Snoozles Quay Street Tourist Hostel

Great place to stay. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Rooms were typical for a hostel, but were comfortable and the other guests were friendly. Location was perfect as multiple shops, restaurants, and pubs are just down the street. I is also only a short walk away from the train station and the pick up spots for several tours are nearby as well. Definitely staying here again if I return.

Great vibe and great facilities, especially the large kitchen. The location is perfect. It was clean enough for a simple hostel. But if you are very allergic to dust mites, this is not the place for you. The room was very dusty, partly because of the old dusty carpet on the floor. Unfortunately I had to leave and find another hostel because of my allergy and asthma. But for everyone who doesn't have such issues, it's a good stay! :)

This is one of the most economic backpackers in Galway, but it is actually quite good. From the moment of check in, I liked the staff and the place. They have a nice lounge area with guitars and TV, and they keep very warm in winter. They have lamps and sockets by every bed. The breakfast is only until 9:30 in the morning. If you arrive 5 minutes late, you don't get to have breakfast at all, even if you already paid for it, which is a big bummer.

The location cannot be beaten if you're in Galway for a night out - on a buzzing street with the sound of traditional music in the air. Staff were lovely and had their finger on the pulse for where to go, they gave us some great recommendations. Likewise, when we stumbled in that evening, the staff were still friendly but alert security-wise. The rooms were clean and had everything you'd need for a crash pad - and for the price, it was even better than expected. The only thing I'd love to make it an out of this world stay would be some sort of a deal with a local car-park - leaving the car in a nearby parking lot overnight cost us almost as much as the room itself!

Friendly staff, clean hostel, BEST LOCATION. We opened the windows and the room was filled with a cool breeze and live music (coming from the musicians directly beneath us). I would truly recommend this hostel to anyone. The only reason I didn't give a full 5 stars was the shower. The water was not draining properly and it made it very difficult to shower (the border was about 1 inch high so it was easy to overflow).

The staff are friendly and helpful. The place is clean and its right in the centre of the city. However the rooms are not great. One of the beds was very difficult to get in or out off because it was so close to the ceiling you had to snake your way on to the bed. The extraction fan in the bedroom stayed on after you turned of the light for about 15 minutes. You could hear everything in all the rooms around us. And our room had no window it had a sky light window that looks into someone else's bathroom. And if it's raining you can't open it because the water just gose on the bed under it. All in all nice staff good location. But poor rooms

The hostel was really nice, despite my rating. The people were nice, the building was unique, and the breakfast was good. However, I'm normally a good sleeper, and I could hardly rest at all there, so I can't rate it higher. The bar outside our window was horribly loud until 3 AM, which meant shutting the window, which made it quite hot. When that quieted, I opened the window to hear cleaners and hungry birds. Plus the bed was hard.

I've been there two times and both times have been great. Modern hostel for young people. The rooms are clean and the kitchen is great. There's everything you need in the kitchen and the breakfast is great too. You can even have pancakes in the morning, as well as coffee.

Fantastic hostel in Galway! Was a little more expensive than the other nearby hostels but honestly worth the few extra dollars for clean rooms with nice bathrooms. We stayed in a co-ed room of 14 and had 2 full bathrooms. Our hostel wasn't all full even on the weekend nights which made it a bit more roomy. The morning breakfast was standard hostel fare (bread, jam, coffee, waffles, etc) but very clean dining area with friendly people. It is in a great location with easy walking access to the Galway bus station and all of the nightlife. It is on Quay Street which is the main drag so people will be out late on the street at nearby bars and may be a bit loud for sleeping. The staff was super friendly and happy to answer all of our travel questions. Was nicely and uniquely decorated and great WiFi!!!

