These apartments are very clean and has a great pool area, i have stayed in these apartments 3 times. Had no problem getting a sunbed as when you check in you are given pool passes which you have to show to a member of staff who comes around checking for these passes, unlike some places where sunbeds are taken up by people who dont stay in the apartments. For a night out try the Soul Suite which is behind the shopping complex across from Mare Nostrum resort, really good singers John Harriet and Lee St Lawrence also Temptations tribute.

We booked for a week at PS3 for the last week in March 2007. I had researched accomodation in Playas de las Americas mainly using this site, and this seemed a popular and competitive accomodation. Many reviews outshine even the more "upmarket" 4 and 5 star hotels. Obviously I realise everyone's tastes and expectations are different, but I still thought this would be an excellent place considering the amount of reviews that had been written about it and all mainly good to excellent ones. As ever, the reader needs to take all these reviews as a guide only, so what may not be my cup of tea may be someone else's.

Overall we were disappointed with the accomodation. The holiday did not exactly get off to a flying start though. When we arrived we had to wait nearly 2 hours for our room to be ready - then when we got to it, it was on the top floor of the complex, facing the road side, but without even a terrace of any note. The only terrace we had was one overlooking the next block of the apartments, which were only a few metres away, directly looking into the windows of other bathrooms! Not good. The apartment itself was small and shabby and stunk of blocked drains - not to mention dingy and dark. Neither myself or my girlfriend were happy so we went to complain - we were told PS3 was full so we were offered an apartment in PS5 which is over the road.

PS5 in my opinion is streets ahead of PS3 in terms of the room standard - instead of our dingy attic room, we now had a 2 floor spacious apartment. Downstairs was a large living room and small kitchen, with a terrace and flat screen tv. Upstairs was a large bathroom and reasonable bedroom, with another terrace. However, it does not have a pool, although if you have legs and don't mind using them, a short trip over the road to PS3 or PS4 will solve that. Note that these apartments are built over a supermarket, so we could hear the hum of the freezer units or air con in the early hours.

PS3 itself is a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. The reception staff were fine and we encountered no trouble with them. Hiring a car from reception was easy as they simply dialled the car rental firm and they came and picked us up and took us to their office to do the paperwork. However, the pool area is a bit of a let down to me. There are loads and loads of sunloungers. The trouble is you MUST get there early, by 9.30/10 if you are to stand a chance of getting one. Bear in mind we went off peak and the complex was full then. On our first day we went to get a sunbed at about 11.15 and despite their being a multitude of them, we could not find any spare. So forget about a lie in if you plan on lying round the pool early doors - although we did notice later on in the day lots of people were leaving around 2 to 3pm, so many became vacant then.

The other downside of the pool area (and of course this is all a matter of opinion) is that it reminded me of a beach full of seals lying around on each other. Parts of the pool area are incredibly crowded with sunbeds squeezed next to sunbeds, forming a bit of an eyesore and very little privacy/space. However, if you head towards the side areas of the pool there is a bit more space there so you can lie back and stretch out without smacking someone across the head. The pool, however, does look good and is very large so most people should be impressed by that. We ate at the pool restaurant in the mornings and the breakfasts, although not the greatest, seemed good value as you got tea/coffee and orange thrown in too.

We found that there were a lot of Dutch/Germans staying there and very few British. The majority of our fellow holiday makers were OAPs or young families, and unless these demographics change in the Summer time, then I wouldn't recommend it for young (ish) couples.

PS3 also lacked a really good bar - there is one on site, but when we popped in there it always seemed empty. I prefer to have a decent bar area to chill out in before going out at night and the complex lacked this (although there are that many bars around it isn't really a big problem).

So for me, PS3 is just ok. Maybe if we'd got a room with a pool or sea view, they would be better than the one we experienced.

We did spend a day at PS4 - on the day we couldnt get a sunbed at PS3. For my money, PS4 was a nicer place. It just seemed a little bit cleaner and tidier - and newer. The pool area was less cluttered and a bit more spacious than PS3 and there seemed to be less kids running about.

As for the area - I think the PS's are in an excellent location. There are some great restaurants in the area all of which were good value and offering good food. I think they must have spent a fair bit of money developing this area - other parts of the resort do look a bit shabby, but we felt this part was more "upmarket". The weather at this time of the year is also ok - it's hot when the sun is out, but quite cold when it's behind clouds. And there was quite a lot of cloud during our stay. People would be huddled in their towels around the pool at certain points, only to be unwrapping themselves when the sun came out again. It does get cold at night though!!

So overall, although many reviews give this place a 5/5, I'd be a bit more cautious and give it a 3. But of course, it all depends on your individual tastes and expectations.

We have just returned for a week at Parque Santiago 4.

The accomodation looks hugh, but doesn't actually have that much to offer. It has a few shops, a reception area, 2 pools (1 heated) & sunbed area. The on site supermarket is tiny, there is a much bigger one just up the road next to Parque Santiago 5.

This accomodation is full of Germans, I think we were the only 2 British there!! If you don't follow the trends of the Germans and reserve your sunbed, you have no chance of getting one! Some beds were reserved the night before and were never actually used.

The rooms are a good size and nice and clean. The rooms are cleaned daily and bedding and towels change every other day.

There is one pool side snack bar which ta
kes forever to be served - could be cos were British, we certainly felt this impacted the service we received!! Parque Santiago 3 was much more appealing and appeared more friendly, this had a massive pool and a good snack bar which we used quite often.

The location of the accomodation is good, close to pretty much everthing, only about 10 mins from Los Cristianos, which if I was to return to Tenerife again, this is where I would stay.

There is plenty of restaurants to choose from - again very slow service though! Prices all seem to be very much the same.

Wasn't quite sure what to expect with the weather, we woke up to cloud everyday which usually disappeared around lunch time. Can be very cool until the sun comes out. Evenings can be very cool too. Most restaturants and bars had patio heaters. You will still need a jacket though!

Overall, was ok and nice to get away for a week. I don't think I would rush back to Tenerife and if I did I wouldn't stay in Parque Santiago 4.

My Girlfriend and i stayed here for 10 days last june and found it to be an excellent stay. The appartments were clean and the staff very friendly. The pool is something else as it is the biggest i have ever seen. Also, there is planty of sun loungers(all free). The location is good also and the beach is right out the back of the complex. Lots of good restaurants and is still busy enough without having to venture to the busier Strip.

We booked our flights seperately and booked the hotel via their own website [--]. Staff were very helpful and kept in contact via email and kept me informed of everything i wanted to know.

Only downfall was that the weather wasn't great as it was cloudy most of the time. This seems to be a common complaint for this area.

Overall an excellent place to stay but book early!