Thank you to Paeder and Joan for making our stay in Galway so comfortable. This is my favorite B&B…read moreduring our 10 day stay in Ireland. We arrived just a little early for check in and rang the bell. Paeder answered and brought us inside. He gave us lots of good information - restaurants to try, a map of the city, asked what we were interested in so he could point us in the right direction.
There are two floors of guest rooms up a nice staircase. There is no elevator so be sure you can manage your bags. Some rooms have a view of the park across the street. As I had booked an economical room we were in the back overlooking the garden. The view is not a big factor for me when picking a room, but if it is for you, be sure you book the room with a view. It's a very nice view, and some of the rooms have a balcony.
We were taken to our room by our host who explained a couple of things then left us to unpack. The bed here is comfortable. Padded headboard is great for reading. The comforter is soft and fluffy. There are two chairs, a kettle, cups and what not, a nice armoire to hang your clothes and a few shelves for socks and such. The hairdryer is in there as well. The bedroom and bathroom heat are on a timer and will turn itself on in the evening and off in the morning. We were always quite comfortable.
The bathroom was quite clean. The shower stall has a place for your soap and shampoo, and a two step water system. The outer ring indicates the water pressure, while the inner (1,2,3,etc.) indicates how hot the water is. I found 1 to be hot enough for me. There is a wide shelf under the window for toiletries and a tray of glasses, soaps and other items are provided. Besides the bath and hand towels, they also have wash clothes. Thank you!
Breakfast is served during set hours, so if you stay up late, and sleep in, you will probably miss this hearty breakfast. So. Much. Food. We know a 'Full Irish' is too much food so we ordered 'small', but still it was more food than was good for us! Besides the hot options of eggs, ham, etc., there is also a buffet of juices, cold cereals, yogurts and a variety of baked good that changed daily. The brown bread is nice. Get there early to have all the options. A pot of tea for me and a pot of coffee for my SO and toast were brought to the table before our food arrived, while we helped ourselves to juice and baked goods.
The hallway is a bit narrow, but this just gives you more space in the room. You may have to let others coming up the hall pass before you can go down. Walking through the halls, you can be heard by other guests, but once in the room, we did not hear other guests unless there was a very loud laugh for example. Otherwise it was quiet.
Already a great place to stay, it would have been even better if the weather had cooperated. It's about a 15 minute walk into town down the main road, or a bit longer if you go by the water front. It was too cold, windy and rainy for me to take the waterfront stroll during our visit. It's also very close to the beach and spending a morning walking the beach, so close to the hotel, would have been very convenient. The National Aquarium is here too. In just a few minutes walk, going past the beach, there are a number of pubs and restaurants in Salthill, making it easy to stroll out for dinner and back again.
The building has a small glass enclosure outside the front door. This door is always open and you are given a key to the inner door. It was pouring out one night and having this 'ante room' was great to put down the umbrellas and get organized, out of the weather, before going into the building. The room key is an old skeleton key that you have to lock behind you once you enter the room, if you want to be locked in.
Guests are a mix from around Europe: Germany, Italy, France and then us Americans. Paeder speaks all the languages. During our stay there were a number of couples, a large family group and a couple of friends traveling together. Looks like they accommodate all sorts of travelers.
We checked out after breakfast service was over. Even while we were leaving our hosts were very interested in our plans and helpful, giving us directions to our destination. I would definitely stay here again.