This hostel is absolutely horrible and the manager is a piece of human trash. Now allow me to explain... So we booked this hostel through Expedia for $70 for 1 night, which even for a single room with on suite bathroom isn't THAT cheap. It's located in a phenomenal spot on the main drag, which is pretty much the ONLY thing it has going for it. When we arrived at the room, we noticed right away how different the room was from the pictures on the website. The photos from the listing looked great. Whoever staged the photos knew what he/she was doing. What we ended up getting was an 8x10 prison cell with a metal bunk bed. There wasn't even a little table or chair to sit or put your clothes on. Minor gripes, but whatever, that was far from the main issue. The main problem with literally ALL the private rooms with on suite bathrooms is the SHOWER... The showers HAVE NO WAY OF REGULATING WATER TEMPERATURE AND OPERATE BY A PUSH BUTTON SYSTEM. So you know those sinks in public restrooms where you push a button and you get about 10 seconds of water? THAT IS LITERALLY HOW ALL OF THEIR SHOWERS WORK. THIS IS 2018, HOW THE HELL IS THIS EVEN A THING? On top of that, the water was ice cold and didn't even get remotely warm. What the f*ck! Anyway, so I went downstairs to inquire about the terrible way these showers operated and when I was informed that that's how all the on suite showers worked I was shocked. They claimed the building was old and therefore used an old shower system, but that's total BS because I stayed in a 150 year old house that was converted into a hostile just 2 days prior and even they had a basic hot/cold valve system. At this point I knew I didn't want to stay in a place with no hot water and a shower that I had to keep pushing a button to operate so I asked if it were possible to get a refund. I was told that since I placed the booking on Expedia, that they would be the ones to issue it. After being on the phone with expedia for about 30 minutes, explaining this nightmare of a hostile, I was told that they would be able to issue a refund, but ONLY after they got the approval from Barnicles' manager. Turns out, the piece of garbage person that he is refused to approve the refund because he claims the room was operating as advertised. This is completely untrue, and if I knew that they had a shower system from 1912, I never would have booked a room at this sh*tty hostile. So now I have to file a formal complaint with Expedia with pictures as proof of false advertisement, and it could take weeks before I get my money back. The worst part about this entire ordeal was that we were totally willing to take a partial refund. We were in the room for not even 5 minutes before we realized that this room was definitely not for us (or any other self-respecting person for that matter). It didn't matter how dissatisfied we were, the manager just wanted the money. I am a firm believer that the customer is always right (within reason of course). The manager of this establishment obviously does not feel this way and was content taking our $70 knowing full well that we weren't going to spend the night there. Again, this asshat wasn't even satisfied keeping half our money and issuing a partial refund knowing full well that he'd still be able to fill the room with other guests. He wanted ALL our money and that's why he's trash. So what's the moral of the story? Avoid this crappy hostile like the plague. The amenities are third-world at best, and the people who run the establishment don't give a shit about their customers, they only want money. If you're looking for a great hostile in the same area for much less, check out Snoozles. Staff is friendlier, more understanding, and unlike Barnicles, they actually give a sh*t what their customers think. Tl;dr: The showers for private rooms have NO hot/cold water valves and work as a push button system. Amenties are awful and are literally from the early 19th century. Management doesn't give a damn about you or what you think; they just want your money. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE

Barnacles is great! The location alone is enough to give it four stars. Barnacles is located in the heart of Galway's Latin Quarter which is a prime hub for shopping dining and music. The people at Barnacles were super friendly and helpful with lunch/dinner recommendations, maps, etc. The lounge was perfect, clean and spacious. My sister and I stayed in a room with one bed but it had an outlet and night table on each side, private bathroom with a shower and mini things of soap shampoo and condishener. There was also breakfast starting at 7:30am nothing former but all the basics. The only downside to this hostel was that they were doing construction right next to our room! Nonetheless I highly recommend this place!

Four stars for location and the helpful staff. Plus, they make it easy to book a trip to Cliffs of Mohr or other day trips, and the local pub crawl. The hostel itself is pretty cramped but sufficiently clean. I think I might have gotten the last bed available since the storage basket was stuck and didn't open and my plug didn't work either. I was right next to the window as well so I could hear EVERYTHING at the bars outside. However, if you want a night of debauchery in Galway (which is why you're there of course...) then Barnacles is perfect. I went on the Shamrock Pub Crawl on a Saturday night and when I finally got tired at 3am left the bar and was in bed in 5 minutes. Book it if you're looking to have fun! Not if you're looking for quiet...

