Landmark Inn

We recently stayed at the Landmark Inn. The location, attractive lobby and low price lured us from the Royal Chalet which was more expensive and further from the waterfront. Unfortunately, we saw our room during the day with the shades drawn. Once it got dark out and we turned on the light we became aware of how dirty the room and bathroom were. Spider webs around the shower and in other places is always a good indicator of how well a room has been cleaned. Being an interior room, there is no breeze therefore the air conditioner was important. Unfortunately, it barely worked and was incredibly loud. If there was loud music at night we probably would not have heard it due to the noise of the air conditioner. There was loud music during the day but as we were out mostly, not a big deal to us. There were also no sheets on the bed and it took 2 trys to get an actual bottom sheet as the employee brought us another bed spread to use as a bottom sheet. We didn't even bother to try and get a top sheet. Breakfast was toast, coffee, and in the land of fresh fruit juices - Tang. What I found to be the most depressing thing about the hotel was the caged parrots and the snake. The snake is huge and curled up in a small, filthy tank. The poor thing probably has barely moved in years. How can it, there is no room. The parrots are also caged in a filthy environment and as I packed my bag to leave in the next morning, I could hear their shrieks of misery and was so sad that they could not leave as I could. Our brief encounters with the owner were fine and I think the hotel has some rooms that might be nicer than others but not sure if they are cleaner. All in all, I am not prone to reviewing hotels online but this place doesn't deserve the money it gets from anyone. Therefore, my advice is to stay away or you will probably be running away as we were the next morning. We went to the Colonial which was $15 more a night than the Landmark and worth every penny and more.

We wanted to save a few bucks so we shopped around and found this place right on the beach .... The young girls acting as reception/maids seemed oblivious to why they were there and, I apologize, but dumb as rocks (and my boyfriend speaks perfect spanish). We had seen the room before to check it out and at a glance seemed ok - I mean we assumed they would clean it before a guest entered to stay... NOT!! When I first saw the shower I was upset - it looked liked it hadnt been cleaned in ages: old bars of dirty soap, sand, dirt,mildew, long black hairs (I have blonde - NOT mine) the toilet didnt work, had no towels, no bath matts, no toilet paper... had to ask for all of these. I even asked for clorox to clean the shower myself because I didnt want to be an annoying American, at first. I should have been one though! We debated wether to leave or not, but talked ourselves into staying.... bad mistake. They kept banging on the door while we were in the shower wanting us to pay as soon as we had walked in from the beach and were trying to get ready for dinner... now I know why. That night I turn back the covers - no sheet, and on the dirty fitted sheet were hairs and lipstick all over. The pillows were on top of the bed cover ... which is never washed and I always quickly remove. This one was esp. disgusting looking. The air conditioner sounded like a turbo jet and had holes to outside all around it. Cable didnt work (we didnt care much - but we figured if we were paying for it it should) and the lights kept flickering. It was 9:30 and we wanted a nice nights sleep... instead I wanted to scream!! My boyfriend went to complain and ask either for a new room or we would leave, but we were on a budget and had already paid $30 for this crap and the owner Paul(totally drunk or high) said no more rooms available. He went and got clean sheets and made our bed while we sat in the lobby. He fixed the toilet and said he was going to fix the cable... we sat in the lobby waiting for him to tell us he was finished... never saw him again! CRAZY!! we finally went to bed with him blaring the Olympics on his TV.. my boyfriend had to tell him to turn it down. Its a crappy place, with a crappy owner and sorry girls, but you were also crappy. We went to Hotel Colonial in the morning and for $16 more a night .. it was paradise. I recommend Hotel Colonial for the rooms and for the people who worked there ... great experience!! Please listen- I'm not a high maintenance girl... this place is just horrible. Someone rescue Banana (the parrot caged there in filth -my nickname for him because I swear he kept saying "banana", probably starving)

Although this is by far not the most luxurious of the San Juan hotels, it's a good place if you're on a budget. My family and I stayed in a room that was $25 a day and could sleep 5 people. Some of the rooms share a bathroom; some are private. The rooms have air conditioning and a fan and the price includes a basic continental breakfast, a.k.a. toast and marmalade with orange juice and coffee. They have other options for breakfast for a bit extra, and I would recommend getting the Desayuno Tipica if you want good Nicaraguan food. I found all the people working there friendly and nice- I bonded with two of desk girls when the lights went out for 4 hours.

The atmosphere is a bit dorm like, with open areas for people so sit around and chat. The owner usually blasts (surprisingly good) music during the day. We didn't see much of him but he's from West Virginia and apparently a bit of a druggie. But it's Nicaragua. You're lucky to find people that aren't. ;)

One last redeeming quality: It's a couple feet away from the beach, and you have great views of the ocean and sunsets. Overall, a good place to stay.