El Canario by the Sea

This hotel needs to be imploded and rebuilt. The pictures are just a facade. As the saying goes you get what you pay for. The only good thing was Ms. Dianne the desk clerk was professional and hospitable. The air condition system worked perfectly. This property is just for an overnight stay. I had an issue with the toilet in which it did not flush because there was no chain attached. I reported it to the front desk clerk and it was still the same way when I returned from an outing. The bathroom is for a very short person. If you have a rental there is no parking, however you can park across the street at the Marriott hotel parking lot for $26 a day.

This is a very dated hotel. The elevator reminded me of something in Alcatraz :/ the hallways and common areas look like they haven’t been updated since 1975. However, the location is excellent, steps from the beach. A Walgreens is within a block and you can get everything you need. There is a nice courtyard with an ice machine, soda and snack vending machines and a microwave, which is nice. There was always plenty of ice available. The bed was comfy. The AC was COLD which is a great amenity in a place like San Juan where it’s crazy hot. The restaurant in front had amazing drinks, ocean views, breezy, and excellent service. WiFi is strong and the TV is equipped with every streaming app you need. Very nice touch. The outside signage was HORRIBLE. You could NOT find the place at all. Only the restaurant had signage, so it was very difficult to find the entrance. We disembarked from a cruise at 10am, so obviously our room wasn’t ready yet, but they allowed us to stash our luggage in the lobby so we could just go enjoy the beach for a few hours until our room was ready. That was a nice touch, too. Staff was super friendly and worked hard. Like I said, not the Marriott by any means, but a nice place to crash in a very cool area of San Juan.

It is a good place if you want to be near the beach. It provides all the basic amenities as required by law/city and state codes. The WIFI is excellent, the room is clean, the water pressure is great, the AC is super cold- great! On FRI SAT SUN, the small cafe near it is open and you can have a great breakfast. A good place to crash for a week or more. What could be improved? Please put a big sign on the street hanging over, because my Uber could not find the hotel. The sign was small, but it should be bigger and not hidden. Please have some bottled water at the front desk, as it is very hard for a tired guest to walk out and look for water. Please have some intercom in the room. What if there is a medical emergency and the person cannot contact you quick? Would be nice to have a small fridge and a mw. Would be nice to have a ramp for handicapped people. Would be nice if the vending machines accepted credit cards as they do on mainland. Would be nice for the front desk staff to have coin change for the coin laundry and also some soap.