If you're an 18 to 28 year old staying in Galway and looking to have a fantastic time, I'm pretty sure you want to stay at Barnacles Quay House. The price isn't the cheapest as far as hostels go but you'll feel safe, it's clean, and you're really paying for location more than anything else. It's located on a main street and it's in the middle of all the action. It's within walking distance of anything you want, and that includes restaurants, tourist shops and so, SO many clubs. The hostel itself is the combination of several of the row houses so the passages are narrow and winding and it's easy to get lost. Don't let that deter you. When we stayed here in the summer we had a fantastic time. Breakfast is served in a large kitchen with big tables and long benches. It's a friendly, low-key atmosphere. They have some of the girly essentials available on loan if you forgot your blow dryer or your hair straightener at home. After you go out, you can stumble back in at any hour and they give you a key to get back in and there is always someone at the desk so they can figure out if the creepy guy you're bringing back with you at 4:00 am is a welcome or an unwelcomed guest.

PLEASE keep in mind that this review is partially due to my age. Had I been in my young 20s during this trip, I might rank higher. My husband and I decided to save a little money and stay in a hostel while we were in Galway. The location was convenient, but crowded and noisy (perfectly normal, it's the Latin Quarter). You have to pay for towels (I didn't know that at first). The hang out room was fun, we watched "Tropic Thunder" on DVD and drank wine. We also enjoyed some live music by some other visitors, they were great! The hostel books the day tours for you, and Galway Tour Company comes directly to your door to pick you up. If need be, they will even arrange bus transport back to Dublin after your tour. The kitchen got very crowded very quickly, trying to prepare even a simple dinner proved to be a royal hassle. There was one night where it was SO LOUD outside my window, I couldn't sleep. (I know...OLD). Another interesting experience...hostel guests are predominantly young people and students. But there were a fair number of odd ducks who were literally living at the hostel for months on end. But overall, we had great conversations with great people from all over the world.

I've stayed at probably 50 Hostals, and where this one probably is not the worst, it sure is close. Thousands of reasons compile to make the place not the place you'd want to stay for a good time. First, Wifi only works in the kitchen and living room... not in the bedrooms Second, there are 40 french kids (yes kids, ages 9-15 running around yelling and screaming) I love hostals because I normally get to meet really cool people from all over the world, a kitchen that I cant eat in and a living space I cant have a conversation in because it has been completely overtaken by 11yr olds? not a fun experiance. The Staff is less than comitted to their jobs and are less than attentive or willing to help when issues come up. The kitchen when you can use it is plenty big however most of the stovetops do not work and the pots and pans are mostly unusable. lastly the breakfast is one of the worst excuses I've ever seen as far as hostals go. I stayed at Snoozles two nights ago and moved over here because this place had been booked out before... Boy was I wrong, It is true you dont know what you have till it is gone. Snoozles is the highest rated on this website for a reason. Everything is better.

Amazing rooms, helpful staff, great location... Overall one of the best hostels I've ever been to. Maybe a tad it expensive but I would still definitely recommend!

Me and 5 of my girlfriends stayed here back in 2010 and had a great time. We stayed at the Barnacles Hostel in Dublin the night before and they helped us book a room at this one in Galway for the following night. It's in a great part of town- walk out the door and you have tons of great restaurants, bars, shopping and sight-seeing. The room was very small and we had a share bathroom across the hall. The bathroom was very large and nice although I'm not a huge fan of sharing. My biggest turn-off about this place and I guess it would apply to any place on that street, is the garbage people come in what felt like the middle of the night and are emptying dumpsters full of glass bottles for hours... I seriously almost lost it, it went on for so long and was SO loud. Other than that, I would probably stay here again since you couldn't beat the location and price.

Nice little hostel in the centre of Galway. The kitchen is very new!

Stayed in a private room here while in Galway. It was clean, secure, and had an awesome location, but the street noise was unreal. Highly recommend as a hostel.