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Galway Bay Hotel

3.7 (27 reviews)

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the ocean view from hotel patio
Dawn F.

The Galway Bay Hotel can not be beat for the ocean views, what a great location this hotel is in. A visit to Galway, Ireland was among our highlights of our trip and we were happy with the spur of the moment choice of lodging while in town. The hotel is about a 10 minute drive into the Latin quarter and main part of town, but situated right across the street from a beautiful beach with a paved sidewalk for walking. There is also a diving platform at this beach where people change outside, climb up a diving platform and dive right into the ocean, it's really cool to watch, and apparently people swim in the water year round. This is where the Irish come to get away...there were mainly Irish staying here versus tourists. We booked this hotel on the fly after just arriving in Galway. Upon walking into the lobby for check in, I was not impressed. The floors looked dirty with small pieces of litter, and it just did not have a clean feel. I almost asked my husband to reconsider locations but when we got to the room it was nice and clean, we were both exhausted and fell asleep on the beds (yes the only room left had two separate beds) and took a nap in the afternoon with the ocean breeze coming right into the room. The next day we saw quite a bit of activity in the lobby, painting, cleaning, carpeting, and we learned the hotel was getting ready for a visit from the Taoiseach and the President of Ireland the day we checked out. The hotel got a mini makeover during our stay and looked very spiffy by the time we left. Breakfast here was slightly more homey that our hotel in Dublin, but they still offered quite the spread, and the restaurant overlooked the ocean, so the views were lovely. My favorite breakfast treat here was the Irish porridge (oatmeal) served with a unique seed and nut mixture and a house made whiskey spiked honey, I ate two bowls of that oatmeal each day of our 2 day stay, I loved it, it was cooked perfectly. Donald McNamara, the hot food server in the breakfast area, was so nice and my husband was talking about his stand out service days after we left, thanks Donald! I almost forgot to add, we walked by the lunch cafe and the food there looked incredible. We hope we make another visit to Galway because it is such a beautiful sea side town with so much to see, we would stay here again.

Sitting room in the ocean view suite. Comes with still & sparkling water, wine, fresh baked cookies and fruit!
Bethany V.

The staff are very friendly here and do not mind answering any questions you may have. Be mindful of getting taxis to city center (about €15 each way) when parking in the city is reasonable and much cheaper! Breakfast is good but pancake machine made gooey pancakes. We had the suite overlooking they bay and it was gorgeous!

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7 years ago

This place was very nice. Lisa at the front desk was very helpful and accommodating when we had questions and or needed something.

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Galway Bay Hotel Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Galway Bay Hotel

! The pub, An Scadan Caoch, was lively during games and good for a quiet drink in the afternoon or at night

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Holiday Hotel

Holiday Hotel

(2 reviews)

Very small, and in a great location. it's 5 mins and you're at the Salthill promenade and a quick…read morejont in a taxi (about €5) or if you are willing to walk, i'm lazy, it'd be about 20-25mins and you'd be in Galway city. The hotel only has 10 rooms, and they are very small, and quite outdated. the bathrooms all have showers (no baths) and again are tiny. As far as i remember you can get smoking rooms not certain though. Breakfast is included and is pretty good, full fry and cereal, juice etc. there is a bar downstairs with a slight old mans/locals feel to it. but it's nice for a pint. They don't serve evening meals. to be honest the place is fine, when you're in galway there is no shortage of places to eat, places to go or things to do. This is very much so just a place to rest your head and it does what it needs to. i have been twice and will be returning soon. the location, price and service all balance out and you'd be hard pressed to find better value for money in the salthill area

