Name: Caribbean Hotel
Address: 45 Spencer Rd, San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago, Arouca, Arouca, Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago
Rating: 6

Air conditioning

Currency exchange

Smoke-free property

Heating

Newspapers

Garden

Terrace

Private check-in/check-out

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

Outdoor furniture

General

Non-smoking rooms

Family room

Rooms

Laundry

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Breakfast

Breakfast in the room

Common kitchen

Vending machine

Bottled water

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Transfer services

Transfer

Spanish

English

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Parking

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Location

At the hotel

Piarco International Airport

Caribbean Hotel

Arouca

Port of Spain is a wonderful place, especially in the lead up to carnival. However the very high crime rate in Trinidad affects everything, not least where you stay and when to arrive. By day San Juan is a bustling community but at night, as soon as you venture away from the centre, the threatening atmosphere is palpable. 

Having left the airport in our rental car at about 23.00, my son and I found ourselves in Saddle Road soon afterwards. However finding Spencer Road, which should have been easy, was very hard indeed. We asked at a garage, which turned out to be just around the corner, and nobody had ever heard of Spencer Road. We stopped and asked a middle aged couple on Saddle Road, who warned us not to stop for anyone. "We don't want to read about you in the morning!" they said, adding, "stay safe!" There were of course no road names, at least from the Saddle Road end. Eventually we found Spencer Road but then finding Caribbean Villas was extremely challenging. House numbers, when you could see them, were illogical and random and there was no signage to indicate Caribbean Villas. All houses had heavy gates and bars over every window. Having wandered up and down the road, shouting at windows, where lights were on, we were on the point of driving back to the airport to wait for the morning, when we found number 45. It was about 01.00am. The reason for there being no indication of the existence of Caribbean Villas, we were told, was that a sign would indicate tourists and therefore be an encouragement to robbers. If you are staying at Caribbean Villas, arrive in daytime. 

Caribbean Villas is certainly not an hotel. It is a very scruffy B&B. My son could see the stars through his ceiling and mine was held together with sellotape. There was no hot water (no water at all on one day) except on the shower, where the electric water heater was an integral part of the shower head. When the tap was turned on, water gushed everywhere, including through the electrical unit. We decided to have cold showers! Cleanliness was not great; expect to see the odd cockroach. 

Having said that, the saving grace of the place was Maria, the house keeper. She was a treasure, an absolute darling, who was always on hand and who would do anything to make you feel welcome and comfortable. Our rooms were upstairs with a balcony and I would certainly recommend requesting the balcony option, if staying at Caribbean Villas. 

San Juan is a pretty good location. It is handy for the airport, Saddle Road takes you to the beautiful north coast beaches and Port of Spain is easily reached, particularly if you avoid the traffic mayhem by using the Lady Young Road. Caribbean Villas is fine, as long as your expectations are not too high. 

Caribbean Hotel

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

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Check-in terms and conditions

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