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Sandy Beach Hotel – reviews, photos

2.0 of 5
4 Condado Avenue | Condado, San Juan 00907, Puerto Rico (Formerly El Canario by the Sea)
Hotel amenities
Sandy Beach Hotel
Ranked #33 of 45 hotels in San Juan
3.0 of 5 stars 123 Reviews
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123 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    12
    37
    34
    22
    18
Date Rating
Chicago, Illinois
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
“Good location, deteriorating service/amenities”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 January 2012
4
people found this review helpful

I'm really not a fussy traveler. All I require in a hotel is that it is safe and clean. Unfortunately, since our last stay at the Sandy Beach Hotel in San Juan, something has changed. Our family of 4 stayed there for a couple of nights in 2001. We found it very small (almost cramped) but efficient and clean. At that time it was called "El Canario by the Sea". Perhaps due to new ownership or management it is not the hotel it once was. This time our sheets were threadbare, towels scarce, and the shower curtain was covered with mildew. I know that's hard to control in a tropical climate but I found it disgusting. The housekeeping service definitely leaves something to be desired. I don't mind making my own bed, but when, after a couple of days, I would like clean towels, I prefer not to have to wait until 5:00 p.m. to get them. There was no hair dryer so I asked for one at the reception desk. They had ONE for the entire hotel. I was asked to bring it back immediately after using it as it was in high demand! Unfortunately, there was no outlet in the bathroom so I had to make do with an outlet far from a mirror. I know this sounds minor but it was just the icing on the cake! The location of the hotel and the price are what lured us back. It is just steps from the beach and very close to many restaurants/shops. However, we won't be returning any time soon. It's unfortunate as the reception area staff was VERY helpful and cooperative. I don't know how much control they have over the details of the hotel. Breakfast, by the way, was pastries, juice and coffee. It was plenty for me but others may require more. So sorry to write such a negative review. I just wish I had paid more attention to the reviews I read ahead of time and less to my previous positive experience here.

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Newport News, Virginia, United States
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
“Stay if you just need a bed”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 January 2012

Its not bad for the money considering the prices of the other hotels in Condado. It has decent beds and okay showers. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled with family
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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San Francisco, California
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Sandy Beach Hotel maybe or not”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 December 2011

The hotel is 10 steps from the beach next to the Marriott hotel.
We were quoted a price and were presented with another when we got there. The first manager was helpful and nice. The room was furnished with 2 double beds, tile floor and need of remodeling. The towels were frayed and gray. They did give us towels for the beach. The TV was great as was the air conditioner. The breakfast was ok, coffee good. Codado Beach area is run down a bit but fun to walk through at night. Probably would stay there again for precruise but would not recommend it.

  • Stayed December 2011, travelled with family
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Africa- Europe- North America
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
“Ok, just really close to the beach”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 December 2011

It was a little pricy compared to the space and the quality of the hotel. If you just want a place to sleep, go ahead.
There is a bus running until 11.30pm from old San Juan to the hotel and fare is only $50!!
Evelina the clerk is really really helpful though!

  • Stayed November 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
dallas
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“I won't stay at Sand Beach Hotel again”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 October 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Check In: It took 30 minutes to check in. My Aunt booked the hotel through their website less than 2 hours before I arrived at the hotel. When she reserved it, it seemed as if she paid for it when in actuality she only reserved the room. Once I arrived the clerk said they needed to see my Aunts credit card, I explained to her she was not with me and had already paid for the room. That's when it was explained to me it was not paid for but reserved, and if the credit card is not present I could not check in. In order to take the credit card, my aunt would need to send in a fax with a copy of the front and back of her credit card as well as her driver’s license saying she authorized the payment. I explained she was not near a fax and is there any other way to pay for the room without having to do that maybe book through Travelocity. She said I could. I told them to cancel the current reservation so it could be re-booked through Travelocity. The clerk then explained because I’m rebooking without more than a 24 hours notice they would have to charge me a $79 cancelation fee. I explained to her I just made the original reservation online less than two hours ago, I’m standing right in front of you and I’m rebooking the same room why would you charge me $79. At this point I called my Aunt and passed the phone to the clerk so my Aunt could reason with her. In the end she said she would talk to the manager to see if he would waive the fee. Once that was partially settled, I was booked given and key and went to my room

The Room: Once I entered the room I noticed a smell, but I couldn’t tell where it originated from. I thought maybe the humidity was causing a closed in smell. Once I pulled the sheets back I noticed they looked stained. I pulled the top sheet back and a section was covered in urine, the smell was horrible. It penetrated down to the mattress cover but not the mattress. I don’t see how the maid could have missed the smell or that spot when making up the bed. I called the front desk and asked for new sheets, they immediately brought them up and apologized profusely.

The Restroom: The restroom is very small; the tile could use a good cleaning with bleach to remove dark stains. I also saw what looked like two small baby cockroaches on the toilet.

Cleanliness: The maids did not actually clean the room, I marked my sheets to see if my sheets were changed, they were not. They did not clean the restroom, they only made the bed and replaced the towels. Strangely when I arrived I had only three large bath towels, no wash clothes and when they replaced the towels they only gave me three large bath towels. Luckily I had my own face towel, but I thought it was strange I was not provided one or at least a hand towel.

Wi-Fi: I was told I would have Wi-Fi in my room, it is available, but it did not reach to the second floor. I had to go down to an area directly adjacent to the front desk to surf the net. I also tried getting a signal in the courtyard but I was unable to.

I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, the stained sheets alone would deter me from ever going back or telling anyone to visit.

Room Tip: Hotel La Conda is around the corner, go there it's nice.
See more room tips
  • Stayed October 2011, travelled with friends
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Sandy Beach Hotel

  • El Canario By The Sea
Address: 4 Condado Avenue | Condado, San Juan 00907, Puerto Rico (Formerly El Canario by the Sea)
Price range (per night):* INR5,016 - 6,632

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