The Holiday Hotel in Salthill is good value for what you get but I wont be hurrying back. A room…read morecosts about 50 euro so with the exchange rate at the minute that was about 35 pounds a night. We checked in for one night (Thankfully it was just a flying visit) The rooms themselves are very dated and we were put into a double room at the top of the building looking on to the main street. There was Wi-fi but we couldn't pick it up in our room. My biggest disappointment was that after a four and half hour drive I was looking forward to running a hot bath and trying to soak out the stiffness in my legs. We arrived and behold... no bath. I consoled myself by thinking a scolding hot blast in the shower would be acceptable. I turned on the shower and instead of the glorious stream of soothing hot water I was expecting, I got a lukewarm dribble. My stay wasn't off to a good start. So I went out and about and got my business done in Galway, went for dinner and drinks (See review of the Galleon, and O'Connors Famous Pub) and returned back to get a good nights sleep in the hotel. I'd like to say that but my rest was anything but peaceful. We discovered that the bathroom door wouldn't close (And having no curtains and looking into the main street, this kept the whole bedroom illuminated) We eventually resorted to dragging a bag in front of it to keep it shut. The second issue was the noise. Facing onto the main street we were awoken at the crack of dawn with the work/tourist early morning bustle. I was already feeling ill so when someone/something in the hotel started a constant barrage of banging shortly after 7 that was the last straw. I've given the hotel 3 stars purely for the value for money and the fact I was only there for a night. If it had of been any more expensive this would have been a 2 star rating.

The Ardilaun Hotel - Ardilaun Hotel.

The Ardilaun Hotel

(7 reviews)

€€

Our group had dinner at the restaurant for several days. The appetizers were excellent, especially…read morethe Goat Cheese Tartlet! The Hake Fish was incredible and Red Lentil Dahl was very good! The Thai Vegetarian Curry was a bit bland and the vegetables did not seem that fresh. The Beef Blade was all right but it needed more flavor, and several people in our group asked for horseradish to add more flavor. The desserts were very tasty! Overall, the food was very good! The servers were very friendly and helpful.

Hotel rooms super comfy & decent showers. Recommend sleeping here. Lovely vibe and hotel. Gorgeous…read moregardens. Lovely reception team Do NOT recommend the food! * The bar -- poor service & short staffed. Five different staff (over 2 days) behind bar counter told us not their job to take drinks orders as they were supporting the restaurant (& to wait for a mythical bar-person...). * The breakfast-- big buffet options. Sit near window if you want any service. Cannot make soft boiled eggs & bring after breakfast is done! Do not get breakfast included. Most things were cold & so many options in Galway. * For weddings -- gorgeous venue & lovely post church spread. But DINNE was a big letdown. My table had worst vegetable soup of our life at a wedding here -- tasted like they had not made enough & watered it down. No flavour or seasoning. Pity as delicious at bar night before...& look at porridge consistency of their risotto . Salmon was watery & over cooked. Asparagus was watery & boiled to death. Crumble was soggy due to creme anglaise -- but so little argument on our table about whether there was even any on it. Highlights were the champagne pomegranate mint sorbet & chicken vol au vent.

Anno Santo Hotel

Anno Santo Hotel

(3 reviews)

Service was exceptionally nice at the Anno Santo. We were always greeted quickly upon coming in,…read moreand any questions or concerns we had were addressed thoroughly. Our room was spotlessly clean and comfortably appointed. The bedroom was large and sunny and faced over the street, so we could check out the weather, any traffic, and observe the action on the patio out front. There's a lawn tennis club across the street, but unfortunately I was never able to catch anyone playing. The walls are a touch thin - be aware that you may hear your neighbors! We were there during a concert AND a festival both, and our tipsy neighbors ended up arguing late one night, which we heard in good detail. The bathroom was clean, but the water pressure in the shower was hilariously low. This seemed odd to us because the toilet must have dumped the entire Atlantic each time you flush! If Anno Santo could work out that tiny imbalance, perhaps by installing low-flow toilets, the entire self-prepping experience would have been much improved. You could pay for a whole Irish breakfast, or continental breakfast was included in our price - toast, cereal, yogurt, juice, coffee or tea. The dining area is decorated in a very country-cosy way, and is full of light from the enclosed porch. You could also sit inside near the bar, but why bother when the front room is so pleasant? Overall the Anno Santo was very homey and great for the price.

