Halfway between airport and downtown is a bit of a wasteland, though there is bus service; taxi costs USD 30-ish though. Hilton is downtown and often has cheap rooms (city view side) which may not be more than airbnb, and straw market is next door and most things a few blocks walk at most. Hopefully the botanic gardens will be recovered by Feb but I was there the week after the hurricane and half the island was flooded (knee-deep) and lots of wind damage (trees blown over). Their worst hurricane in a century. But recovering quickly, also the major storm damage was on the other side of the island (storm surge).