Inis Meáin Island Stays

If you're looking to be stranded on a remote island, served microscopic food portions, and charged the GDP of a small nation for the pleasure, then congratulations—you've found your dream destination in Inis Meáin Restaurant. Let's start with the location. What kind of masochist puts a restaurant on a rock in the Atlantic where Wi-Fi fears to tread and the wind sounds like it wants to kill you? After surviving the boat ride (which doubles as a nausea endurance test), we were greeted not by warmth or welcome, but by a building that looked like a concrete shoebox pretending to be minimalist. Inside, it didn’t get better. The decor screamed, “We spent all the money on Instagram lighting and forgot to buy chairs people can actually sit on.” The staff, though polite, had the kind of calm intensity you’d expect from people trying not to cry in front of customers. Now, the food. Oh, the food. Each plate looked like a modern art installation made from leftovers of a better restaurant. “Locally sourced” must be code for “we foraged this from the side of the road.” I had to use a magnifying glass to see my main course. I left hungrier than I arrived, but spiritually bruised. Wine list? More like “guess which bottle costs more than your flight here.” I wept quietly into my overpriced glass of something French while contemplating life choices. Overall, if you enjoy being broke, cold, and existentially confused, Inis Meáin Restaurant delivers. Otherwise, stay on the mainland and eat a sandwich.

First of all the food:||Wonderful fresh ingredients, many of which are sourced on the island, are the basis of Ruairi’s cooking. This talented chef produces outstanding meals with every bite a gourmet experience. A good example was the carrot dish which we enjoyed as one of the courses for dinner last night - the flavours were sublime! It’s impossible to describe how wonderful this tasted! It goes without saying that the fish which is locally sourced is superb too. There’s a very extensive and well researched wine list. ||The breakfast box which is delivered each morning to the suite also contains a selection of delicious offerings. ||||The accommodation:||The rooms are spacious and well appointed and have amazing picture windows with panoramic views right down to the coast line. ||||Activities ||The bikes were great for exploring the island and an added bonus was the wonderful weather that we were fortunate enough to enjoy during our stay.||We hired Pauric as our guide for half a day and he gave us a great insight into life on the island in former times as well as bringing us to lots of interesting sites. ||||We travelled to Inis Meain by plane from Connemara airport which is part of the adventure. ||||This is the place for total relaxation as life is lived at a slow pace here. Although there’s good WiFi resist the urge to connect!

We traveled as a couple to Inis Meain for a two day stay. The sole purpose was to relax. I can honestly say that we both achieved our goal. The ferry journey to the island was very comfortable and the crew (criu in native Gaeilic) were polite. The ferry seemed new with a small refreshments service at a counter on board. The views from the open upper deck were stunning as we sailed out from Rossaveal in Co. Galway, across the famous Galway bay to the Aran islands. As you approach the island of Inis Meain you can see the bigger island Inis Mor, and the smaller island Inis Oir to the East. These 3 islands are packed with history well back to early Christian times with stone forts and bee hive monastic structures aplenty in the West of Ireland in general. The Aran Islands are situated in Connemara (a native Gaeilic speaking area) of the West of Ireland. The scenery is beautiful with stone walls built from the rocky landscape and the culture of the local people forged from a history of hardship but community and welcoming friendship. The couple Ruairi and Marie Therese who own and run Inis Meain Suites are the epitome of that culture.||||We were welcomed and collected at the ferry port on the island by Ruairi (himself a native Irish language speaker and a native islander). He drove us the short distance to the Suites. The island is just 4 miles by 2 miles approximately. And the Suites themselves blend seamlessly into the rocky landscape so that they are unobtrusive and you don't feel the island has been scarred by this local initiative. The accommodation consists of 5 luxury suites. This is how it is advertised and this is exactly what you get. We did not want nor expect a hotel but what we wanted was to be pampered at a hands-off distance. We got what we paid for and what we expected. The rooms were tidy and made of natural wood, neat lime plaster and huge windows offering full panoramic views of our surroundings. But privacy was also afforded by our site and elevation and the simple fact approximately 200 people only live on this island. We were in splendid isolation but within a very close knit and very, very welcoming community. The saying Cead Mile Failte (the 100 thousand welcomes) is true of Inis Meain Suites.||||The facilities and service was excellent but the restaurant has to stand out as superb. Ruairi is the Chef and provides a set menu supplied from their own garden and local farmers, fishermen and producers. The daily-changing set menu is of the highest quality and appeals to all palates, but perhaps best suits guests who enjoy a wide range of foods, and particularly fish and shellfish, as there is an emphasis on these given the location. ||||I can only say we loved our all-too-short visit and the bicycle and walking tours of the island (bicycles, fishing rods, walking staffs all provided by the owners as part of your room facilities). We have already booked a return trip next year and hope to make this our annual pilgrimage to a place in Ireland which comes from a forgotten time in Irish history and culture. We will be back in the very near future. Ruairi, Marie Therese, and all staff, Go raibh mile maith agaibh (thank you all very much).

