I have the paddles, if you look closer at the picture, you can see them right behind the wheel. I barely use them, only when driving downhill, to switch 1-2 gears back to use the motor brake.
When you use the paddle, the car switches to manual mode until you don't touch them anymore for 7-8 seconds, then it switches back to automatic.
You can also, when in D, push the gear stick slightly to the right, then it stays on manual, and you can change gears by pushing the stick up/down, or using the paddles.
I also have an S, an then it really goes very high in revs, making it very sporty.
And with the S-Tronic, you don't notice when the car changes gears, as there's always 2 gears in, so when it takes one, the next one is already present. With my older cars automatic, that was a nightmare, because you always have a gap before changing gears.
I also never wanted an automatic, my last car was one, and the first 3 years I didn't like it at all, but getting stuck in traffic a lot and driving through cities, it made me appreciate it more, and now I would always go with automatic. And as I said, you cannot compare S-Tronic to old fashioned automatic gearbox, it's completely different and a joy to drive with.