We stayed at Parque Santiago IV from 31st January to 7th February 2012 in a one-bed apartment, self-catering. The complex is very impressive-looking from the front and is spotlessly clean and very well maintained. There is a lovely water feature by the front entrance of fountains which 'dance' to music and are lit up with different colours after dark. The situation of the complex is at the bottom of the avenue along which are all the 'smart' shops and restaurants and the Safari Centre.

I didn't care at all for the layout of the apartment, which was on the top floor. You walked through the front door straight into a miniscule galley kitchen which in turn led into a room with two single beds and through that into a small lounge area with french doors to the balcony at the end. The lounge area had a dining table and four chairs and a very uncomfortable two-seater wooden framed sofa bed. There was then a flight of lethal gap stairs from the lounge area, with polished, slippery wood treads leading up to a strange arrangement of a kind of mezzanine, open-plan deck affair with a further two beds. There was a low wooden rail next to one of the beds and this was all that was between the occupant of the bed and the floor ten feet below. We're a middle-aged couple with grown-up children but if I'd been travelling with young children I would have been terrified for their safety in this apartment.

Whatever you do, before you use the shower, go to reception and ask for a rubber mat to put in the over-bath shower. Why on earth these aren't provided as standard in a complex of this quality, heaven only knows, but apparently you have to request them. I found this out too late and my feet slipped from underneath me as I stood under the shower, causing me to fall backwards out of the bath head first onto the marble floor where I cut my head open necessitating a 90 euro visit from a bad-tempered doctor, a visit to the awful hospital and three stitches to my scalp - fabulous! You've been warned - don't risk it! To Parque Santiago's credit, the very nice lady receptionist (50's, short reddish hair and glasses) did her utmost to help and kindly enquired how I was every time she saw me after the incident.

Another drawback to the layout of the apartment was that with this odd, open-plan design, there was no privacy or quiet area if one of us wanted to read or watch tv and the other didn't because basically there were no doors anywhere apart from the bathroom one! I've never stayed in such a poorly designed space, it really was strange. In its favour, however, the balcony was large and had good quality furniture and the view was great, taking in the sea and coast up towards Colon. It overlooked a quiet side street and although there was loud noise from the Cortez Hotel cabaret singer each evening, she was usually done and dusted by 9pm and we didn't find it a problem. Do be warned, however, that Tuesday morning seems to be street cleaning day and this starts at around 6am. The people doing it couldn't care less that there are hundreds of holidaymakers trying to sleep around them and seem to go out of their way to make as much noise as they possibly can. Be prepared for a barrage of reversing vehicle klaxons, high pressure hoses hissing, banging, crashing and extremely loud, shouted conversations and laughter right underneath your apartment - it lasts a good half hour too so earplugs might be an idea; I wish we'd known about it, but we didn't and it was a very rude awakening we could well have done without!

We didn't eat breakfast on the complex but instead strolled up Avenue Raphael Puig opposite the front entrance, to the Montana restaurant where you can have the full works including a drink for 2.75 euros. It had a sunny terrace area and the service was fast and friendly. The pool area at Parque Santiago is very good, beautifully laid out with plenty of sunbeds and free parasols. We didn't use the pool, but apparently it's a salt water one and we did overhear several people saying the temperature was very cold; it certainly didn't get anywhere like crowded the time we were there. There's also a nice bar by the pool with good table service for food and drinks, it's more expensive than going off-complex but we enjoyed it nevertheless and loved the shady wickerwork seats and squashy banquettes you could lounge on.

The apartment, like the whole complex, was serviced every day and was kept immaculate by the team of cleaning ladies, who were all very pleasant, always with a cheery "Hola!", as were the security staff. They gave the whole place a feeling of being well cared for and looked after and nothing was too much trouble. There was a welcome gift on our arrival of a basket of fruit, two bottles of wine and a bottle of water which was much appreciated. We didn't do any cooking in the apartment apart from toast and tea and we bought essentials like bread and milk from the Santiago supermarket across the road and further up, as the Santiago IV one is closed for refurbishment. The prices at these places are a bit eyewatering, but it was only stuff like milk, sugar, fizzy drinks and snacks, so it wasn't too painful.

We ate dinner at one Santiago restaurant, I didn't get the name, but it's at the back of the apartment complex facing the sea and the promenade. I wouldn't recommend it, it was way overpriced and the food was well below par - my battered squid was disgusting, like chewing fishy rubber bands and the accompaniment of an unimaginitive salad consisting of mainly cheap fillers like grated carrot and shredded lettuce along with a heap of bone-dry oven chips was deeply unimpressive. In fact, we didn't care for any of the meals we had in Las Americas and if you want decent food, I'd hop in a taxi and go to Los Cristianos instead where we found the standard of restaurants to be much, much better and less expensive too.

Las Americas itself has got every type of shop you can think of, some very high end, but on this visit I found shopping wearying due to being constantly pestered and pounced on, even in the Safari Centre shops and perfume stores, so I bought very little - good for the purse strings I suppose but I do wish they would leave you alone to browse in peace, I for one would be far more likely to buy rather than I would having someone in my face the minute I step through the door.

So would I recommend Parque Santiago IV? Yes, I would, but with reservations. I can only speak from the point of view of the one-bedroom apartment, but I do feel this was misrepresented and I would have expected to have had a private, separate bedroom. If I had been aware of the design of the apartment, we wouldn't have booked it. I also had safety concerns as outlined in the main review and I would be very wary if I had youngsters with me or if I were elderly. As it was, I managed to injure myself quite badly just for the sake of a basic thing like a rubber bath mat not being provided as standard. I don't know what the studios or the two-bedroom apartments are like, perhaps they have a different design. We booked through First Choice and I will be e-mailing these concerns to them as I do feel there should have been more information about the apartments available.