I have read the reviews against El Canario and have to say that I'm sorry your stay did not live up to your expectations. IT DID LIVE UP TO MINE!
ROACHES ~ Being a Puerto Rican that grew up on the island, I would not have been surprised to find a roach - it's like living in New York (which I did) and expecting to never see a roach there either; or a rat, which I have seen in the subways and Central Park. I did not see ONE roach during my stay.
FRONT DESK PERSONNEL ~ Because I had limited cell phone service, I had to call multiple times before completing my reservation and Wilfredo, at the front desk was amazing! Though he was dealing with other people and responsibilities, he remembered my name. Upon our arrival Sigrid (Front desk) called someone to help us carry luggage to the second floor. No, there is no elevator, but keep in mind that El Canario was a residence and its architecture would be lost by an addition of this convenience.
TRANSPORTATION TO THE AIRPORT ~ Service is not included, however, within minutes of Sigrid calling the cab, it arrived - a van, that I did not have to share. The cab driver was friendly and efficient; the cost was $18.00.
BREAKFAST ~ Danishes, croissants and cold cereal; served in a small kitchen, guests are welcome to use their enclosed patio. If you are really hungry walk down the block to Burger King. We had lunch at Subway, but there are other places to eat - in various price ranges.
AMMENITIES ~ I shared a full size bed with my daughter and we both slept better than we had during our whole stay in Puerto Rico. Yes, the room is small, but we had cable TV; a window air conditioning unit that was a little noisy, but quite efficient; and all the towels we desired.
SHARED PRIVILEGES ~ El Canario shares privileges with At The Wind Chimes Inn -a small pool; and Acacia Boutique Hotel - which has an amazing jacuzzi! After check out, present the check out receipt in order to visit Wind Chimes or Acacia. Again, the front desk was helpful. We got beach towels, and enjoyed the beach, pool, and the jacuzzi. These inns are small, but cozy; I would definitely stay at the Acacia if my budget allows it in the future. We returned to El Canario and used their private outdoor full bath in order to clean up for our flight home.
INTERNET ~ While in the lobby, one of the guests came to ask the password in order to use the Wi-Fi. We printed our boarding passes at the front desk; internet service was fast!
I know this review is a bit long, but I wanted to address as many of the negative comments as I could. El Canario was affordable, clean, and convenient. I recommend it!

Very unfriendly unwelcoming man at front desk. Cute little hotel could be a lot nicer if better maintained. Rooms average. There was sand in our bed when we pulled back the blanket. Nothing fancy but fairly cheap and in a great location. $65 per nt. +tax for a Sat night stay before our cruise. Next time would pay a little more and stay at a place where you feel like you're welcome.

I stayed at the Canario Inn with two other friends. The Inn is located on ashford ave. A lot of the restaurants on ashford are ones you will find here in the states, such as Pizzeria Uno, Flameburger or BK. There are a few places that have more local style food. As other reviews have stated, the Inn is located one block from the beach. The rooms are not fancy, they are small and basic, because it was three of us they gave us a fold up bed. There are no hair dryers or ironing boards, and there is a charge to use the safe in the room. The clerks are friendly, and there is someone downstairs 24hrs, and continental breakfast is provided. My main complaint about the place had to do with roaches. On our first night their we found a dead roach by the television. We had the front desk clerk remove it. We were told the the exterminators had come a few days ago to spray the place down. However, on our second night, my friend saw another roach trying to crawl into one of the luggages, she notified the clerk and he killed it, we had to then go through our luggages to make sure there weren't any in their. As for our last night there, we saw yet another roach by the bed. I'm not sure if anyone else has had issues with roaches. If there had not been any roaches the place would be ok. If your not going to be in your room much the place is convenient but because of the infestation problem we had, i would say pay a bit extra and stay some where else.

My husband and I booked into the El Canario Inn out of necessity; after booking a cruise and flight, we discovered that San Juan was having a street festival and virtually every hotel room was booked. We decided to go with El Canario because it was located in the main Condado Beach area, between the Marriott and the Radisson---how bad it could it be, right? We paid $140. (U.S.). Thank goodness we only had to tolerate this place for one night.
The outside is red tiled roof, yellow stucco and wrought iron gate---quaint--even the front desk area, although small, seemed nice. Once we arrived and gave our credit card, we were given a room key. As soon as you leave the front desk area, the ambience quickly disappears. This place is a dump. I have photos of the room that I will post. The tile floor was coated with a gritty dust---dirty---the two piece bathroom was so tiny it was unbelievable & the power outlet in there did not work. The separate closet for a shower was very old and dank looking. The bedspread and curtain had been around for far too long & I think that was what gave the room a sour smell. The very noisy window airconditioner was too loud to have on while sleeping; ditto for the ceiling fan.The power went out several times in the evening, night and early morning (not sure if that was a neighbourhood problem or just that hotel). The outlet that I attempted to use outside of the bathroom had already been blown out by someone else---black soot all around it. I not able to blow dry my hair. You could hear everything going on outside your room and the employees that came in very early morning were slamming doors left and right. The employees who came to get the kitchen ready for breakfast arrived at about 5am and were talking very loudly and slamming doors and cupboards & this went on for some time, so forget about sleeping in. There was a small kitchen area where you helped yourself to cereal, fruit and coffee for breakfast. There was only one tiny table that barely allowed for three chairs---there were other seats outside on an uncovered patio, but because it was raining we couldn't use them. Since we had to vacate our room by 11 am, we were able to keep our luggage with the front desk and go downtown for a few hours. That is the only positive thing I can say about this place.