Casa James

Casa James is a family-run apartment-hotel on the Circumferential Road in San Juan, about 1.7km from Solangon Beach. Room categories range widely — from a Standard Tent and Standard Studio up to a 1-Bedroom Deluxe Apartment and a 2-Bedroom Bungalow — so it works for a solo backpacker on a budget as easily as a family group. Rooms are air-conditioned and the property is non-smoking throughout.

The pool is the main gathering point, alongside an on-site bar-restaurant that serves breakfast to guests. Free Wi-Fi and free parking are included, and the hillside setting gives quiet, mountain-view surroundings away from the San Juan strip, with the beach a short ride away.

Our honest take: aggregated guest ratings sit around 4.4/5 from roughly 58 reviews on Booking.com, and a "very good" 8.2/10 across close to 100 reviews on hotel comparison sites — solid, though TripAdvisor currently lists the property with no reviews posted. Room rates vary by category and season; check current prices on Booking.com or Airbnb before you book.