MontCaribe is the place for you if you're looking for clean, simple accommodation at a reasonable price ($50-60 night for studio w/ kitchenette) that's located within walking distance of the beach at Ocean Park (it's about 3 blocks away). The beaches in San Juan are divine; gorgeous aquamarine water, velvety soft sand, and whitecapped waves.

The hotel is also 1/2 block from Calle Loiza, which is a major strip with public transit, small shops, bars, and also larger stores such as Walgreen's. (Note that C. Loiza can be a bit dodgy after dark so plan accordingly). You can catch the bus there that goes to Old San Juan. It's about a 20 minute trip (once the bus comes, if you know what i'm saying) and the fare is 75 cents, exact change only.

A half block from the guest house on Calle McCleary, there's a fantastic little Burrito & Taco Bar with fun day of the dead type decor and reasonable prices. Next door to it is the always busy Kasalta Cafe/Bakery. You can continue on Calle McCleary all the way to the upscale Condado, where a number of the big hotels can be found, along with high end boutique shopping -- if that's your thing.

The rooms / suites at MontCaribe are furnished with a comfortable bed, table and chairs, color cable TV, kitchenette with fridge, stove, and microwave and a bathroom with shower and plenty of hot water. The kitchen had odds and ends in it such as 2 bowls, 1 plate, 2 glasses, a few utensils and a pot for boiling water so I went to the dollar store at the corner and picked up a mug for 99 cents and bag of plastic spoons and I was good to go.

There's supposed to be wi-fi in all the rooms but we couldn't get the signal to reach to my studio, even though the staff helped me by testing a different router. Instead I did my email from the courtyard area in the morning and inside the office area in the evening. The professional and fun Kymberly at the front desk is perfectly bilingual and always willing to help with information re directions, transportation, and activities in the area.

As a solo female traveler I felt safe at MontCaribe as there's good security with a gated entrance and a clerk at the desk from approximately 8 am to 8 pm. After hours there's the cute yet vigiliant Chammo, the resident dog that is friendly toward guests but also does his job being protective of the premises if need be.

It was recommended by a friend that I stay at the Mont Caribe Guesthouse when in San Juan, which I am so grateful that I did. The room was comfortable, and the staff very helpful and friendly. Fernando, Elena, Raul and Rosa all went out of their way, to make my stay very enjoyable. Fernando, the owner, is very pleasant and always willing to help in any way he can. I would HIGHLY Recommended anybody visiting San Juan to make the Mont Caribe a definite stay! I am planning to return soon. I certainly will let my friends and family know for their travels as well. All the best, Fernando! See you soon! tj

My boyfriend and I spend five nights at the guesthouse and we love it. The owner Fernando is really accommodating. We had an overnight flight and arrived at seven in the morning. We were given a room right away since we were very tired and needed to sleep. Later on the day we met Fernando and he showed us a couple of the other rooms. He had no problem when we decided to switch rooms. A regular hotel would never allowed this and would have charge extra for the early arrival. Elena and Fernando's dad are really nice and good with calling for rental cars or telling you where to go. Overall a great experience and much better than paying for an overprice San Juan hotel that doesn't even have half of the amenities that the guesthouse does! Thanks again!

Owner (Fernando) was (Fernando) very helpful with directions and arranging transportation back to airport. We stayed one night before and one night after our cruise.
The location is convenient (about 1/3 of the way from the airport to the cruise line.
Aptments we had were very spacy and had Wifi access--even though I had t sit in the door. Recommend highly.