More about El Canario By The Lagoon
Good, reasonably priced small hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
El Canario by the Lagoon was a good reasonably
priced small hotel with a balcony in every room
and a fairly good continental breakfast. It was only
a block from the bus stop on the main road where
a 25 cent fare will get you to Old San Juan, which
is maybe a 15 minute bus ride. No pool, but you
can relax on the roof in lounge chairs. The hotel
is not right on the lagoon though, which I'm not
even sure is accessable. It was on a side street.
Next time I would stay at one of the other El
Canarios. One was right on the main road and the
other was only steps from the beach and I'm sure
the views were probably better.
Average Hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
While traveling to the BVI for our wedding, my fiance and I stayed overnight at El Canario by the Lagoon. While it was not a fabulous resort, it was a clean and adequate hotel run by a very friendly and helpful staff. We had no problems with our stay. For the price, this hotel suited our needs perfectly.
Great Place to spend your vacation in Puerto Rico
by A TripAdvisor Member
Hello there, we stay in this hotel for a whole week, and we did enjoy every minutes of it, The adminstrations staff, maid, and everyother personnel related to this hotel were very friendly and welcome us from the moment with arrived to the moment we left. The room was very cozy, clean, cool with a nice view all around, great location with the laggon on one side and the ocean close by. We do highly recommnded this hotel to anyone who visit san Juan Puerto Rico...GRACIAS POR TODO
Loved It
by A TripAdvisor Member
Being that this was my first time in Puerto Rico, I stayed at El Canario by the Lagoon for a whole week. The staff and accomodations were great. Everything was close by and I had no problem getting around. I will definetely stay again.
Thanks for everything!!!!
Great Location
by TripAdvisor Member ntqnut
we stayed here after a cruise. It was very nice.
Small and clean- the locale is great about 50 steps
to the beach. Also, about half block from
walgreens and main street w/restaurants and shops. Great value - nice staff. Would definitely
stay here again.
Best Kept Secret..........
by A TripAdvisor Member
If you are looking for a clean, safe, well run hotel look no further. The location is ideal, the staff is pleasant and helpful and the moderate room rates leave you with extra money to spend on other more important things. All room have a small baclony with many looking towards the lagoon or ocean. This was my first time in San Juan and wouldn't think of staying anyplace else! Kudos to the gang at El Canario by the lagoon! p.s. try the Angel Cafe located around the corner on Asford street for authentic inexpensive Puerto Cuisine.
Clean, Convenient, and Cheap
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I found El Canario by the Lagoon very clean, quiet, and conveniently close to many things. After arriving at the inn, the entire staff were friendly and helpful. Fritz, Jose, and Rafael were just some of the helpful staff. We stayed on the third floor and our room was clean (no bugs at all!). The inn was only 1 and half blocks away from the beach in condado! The complimentary breakfast was just right. It included cereal, fruit, some pastries, as well as coffee and juice. The parking was key! We rented a car for two days and El Canario had free parking. In Condado, parking was very scarce, so the free parking at Canario was a plus! We also took the bus which was conveniently located near El Canario by the Lagoon. Overall, my and wife and I really enjoyed our stay in San Juan, and El Canario by the Lagoon played a big part of that! If your on a tight budget but looking for a clean hotel with a friendly staff, we recommend El Canario by the Lagoon. We would definitely stay there again!
Many many problems
by A TripAdvisor Member
Wow... many problems.
The day I checked in, there was no hot water. I was moved to another room. In this room, most of the buttons on the phone would not work. That same eve, the guests across the hall were locked IN their room (could not get out). The day I checked out, I noticed the hubcaps on my rental car had been stolen, after having the car parked in the hotel's 'secure' lot. This was after a power outage right when I was hurrying to take a shower, get packed and go to the airport.
I asked for my money back on the first day (after moving to the second room). They would NOT give me my money back to move next door to a nicer place.
I will have to say, however, that the staff is very nice, except for a strange old man who hung out in the lobby and apparently owns the place (he acts like he's on drugs or drunk!!). The manager, Tito, was o.k., although not very accomodating to an unhappy guest in the hotel (me). The night clerk (3:00-11:00) was a wonderful, nice guy (tall, dark hair). He couldn't really do much for my inconveniences, but that's because he was afraid he would get in trouble from the old man or the manager.
Would I stay here again?? Probably not, unless the management encouraged me to do so with some sort of incentive. My advise to others: Shop around, you can find better deals with not all of the problems.
