My wife and I stayed here the 1st week of February. It is our new favorite place and we will be back. You can’t go wrong here.

After reading all of the positive reviews about Paradera Park Apartments (PPA) on TripAdvisor, I was wondering whether PPA could live up to the billing. It does so, and more.

What you get is what you see on the PPA web site and what you read about in TripAdvisor reviews. I won't rehash the things already written by others. If you need a resort hotel with a beach, restaurant, and services, PPA is not that and does not pretend to be that.

PPA is a well-located, comfortable accommodation with exceptional hosts and clean, sizeable guest quarters. Driving is easy on Aruba, and if you get lost, it won't be for long, and it's part of the charm. There are many supermarkets and restaurants within easy reach.

This was my first visit to Aruba, and a couple of highlights for me were:
(1) dinner at Gostoso Restaurant: the friendly owner makes great local food without pretense in a comfortable setting an easy drive south of PPA
(2) sharing Coco (aka Rodgers) Beach on a Sunday with local families out to enjoy the day -- this small beach is near San Nicolas at the SE corner of the island and thus not thick with tourists.

Hank and Debbi were wonderful! We stayed at the Paradera apartments and at the Hyatt with an oceanfront view, but would go back to Paradera Park in a flash. The Hyatt was wonderful, but everything was pretty expensive. Paradera Park was much quieter with friendly people enjoying a wonderful vacation. made us feel right at home on our honeymoon. The rooms were big, very clean and inviting. We enjoyed all of their advice in renting a car, where to go snorkling, and where to go for some romantic dinners. All of their advice was terriffic. After paying for a wedding, it was wonderful to enjoy the beautiful island without breaking the bank.

Searching for the perfect hotel in a warm, Carribbean location when you are far away in Alaska is no easy thing to do. However, we knew that Paradara Park was the place for us from the moment we saw the website. It lived up to and in many respects exceeded our expectations.
My husband and I visited Aruba in january of 2008 and stayed solely at Paradara Park. After a 24 hour flight we arrived in Aruba, exhausted! Fortunately customs was a breeze: "to the beach!" was all the Aruban agent said to us, with a smile. We'd arranged for a rental car with the car rental service recommended (and booked) by the hotel. Our flight arrived early so the rental representative was at the airport to greet us. But no problem! A friendly local saw our confused faces and used his cell to ring up the company and they were there in a flash. The rep. showed us where the hotel was en route to get the car and also pointed out various landmarks to make driving easier --which it was, actually, and this was our first international driving experience.
We were greeted at the hotel by Debbie and two cold Balashi beers. The rooms were the cleanest, most spacious rooms we've ever had from a private hotel (we always chose the smaller, private hotels from the larger resorts whenever we travel). The water pressure in the shower was amazing! There are huge closets to keep your clothes and shelves in the bathroom to store your toiletries so you don't have to have everytihng spread all over the counter. The grounds around the hotel are extremely lush and well kept, quiet and relaxing. I enjoyed using the book/magazine exchange --always had plenty of reading material for the beach. I have to say that if you are concerned about staying in a hotel that isn't directly on the beach,dont be! We walked thru some of the larger hotels that are on Palm Beach and I didn't feel like we were missing anything at all --quite the opposite really. It is only a 10 drive to the beach, and there are so many great beaches to chose from that it would be a shame to be "stuck" at one.
Despite the business of the season, Henke and Debbie were able to get us on both Anthony's Day Sail (snorkel and sail around south side of the island) and a horseback ride to the natural pool with just a day's notice. Both were very lovely. A word of advice re: the horseback ride: i was very glad to have worn both sneakers and longer capri style pants. My husband did not and had quite a bit of chafing from various parts of the saddle. We even met someone the next day who had by chance ridden the same horse that he did and they had chafing on the same places!!
The beach set was perfect for heading to the beach --light to carry, it will save you big bucks on the beach where chairs go for over 10 bucks easily. We preferred Eagle Beach -- we always parked on the north end of Eagle Beach and enjoyed yummy gouda burgers at the beachside bar. We also loved Baby Beach, a short drive down the coast and the most beautifully still water I have ever seen. It would be ideal for young children.
Debbie and Henke advised us well when it came to food. Although the hotel is well stocked with cooking supplies,we just love to eat out! Our favorite place is BINGO -- wonderful food and atmosphere and friendly service. The Bingo Salad is so flavorful you barely need dressing. For our "fancy meal" we ate at Gasparitos, a lovely restaurant filled with local art and antiques. There is a nice outdoor dining area.
Our favorite coffee house --with high accolades from Henke -- is Smit and Dorla's Coffee House. The coffee is the best on the island (believe me, we are serious coffee people, and we looked) and the baristas are helpful and friendly. One even led us in her car during her lunch break to a local restaurant --Nos Cunucu (yummy). We took a lot of their coffee home.
This hotel is a lovely little bit of paradise,everytihng you could want. While we did not travel with our young children this time, I think Paradara Park would be an ideal hotel for children. We didn't want for anything --the owners even provided their own alarm clock as a back up for our very early morning trip to the airport when we left.

Thank you, Henke and Debbe, for being such wonderful hosts at such a quality establishment. We would stay here over and over.