El Canario by the Lagoon Hotel

, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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El Canario by the Lagoon Hotel

, San Juan
2 star

Rooms: 40

4 Clemenceau - San Juan - 00901 - Puerto Rico Hotel Website | | 787 722 5058
131 Traveller

Reviews - El Canario by the Lagoon Hotel

Historical Traveller Reviews of El Canario by the Lagoon Hotel

Nice for the price

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at the El Canario for 3 nights. We arrived an hour before checkin, and the clerk moved us into an available room -- this turned out to be one of the four rooms on the top floor, which all have an inclosed balcony. These rooms are very nice (and more expensive), since they have two rooms, a fridge, a microwave, and a table.

The people working at the hotel were really nice. On the last day, the clerk hooked us up with a cab even though the cab drivers were all on strike.

The hotel is in a nice location, just a few blocks from the beach. There is some constuction along the beach right now, which makes the walk a little bit longer. Once that is done, it will be even better.

Cold Feet

from A TripAdvisor Member
we paid about $90 for our room and while it was nice it was a budget hotel. With today's internet options you can stay at a casino hotel in San Juan for that price. I like the room thouh, nice and clean and the air condition was wonderful. We had a little balcony and that was nice. It's a cute hotel and the staff is friendly. If you stay here, bring some socks or you'll get cold feet! There's no carpet. Oh and the elevator is a little scary...

Enjoyed our first PR visit

from A TripAdvisor Member
Great location situated within walking distance of the Condado entertainment and business district. Easy, and cheap, bus ride trip to "Old San Juan". Room was clean, with the exception of the tile floor. The latter was offset by the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, particularly the desk staff and more specifically Luis who was exceptional in responding to our requests for information and assistance. We would go back.

Unexpected Surprise -- Maids Who Steal

from vistalarga
My girlfriend and I checked into El Canario by the Lagoon last week, largely on the basis of favorable reviews from other TripAdvisor users. In general, the reviews were on target -- this is a simple, basic, clean hotel that's centrally located.

We were surprised, however, by the unexplained disappearance of a pair of my girlfriend's shoes right after the maids cleaned the room. The hotel management seemed completely unconcerned and not the slightest bit apologetic about this incident. Only after a showdown with the desk clerk was any effort made to even talk to the cleaning staff. The shoes "miraculously" reappeared after the head maid summoned her subordinates, but it was a very unpleasant distraction from our vacation.

Not sure if this has happened to others or if it's a total aberration (nothing like it has ever happened to me in many years of traveling) but needless to say, with a number of other hotels in this price range in San Juan, we won't be taking our chances with El Canario by the Lagoon again.
Management Response from CanarioPR
As El Canario's reservations, client services and web relations manager, I have the pleasure of corresponding with those who email canariopr@aol.com. It is our ultimate goal to provide the very best, timely and attentive service to all who choose to stay at Canario while visiting San Juan. It is personally rewarding for me to receive regular email recognition from our guests acknowledging our staff's level of service. When I viewed a past guest's negative review, specifically saying our maids steal, I felt it necessary to post what really happened in hopes to explain an unfortunate set of circumstances.

When these guests checked out of their room, they left a pair of sneakers sitting next to the waste basket. Our maid assumed (incorrectly) that the sneakers were to be trashed and so she sent them to the dumpster. Over the next week, guests called the hotel several times inquiring
about their lost tennis shoes. Our front desk checked lost and found, where all items left after check out would be held, but no shoes were found. When our front desk checked with housekeeping, they learned that the tennis shoes were thrown out. Our maids then went through the trash bins and, fortunately, found them. From this experience, our maids will refrain from throwing anything left in guest rooms after check out, even if item is in or near waste basket. Instead, anything left behind will be placed in lost and found for easy retrieval at a later date.

