wall hanging, curated beach art, TV, and closet. Light-filled and peaceful.
All beds have high-end mattresses (not foam!) and beautiful linens because we believe great sleep is the foundation of a great vacation.
One private bedroom upstairs with its own bathroom across the hall - and here's where it gets fun: inside this bedroom is a bookcase, and behind that bookcase is a SECRET ROOM! Enter through the hidden door to find a mystical sanctuary with a glowing full moon light, cozy pillows, and personalized love reading cards. As one guest said: "All of the kids, aged 5 to 85, enjoyed looking for and sitting in the secret room."
Three beautifully renovated bathrooms - a full and a half bathroom downstairs (one en-suite), one a full upstairs.
The Kitchen & Dining - Made for Gathering
The fully stocked kitchen features a show-stopping $15,000 working 1920s red stove that guests absolutely love, plus all modern conveniences. The dining table seats 10 under a beautiful lotus flower chandelier (the lotus symbolizes bliss!). There's also a bench-seat kitchen table perfect for morning coffee.
The Living Room - Wonder & Comfort
Huge and open with a 58" TV (Netflix, HBO Max, Roku) and two cozy couches, but the real magic is in the details. On the shelf sit handcrafted books that contain tiny illuminated worlds when you peer inside them. There's "Dances" - an $800 art piece showing two feathers in magical slow motion. On the wall hangs a custom-made $1,600 3D wooden map of San Diego crafted in Europe, showing exactly where the House of Bliss sits in the city.
Everyone's Favorite Spot - The Window Seat
A cozy built-in window seat with cushions overlooking the private backyard oasis. Framed by palm trees and garden views, it's the perfect perch for morning coffee, afternoon reading, or simply watching the California sky. Guests gravitate here naturally - it's one of those spots that invites you to pause and just be.
Spaces that Invite You to Linger
The Rug Room serves as the heart of the home - a spacious gathering area centered by a beautiful Persian-style rug, featuring the coffee station, original leaded glass windows, vintage lighting, and an open flow that invites conversation and connection.
In the rug room perhaps you'll linger at coffee station which is fully loaded with a Nespresso machine, high-end drip coffee maker with grinder, assorted teas, beautiful mugs, and everything you need for the perfect morning ritual.
The Sunporch is a light-drenched retreat with floor-to-ceiling windows, skylights, and vintage seating overlooking the garden. The perfect spot for morning meditation, reading, or simply soaking in California sunshine.
Signature Lighting Makes for Beautiful Light
Throughout the house, you'll find genuine 100-year-old oil lamps converted to electric, illuminating the space with pieces from its own era. Just inside the front door, a glowing orange sign declares: "Bliss Happens!" - and guests adopt this as their name for the house.
The Game Room - Upstairs Entertainment
The game room features a pool table, Pac-Man machine, foosball, couch, and TV - the perfect hangout space.
The Outdoor Oasis - Your Private Urban Retreat
What truly surprises guests is our completely private backyard sanctuary in the heart of Hillcrest. While you're just 1-2 blocks from restaurants and nightlife, you have this peaceful escape with gas fire pit built into the outdoor table, putting green for friendly competition, cozy seating areas with loungers on artificial turf, string lights creating magical evening ambiance, misters along the fence to cool the space on warm days, tall standing heater for comfortable cool evenings, palm trees and thoughtful landscaping, and decorative stepping stones through gravel pathways.
The Laundry Room
Your own private washer and dryer with a sink and stocked with cleaning supplies for anything you might need during your stay. No shared facilities, no quarters needed - just the convenience of doing laundry whenever you want.
The Details That Matter
Every stay includes a complimentary copy of my bestselling book "Man 1, Bank 0" - a true story that's entertained over a million people worldwide for three decades and toured as a smash-hit comedy show for 14 years.
As you walk upstairs, you'll see framed photos of 25-30 children from around the world. These are the children we sponsor with revenue from this Airbnb. Your stay directly supports their lives and futures.
Polly personally quality-checks the house for 2-4 hours after our professional cleaning team finishes - picking up every leaf in the yard, inspecting every inch to ensure perfection. You will arrive to find the house thoroughly clean and ready for you in every way.
Guest Access
Self-check-in with late check-in and late check-out available by request.
Two driveway parking spaces included, plus ample free street parking.
Location - The Best of Both Worlds
As the first home ever built in Hillcrest, we're rooted in history while being perfectly positioned for modern convenience - 1-2 blocks from Whole Foods, restaurants, nightlife, coffee shops, movie theatre, comedy club, farmers market, and boutique stores. Five minutes to downtown Gaslamp District and Little Italy. Ten minutes from the airport. 13 minutes to the beach. Close to San Diego Zoo, Convention Center, Balboa Park, and PETCO Park.
Other things to note
This 120-year-old home has beautiful quirks - the dining room floor isn't perfectly level and some floorboards creak. We think it adds to the charm of living in Hillcrest's founding home.
You can smoke in the yard, just not in the home.
We designed this home to be sophisticated, artistic, and deeply intentional. Every element - from the secret room to the vintage stove to the tiny book worlds - serves one purpose: to create an experience of relaxation, peace, and joy.
This is our life's work made tangible. We can't wait to share it with you.
