An interesting sim exercise we did a few years ago was to set up a generic runway in CAVOK with all the electronic and visual aids available (ILS, DME, VNAV, PAPI, etc.), then keep repositioning onto short finals, failing them one by one until there was nothing but concrete left. This forced people to use a visual aiming point and to refresh the skills that were required on light aircraft, but had fallen into semi-disuse over thousands of hours of precision approaches into major airports.
The whole point of any approach aids, excepting CAT III NDH, is to get you to a position where you can continue visually using an appropriate reference on the runway itself.
It does make me wonder, in the situation that the OP describes, if the PAPIs had been U/S, would his approach and landing been commented upon adversely?