A nice little hotel

from patsbosoxfan
We stayed at El Canario by the Lagoon for one night prior to our cruise. The hotel was not fancy, but was clean and neat. The hotel appeared to be in a safe area of the city. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. When we asked if we could leave our bags for the day to explore Old San Juan, the response was "Sure, you can leave them for a week if you like." My only complaints were the mediocrity of the Continental breakfast and the street noise coming from the open bathroom window (which was covered in wood shutters that could not be closed). Overall, our stay was pleasant and comfortable. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone who is just seeking a safe, clean, comfortable spot to spend a night or two.

Charming place

from rosensuesue
We spent just one night at El Canario by the Lagoon on April 2, 2004, and wished we could have spent more time there. The hotel is very clean and the staff is friendly, charming and very helpful. The included continental breakfast was more than adequatel. It is convenient walking distance to several restaurants and a bus stop where we caught a 25-cent bus ride right into Old San Juan. It may not be the place to spend a whole week's vacation, but as a short-term stopover, I would highly recommend it. It was a truly delightful experience.

Wonderful priceworthy little hotel in Candado area

from Viw
I would like to recommend to El Canario By the Lagoon to everyone who wants a nice priceworthy hotel close to the beach i San Juan. The staff is great and so are the prices, the rooms are clean and nice with balconies and the breakfast (which is included) very nice with fresh fruits and fresh pastery. The area Candado is quiet and safe with a lot of restaurants in the neighbourhood. The open sea beach is only 5-10 min walk away and the Lagoon beach in about 15 min away. The best rooms are 501-504 which are on the roof whit a terrace, some of them even has kitchinette.Do not go to the restaurant Waikikki- they have lousy service and they tried to overcharge us.

Pleasant Stay

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at this inn for 3 nights. It is in a great location and in walking distance to a lot of places. The room we stayed in had a refrigerator, a table with 2 chairs, and a balcony. The air conditioning was fairly loud and I believe we were charged extra for use of the air conditioner and room safe. The floors were dusty and so was the furniture. The bathroom shower had excellent water pressure.
All in all the inn was pleasant to stay at for 3 nights, the location was good, and the price was reasonable. I probably would not stay there any longer than 3 nights, possibly stay in Old San Juan for a couple of nights. If you are looking for a luxury hotel then this would not be for you. If you are looking for a decent hotel with a reasonable price then I would stay here.

awesome staff

from A TripAdvisor Member
The staff at El Canario by the Lagoon was AMAZING and friendly. They went out of their way whenever we had any sort of question. The rooms were clean and cute and the continental breakfast was always good. I would definitely stay here again.

El Canario was great...

from rpar003
We stayed at the El Canario for two nights on our way into Puerto Rico, and one night on the way out. We had a large group (18 people) and it worked very well. The rooms are all very clean and functional. I stayed in two different rooms, and neither were noisy from the street or hotel. Each room has a fridge and air condidioning, and a small balcony. It is conveniently close to the beach (although currently there is construction along the beachfront making the walk longer) and to other Condado attractions (restaurants etc). The staff were very nice and helpful, and eager to make our stay pleasant. The breakfast was better than other hotels I stayed at. There was bread (& jam etc), patries, fruit, cereal, orange juice and coffee. Although you can't see the ocean, some rooms have a view of the lagoon.

Top Local Tips for San Juan

Old San Juan Old San Juan is a must see. Whether you take a day before your cruise and visit it, or right after your cruise, by scheduling a later flight, it's a very pretty, quaint place to see, and enjoy the sights. Shopping is good too, as well as the attractions.

Yerba Buena A friend recommended Yerba Buena in Condado. The food was delicious and service very friendly. They had a piano player on weekends. Great way to taste some of the typical foods of Puerto Rico without going to a formal restaurant.

Biobay was awesome and so was the Fort at Old San Juan (El Morro and St. Cristo) Go on the Biobay tour (they have pamphlets at the lobby of El Canario), it was really cool. You have to go around midnight though, because unless it's dark, you can't seeing the glowing plankton in the water. Also the water in the lake is really warm and good for a swim. The rainforest tour was fun too. You can get the entire day tour (rainforest hike, Luquillo Beach and bio-bay at night) for $100 US per person. The tour guide is Peter (Pedro) and is very friendly and knowlegable. The forts at Old San Juan were also fun to explore.

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