It's amazing how anecdotal hotel check-in experiences can be. I recently arrived at the Caribe Hilton around 3 pm on a Friday afternoon, paying the $65 priceline rate, and had no trouble checking in. With my blue card, I thought I was given a decent room: in the garden wing with a sliver of ocean over the palm trees. The room was oversized, well maintained and well furnished.

I've always had a rent-a-car in San Juan and, frankly, it can be a liability. $15 to park at the Caribe, and virtually impossible to find a free space in OSJ (there are no meters, so locals seem to leave their cars on the streets to molder). It's really not far to OSJ from the Caribe (less than 2 miles) and logic would say the cab fare should be well under $10 (non-tourist Puerto Rico is not an expensive place), but obviously there's a taxi racket going on.

Personally, I think the Caribe is an excellent resort. It's the only hotel I'd want to stay at in San Juan. The grounds are beautiful and it's a private enclave (San Juan's only private beach, and it's a good one!). Plenty of free entertainment for the kids, and the adults even get free (virgin) pina coladas at the beach bar at 1 pm. In other words, they're not nickel and diming you for EVERYTHING, as most resorts seem to. Affluent locals use the hotel to entertain so it's got a "happening" buzz, at least on weekend nights.