A few weeks ago myself and my family had the pleasure of staying in The Connacht Hotel Galway. We have been to Galway before so knew we liked the city and had heard really good things about The Connacht Hotel being family friendly.
I can gladly say The Connacht Hotel really is family friendly, both myself and more importantly the kids had a really lovely time.
From Dublin the hotel is approx 2 – 2½ hours away which is not bad at all, very straight road to Galway too.
The Room
We were so impressed with the huge family room we were given to stay in, I think it was one of their suites. It was two connecting rooms, one even had a kitchen so I thought it was so ideal for those with big families.
There was a bedroom with Queen Size bed and single in our room so our 2-year-old slept in their with us and in the other connecting room was a double and single bed where our 9 and 4-year-old slept. They were chuffed having their own little hotel room 🙂
There was also 2 bathrooms so no worries about everyone needing the loo at the same time.
We were just really impressed with the great sized family room as too often we have been in hotels that have family rooms that really aren’t catered for 5+ people at all.
Just said I’d point out too they also have self catering apartments that can fit up to 2 adults and 4 kids 🙂
The Kids Club
I think a kids club is so important when we go away with our kids especially in colder months when they tend to et browned off stuck in a hotel or room with their boring mammy and daddy lol!.
Their ‘Fellow Friendly’ kids club caters for kids from aged 3-5 and 6-15 so the kids will find something fun. When we went they had both morning and evening session. Morning is from approx 10.30-1pm and evenings was from 7pm-10.30pm.
Every evening after some play time the kids would watch a movie get popcorn and a drink which was nice. Other times there would be face painting, arts & crafts, dance and so on.
The younger kids (age3-6) can stay for max 2 1/2 hours per session so I just made sure I dropped the eldest in with the youngest 2 and a half hours before the session was over as I don’t think the 4-year-old would liked to have been taken out early before his sister, thee would have been fights haha! They didn’t get split into age groups as the numbers were small so that was good too as I was worried the 4-year-old would pine for the 9-year-old to be with him.
Cost is €6 per session and €4 for any siblings. However, when you book a family package the kids club is included as far as I’m aware.
The staff were so friendly and great with the kids.
Bar and Food
Oh yes can’t forget the food and drink! We had a lovely meal our first night with the kids in the restaurant before they went to the kids club that evening. Prices were reasonable too I think it was €9.50 for a kid’s meal and a dessert or you could just get the kids a main and I think that was €6.50. Really generous portions and the kids enjoyed it. Also the staff in the restaurant were so friendly and accommodating to the kids even when mine were being loud and throwing food (we sound like great guests don’t we lol!).
The second night myself and himself had a meal in peace as we booked a babysitter through the hotel for the youngest while the other two were at the kids club 😉 Again, the food was lovely, himself had steak and said it was very nice and it can be hard to get a nice steak. I had a burger and chips which I loved, was tasty and filling.
The bar/lounge area was very spacious which I liked as there was room for a buggy and kids to move around. There was a section in the middle with a tv for the matches and the likes and on the outer edge there were seats away from the sports if that’s not your thing. I liked that it was nice and bright, I’m not keen on small dull crowded pubs in hotels so this was right up my street. They have entertainment on every night as far as I could make out and seems to be a popular spot with locals.
Breakfast in the hotel was lovely too. They had all the usual juices, cereals as well as your classic Irish breakfast which was done lovely so can’t ask for more than that 🙂
The Pool/Gym
Sadly I didn’t get to go to the pool as myself and the toddler were sick so himself and the eldest two went down to report back to me haha! First thing I asked was the pool warm because I hate nothing more than cold pools. Happy to say it was warm, very big and had a shallow kids area.
They had a gym too, again I never even got to check that out so am raging I was sick but it looks really nice.
Things to do around the area
Eyre Square is only a 5 minute drive away from the hotel so you can do lots of shopping there.
Then there’s some indoor play centres, cinemas, bowling, pet farms all within a 30 min drive.
Of course if you’ve no kids there are lots of clubs & bars a short walk or taxi ride away from the hotel 😉
There is plenty of historical and sports places to visit too.
We stayed in Salthill before which is only a 15 minute drive from hotel so that’s worth checking out as you have the Salthill Promenade which is gorgeous in the summer and Galway Atlantaquaria which is Ireland’s largest Aquarium, the kids really enjoyed that one. There is also an indoor amusement place and food places around that area too.
You can see lots of things to do around the area to suit everyone here on The Connacht Hotel’s website.
Overall
We thought The Connacht Hotel was indeed very family friendly just as they claim to be and I’d highly recommend it to those with kids looking for a break away that’s nice for everyone.
The staff were all so accommodating and kind which I think makes a huge impression when you go to a hotel, it’s nice to be met with friendly welcoming faces when away from home.
The kids club was great to keep the older kids occupied and he room was very spacious and ideal for large families. We would definitely look into going here again with the kids.
You can see all the offers for family breaks at The Connacht Hotel here
Hope my review helps anyone looking for a family friendly hotel, if you’ve any questions leave a comment or send me a message. Yaz x
*Myself and my family were invited to The Connacht Hotel for 2 night and 1 dinner for the purpose of a review. However, as always, all opinions are my own.
myself and my partner are going here in May! cannot wait looks great xx
We’re staying in Ireland this year and have decided to take a few long weekend hotel breaks instead of a fortnight in the sun.
Delighted to read your review as I’ll be keeping The Connaught Hotel in mind when we’re looking to go West.