The service isn't all that great,there is an old man who always shouts at the guest and refuses to…read moreallow students into the property. Also if you don't purchase food,they don't let you stay inside the restaurant.Overall I think the service and friendly-new of this establishment could be better improved.

Claddagh Arts Centre and Katie’s Claddagh Cottage - Tea room and art gallery.

Claddagh Arts Centre and Katie’s Claddagh Cottage

(1 review)

Tour cost: 5 Euros (includes tea and scones)…read more Full disclosure: I usually run in the opposite direction from anything in Ireland that has even a whiff of "tourist trap" to it. If there's even a chance that someone is going to be getting off a tour bus with a fanny pack singing Danny Boy, it's a hard no for me. Such was my initial concern when hearing about the Claddagh Arts Centre. As much as I longed to visit the place where Claddagh rings originated (quite literally, they were first made during the 17th century in the village where the Centre now stands as the sole remaining dwelling), I had visions of when I visited Amsterdam and got swarmed by merchants hocking diamonds. I assumed this was a touristy spot where the sole purpose was to get you to buy a new ring. I couldn't be happier that I did a bit of research instead of discounting it. The Centre- and the people who run it- have "sales" as the very last thing on their minds. Their true purpose is to educate visitors on the little-known history of how this once-thriving, rural village on the outskirts of the city was forced to abandon its beautiful, traditional, simple life as modernization and the trawler industry in the bay took over. All that is now left of Claddagh village is the one thatch cottage and outbuilding/cafe that houses the Centre. Once inside, you are transported to another century in Ireland. Far from kitschy knick knacks, each item within is an authentic antique from the era, demonstrating exactly what it was like to live in another time. Anna, who gave us our tour, offered a poignant, powerful and thorough recounting of the trials and triumphs of the villagers, instilling in me a new respect for the rings I have worn since my youth. In my many visits to Galway over the years, I had never before had an inkling of this part of its past. After the voyage back in time, we made our way to the art studio and cafe behind the cottage. Wow. It was filled with the most gorgeous work in various mediums from local craftsmen, using materials found around Connemara. Spectacular stuff. And no sales pitch. In fact, Anna seemed surprised that I even inquired about pricing. Her main concern was kitting out the wood table with a feast of tea and scones. By this stage, the latest Claddagh ring I've been wearing for the last few years, one purchased at some point from some random place, seemed almost like an imposter. Expecting to see rows and rows of rings for sale, I was instead shocked (pleasantly) to find just a humble little tray with a dozen or two. There was no fanfare around it. Sales were truly an afterthought to the people here who are so intent on keeping the Claddagh village story alive. Anna apologized for the small selection and explained that they only carry authentic, vintage rings- as in real, historic Claddaghs. Thus, their inventory was sparse. Figuring that meant I would be priced out of owning one of these treasures, I cast a glance at them just for a chance to see what a "real" Claddagh looked like. And immediately fell in love with one. Its simplicity was so perfectly attuned to its heritage. I checked the price tag. 57 Euros. About $64. Otherwise stated: half the price for this antique than what I had paid for the random one on my finger. It came home with me. I honestly cannot put into words the joy it brings me the twenty times a day I glance down at it. The hour or so spent at the Claddagh Village was a vacation highlight for me in a city where I thought I already knew the best spots. Located just a five minute stroll from the Spanish Arch, it took us on a journey of a hundred+ years. Oh. And it's only 5 Euro per person for the tour, tea and scones. I know. Right? Go visit them when you find yourself in Galway. If you're there in the off-season and hours are limited, ask for a private tour (same cost) as we did. Claddagh Arts Centre & Katie's Claddagh Cottage 26 Fairhill Road Upper, The Claddagh Galway, Ireland Web: https://claddaghdesigns.ie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CladdaghArtsCentre/

Galway Bay Hotel - hotels - Updated June 2026

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