Adequate Hotel in the Heart of the Condado
by A TripAdvisor Member
The word "adequate" best describes accommodations offered by El Canario by the Lagoon... very clean, no-frills property (in a densely populated part of San Juan) that is relatively inexpensive compared to nearby beachfront properties, yet is close to the beach, good restaurants, and San Juan points of interest. (For great, upscale Puerto Rican food in a beautiful facility, try the Ajili Mojili Restaurant on Ashford Avenue a few blocks west of the hotel.) My room (502) was one of four rooftop "suites" (in the most informal sense of the word) which include a small non-air conditioned kitchen/dining area. Though the hotel offers a complimentary continental breakfast, I found it inadequate and instead walked 5 blocks to the Marriott Hotel for breakfast on its outdoor beachfront terrace. The hotel offers off-street parking in an area of San Juan in which parking is in very short supply, but it's very inconvenient; often, hotel staff had to personally back cars out of the parking "alley" in order for me to gain access to my vehicle. Staff were all very friendly and accommodating. All in all, an adequate hotel for a short stay in San Juan.
Can't complain!
by TripAdvisor Member CambTrav
While nothing to write home about, El Canario by the Lagoon does what it needs to do: it's affordable, convenient, safe, and clean. You won't find anything charming here in way of furnishings or decor, but if you're in San Juan to enjoy the beaches and sightseeing, you're not going to spend much time in your room anyway. A block and a half from the beachfront park, convenient to hundreds of restaurants. Breakfast is satisfying, but why is the room so gloomy? Evening manager was extremely friendly and helpful in giving me flawless directions to a restaurant I wanted to check out. I'd stay again!
Photos
La Fortaleza, The Governor's Mansion (OSJ)
Restored Wall, Castillo San Cristobal
San Felipe del Morro (Partial)
Inside San Jose Church
Forum Posts
Can we make it?
by Matt420
We land in San Juan at 3:30 pm and will need to catch a flight out of Isla Grande at 5:20 pm. I've heard it's a 20 minute cab ride to Isla Grande, but am I pushing it to think we can make the flight?
matt
Re: Can we make it?
by Norart
Yes you can. Tell the flight attendant about it, so they can help you get a TAXI FAST. But is true the airport is without traffic like 12 min ride... But if you'r arriving in a week day at 4:30 to 5 the traffic starts to jam. So is going to be a 20 to 25 min max.
Enjoy the trip! I guess you r going to Culebra?
Re: Can we make it?
by Matt420
Culebra is probably going to be a day trip for us. We rented a house on Vieques for a week. Thanks for the info. Luckily, no one in our part will be checking any bagage, carry ons.
Any suggestions for "off the beaten path" stuff to do? I know we will be going to Bio-Bay and snorkling.
Re: Can we make it?
by Norart
Well I have visit Vieques just once, for 2 nights and is a very mystical island because you can feel the US Marine domination over the locals. Is a lovely island, but isn't as developed as Culebra in the sense of turist attractions you are going to see many green pastures (there's not to many house development) The best thing is to rent a Jeep, A good one and drive around and find secret spots, the island is full of super views, and beaches. BUT BE WARY THAT ALSO THERE'S PEOPLE THAT used the opportunity to stole things from your car while you are on the beach. The island is not to populated and is big (Not as Culebra) The recommendation is to carry al the valuable stuff and let the door locks open SO THEY DONT BREAK ANY GLASS... DONT BE SCARED that's just a recommendation specially if you guys decided to go to a isolated beach.
But yes Bio Bay is the best one, then one in Fajardo, PR. In the town area there is a nice sushi rest, and pizzeria, I loved the roadtrip a lot and the area that the US MARINE open is nice. I thinks that's the East side of the Island near The Mosquito Pier (go there's a nice-hide beach...http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/vieques_html/Rompeolas.htm) Also near there's a Big Ceiba tree very beautiful (http://www.viequestravelguide.com/ceiba.html)
Sorry for my rough english. ENJOY! Be relax, friendly but cautious this are islands part of Puerto Rico but not quite as Puerto Rico, is something hard to explain but you will feel it if you spend time in the Big Island (PR) But what I can tell you is that in matters of services isn't like the main island.
ENJOY THE TRIP! IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!
Re: Can we make it?
by Matt420
Great information, thanks!
It's good to know there is a sushi place, I'm sure we will end up spending a lot of time there.
m
Re: Can we make it?
by Norart
Mr. Sushi
787-741-2828
Hours: Thu-Tue 6-11
"Authentic Japanese Sushi. Eat in or carry out."
http://theviequesguide.com/dining/restaurants.shtml
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