Aparthotel Parque De La Paz

The Parque de la Paz is made up of three main buildings roofed with red Spanish tiles. Corridors leading to the rooms are within the buildings' interiors, but the halls are open-air and overlook orderly gardens of palms and ferns. The five-story structures form a U shape around a pool area that's hopping with water-wading families, sunbathing older folks, and in-house animators leading face-painting and flag games for kids or shuffleboard, mojito and sangria demos, and stretching sessions for adults. The pool area's fourth edge is bound by two solariums and a pool bar where those on the all-inclusive package (four out of five guests in the summer) can help themselves to the soda, sangria, wine, and beer taps as they please. Many guests stay for several weeks at a time -- long stays here are facilitated by the hotel's solid range of features, all-inclusive option, and kitchen-equipped rooms ideal for self-catering (which is the more popular route in the winter). Like many Playa de las Americas hotels, this hotel has a primarily British clientele; in summer, about 90 percent of the guests are from the U.K., while winter sees a fair share of guests from Sweden and Finland. 

Parque de la Paz is located in the center of Playa de las Americas, behind Safari Plaza, a retail center with nearly 40 shops and restaurants. Playa de las Vistas (one of the resort town's most popular beaches) and Playa El Camison are within a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Shops and restaurants line the promenade that runs interrupted along the ocean in Playa de las Americas, past multiple beaches. 

• Seven-minute drive to Siam Park and Siam Mall
• 10-minute drive to Jungle Park
• 10-minute drive to Aqualand
• 10-minute drive to Playas de Troya
• 20-minute walk to Los Cristianos

One- and two-bedroom units have simple wood furnishings, stucco walls, and tile floors. There's little in terms of decor (aside from dated blue-and-yellow couch cushions, bedspreads, and curtains), but the rooms are functional and in good shape. Their most notable features are the private terraces or balconies (about 60 percent of which have distant sea views, and often also overlook the pool) and the kitchens, which are separated from the living area by bar counters, and have coffeemakers, kettles, stovetops, ovens, toasters, pots, and utensils. Four-person dining tables are in the living rooms, as are two full-length sofas. Flat-screen LG TVs come with free international channels, including CNN, Disney, the Norweigan NRK, and the Finnish Nelonen. 

Rooms lack air-conditioning, but guests can switch on ceiling fans and slide open the glass balcony door to encourage ventilation. Bathrooms have pedestal sinks (a narrow marble shelf provides counter space), shower/tub combos, hairdryers, and bidets. Toiletries are limited to pre-packaged bars of soap. Safes (for a fee) are located in bedroom closets. The one- and two-bedroom apartments can accommodate up to four and six people, respectively, but note that the two-bedroom apartment has only one bathroom.

Parque de la Paz is beginning the process of modernizing their rooms. At the time of this writing, eight of the 221 rooms have been totally renovated, but aren't yet available to guests. Renovations have done away with kitchen bar counters to create an open main room, and have replaced ovens with microwaves. The white-tile flooring has been upgraded to gray wood-finish laminate flooring, and the wood furnishings have been scrapped for chic sectional sofas, glass coffee tables, glossy white TV stands, and beds with tall white illuminated headboards and small silver reading lights. Balcony doors have been refitted with double glass for noise reduction.

The pool area is undoubtedly the Parque de la Paz nerve center. It's anchored by a large amoeba-shaped pool, whose undulating perimeter is loyally rimmed by sunbeds. This main pool is the site of many organized activities, like water volleyball, pool aerobics, and water polo. Scattered throughout the artificially grassed courtyard are a separate circular kids' pool, a game area (bocce, ping-pong, darts), two solariums, a pool bar, a massage and pedicure tent, and a small stage with a big flat-screen TV and speakers. 

Daytime entertainment is appropriately kid-friendly and the hotel's mini club (located around the corner from the pool area, near the courtesy room and showers) has a full schedule of activities for 4- to 12-year-olds, like collaging, mask-making, and T-shirt painting, plus mini discos, movie nights, and weekly pajama parties. The supervised kids' club also has an attached, enclosed playground. At night, the entertainment is more geared towards teenagers and adults, with in-house animators and professional performers alike mounting karaoke, bingo, drag shows, trivia, live music, and comedy variety shows. Parque de la Paz's offerings stay the same all year (not just peak season), though the pool has slightly longer hours in the summer.

Next to the entertainment stage is the pool bar, where non-all-inclusive guests can order breakfast, lunch, and snacks a la carte. There are also two buffet restaurants. Breakfast and dinner are served in the main restaurant, near reception, while lunch (plus snacks for all-inclusive guests) is served at second restaurant behind the pool bar. The restaurant reliably serves bacon, eggs, meats, and cheeses for breakfast, while lunches and dinners consist of salads, vegetables, potatoes, stews, fish, meat, ice cream, and fruit. There is a weekly barbecue night at the smaller buffet restaurant.

In the lobby, the hotel has two Two PlayStation-equipped LG flat-screen TVs and two desktop computers, both for a fee (Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel). There is no fitness center, but Parque de la Paz plans to convert a rooftop terrace into an open-air gym, probably sometime in 2017. 

For guests on the all-inclusive plan, food and drink options are available from early morning through late evening: breakfast buffet, late breakfast and morning snacks, lunch buffet, afternoon snacks and tea time, dinner buffet, and late-night canapes. Self-serve sodas, juices, coffee, tea, water, draft beer and wine (red, white, and sangria), and ice cream are available all day by the pool, and cocktails can be ordered for free from waiters. Guests on the all-inclusive plan must wear a wristband for the entirety of their stay.