We had the pleasure of returning to the Inis Meain suites again this year and we had a wonderful time again. The experience is unique with the beautiful and well equipped suites, breakfast in your own time, great walks with fresh air around the island and the excitement of wondering what would be on the menu for dinner. The food is so tasty, beautifully presented and a great wine list. |It is a very special getaway on a beautiful peaceful island. A big thanks to Marie-Therese, Ruairi and all the staff who make it all possible for us to enjoy it.

We had the pleasure of Dining at Inis Meain Restaurant and Suites this weekend. From the moment we arrived the friendly warm welcome we received , the relaxed atmosphere ,the interaction with other guests and the general atmosphere in the Restaurant was very very special. The food was amazing, our taste buds were tested to the limit as every course was so tasty and so well presented. Everything is sourced locally and freshly cooked by Ruairi who is a very talented chef , The wine list was so varied we needed help deciding which to choose and Marie Therese expertly guided us resulting in the perfect choice, Steph is so warm and welcoming and takes time to explain what each course consists of and where it is sourced, The whole evening was an amazing experience everything was perfect from start to finish, We cant wait to go back.. Collette and Ray.

I was fascinated by this place when investigating visiting the Aran Islands and even more so when found out the whole season books out by the end of the previous season. ||Firstly Inis Meáin is very quiet, special and unspoilt. This is not appreciated until you visit the more visited islands. The cliffs and long walk around the south of the island compete well with the Cliffs of Moher. ||The hotel and suites are very unique and are managed and controlled to a very high level. Architecturally they would fit very well into a ‘Grand Designs’ program. From a distance they are almost lost into into the stone walls and the ‘ Burren’ landscape. The rooms could do with a wardrobe and some solid soap but then thats not the design! ||The rooms are gorgeous with great panoramic views. ||The breakfast as others have noted is very odd presented in keeping with the style of the place in small pots of earthy goodies. You almost think its a modern take on living in the Arans which was very rustic until very recent times. Your normal travelling self does yearn at times for someone to bring you a hot Irish breakfast in the morning but sticking with the program the simplicity sort of works and fits with the ‘experience’ ||Its also slightly strange not to meet your fellow travellers in the morning to exchange stories but this can be made up for in the evening. A playwright was staying when we were there and gave us a wee tale after dinner||The food is a pull for many and is fine dining with a slightly dour spin. Again at times you yearn sauces and cream but this is not whats on offer. The food is almost as cleansing as eating Japanese food. ||Overall the hosts take great care of they have and the staff are great too. ||This place is so unique I need say no more

I had been trying to get to Inis Meain for a couple of years. The suites are stunning; simple, luxurious, spacious. The views are unparalleled. The island is beautiful and you really can have all seasons in one day. I enjoyed visiting the Inis Meain sweater shop (referred to by the Financial Times as “the most westerly and remote shopping destination in Europe”) and even managed to pick up a few bargains. I have no complaints about the suites or Marie-Therese and her husband Ruairi (whose parents own the knitting factory, and whose uncle, Shane de Blacam, designed the impressive suites and restaurant). However, given the cost of a two-night stay and the lack of restaurants on the island, I really would have preferred a hot breakfast or, at the very least, a more tailored breakfast box; the breakfast box was perfectly presented but contained certain foods that did not appeal to me and I felt terrible thinking of the perfectly good food going to waste. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my trip to Inis Meain very much.

I have stayed here twice and in my view Inis Meáin Suites is simply the best place in Ireland. There is nowhere better if you want to get a weekend away. The restaurant is a delight and the owners and their team are wonderful. The building is special and the design is stunning. At first glance there is very little on the island but that is the whole point. Go there to relax and unwind. Walk the entire island and go swim in the sea. You will find yourself just spacing out as you idly watch the changing colours of the landscape and expansive views across Galway Bay. It is very difficult to get into as they only have 5 rooms but it is worth every bit of effort and perseverance that you make to get there. The large suite is great but to be honest the standard rooms are just as good and better value.