This is what the travel industry calls the “shoulder season.” It’s after Labor Day, summer has come to a close, the kids are back in school and it’s another three months until the Caribbean really heats up for the holidays. 

It’s also one of the best times to travel all year in the Caribbean: hotels are uncrowded and far more affordable and you can also find some seriously good deals on flights. That includes JetBlue, which is offering some very attractive fares on its Puerto Rico routes right now. 

On a sample itinerary for an Oct. 1-Oct. 8 trip, you can book flights in Jetblue’s Blue Basic class for $63 roundtrip — just $124.60 when including taxes and fees — one of the cheapest flights in the Caribbean right now.

It’s also a great way to fly cheaply to some of the harder-to-reach destinations around San Juan, from smaller islands like Culebra and Virgin Gorda to larger destinations such as St Croix and St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

You can reach those by jumping on island-hopping airlines like Fly the Whale and Cape Air or, if you want to travel on a luxury carrier, with Tradewind Aviation, which is adding service to Tortola, too. 

JetBlue’s decidedly value-centric pricing extends to other source cities, too. Flying from Boston? Flights in the same period are just $222.60 round trip, including taxes and fees, in Blue Basic. 

You can fly from Newark to San Juan Oct. 1-8 for just $304.60 round trip, including taxes and fees. 

Are you planning a getaway to San Juan? You can put together cheap flights like these with some of San Juan’s great little boutique hotels and come up with an eminently good-value itinerary. 

That includes some of our favorites, from the Casablanca hotel in the heart of Old San Juan (rates as low as $111.55 per night next month) to the charming, 22-room Gallery Inn, where you can stay for as low as $133.34 per night.