Glenlo Abbey Hotel

Very nice and fancy hotel with an old hardwood theme feel inside and a cool castle exterior. Beautiful grounds and castle, with amazing breakfast. It is about a 10 – 15 drive into Galway which was also a cool little city to explore. I only wish I had stayed longer here.

I booked a tour of five castles. This was the worst. If you have no «special needs» or «requests» you might do well here as they are on their own agenda and don’t care much about yours if it differs from the norm. They are gracious enough if you play by their rules. Every other castle staff was lovely, accommodating and gracious. Not so at Glenloe when you tell them there are ants in the room and they look at you as if you are crazy. Three vials of super glue later, at my own expense, I solved the problem and closed the hole. The $ 200 meal at The Pullman was a disaster. I called ahead and asked for a heart healthy chick breast entrée and had to battle my way through each course as the chef did not understand the simple request for a balsamic vinaigrette on a simple bed of greens. No allowances were made for a series of mistakes and disappointments. Go there if you want to do it their way. Stay away if you have any special requests. They are NOT customer service oriented if you stray beyond their lines. Not happy. Won’t EVER go back.

I recently hosted my 30^th birthday party in the Glenlo and it was a fantastic experience. Communication prior to the event was first rate, and I felt that all my needs were addressed. We reserved a room off the Cellar Bar, so we had our own space and could hang some decorations, but were also very handy to the bar. It also meant guests were in the same area, so nobody got lost or scattered as sometimes happens at these things. There were around thirty of us, and though we could have squeezed a few more in this was very comfortable — not too crowded but still appeared ‘busy’. The food was fantastic — mini hamburgers, cocktail sausages, chips, fish goujons and breaded chicken. Though this may sound like standard finger-​food fare it was significantly better than average, much more flavourful, clearly handmade, fresh, and a fantastic jalapeño kick to the chicken. Finally we cannot compliment the staff enough. They were attentive, friendly, warm, welcoming and witty. They really treated us well. I cannot recommend the Glenlo enough for an event like this.

I can’t say enough about this place. It is so beautiful and elegant, yet very warm and inviting. If you pick a place to stay in Galway, this is it. You won’t be disappointed. The food is great, the service great, the hotel and grounds are great. We stayed at 6 different Castle and Abbey hotels in our travels through Ireland. This was hands down my favorite.

Galway’s first 5 star hotel so don’t believe some other hotels claim to be the first!
I have stayed here mid week on business and is a really nice hotel. Older style ie wood everywhere but classy.
Family run and Brian the manager is a really nice guy.
Room are very well equipped as with any 5 star hotel.
Have only had breakfast there but my god what a breakfast! One of the best I have ever had. Had lunch there once too and I would highly recommend the club sandwich.
Grounds are very impressive which also include a golf course which seems to be regularly played with golfers on it every time I was there.
There is an actual abbey also attached to the hotel, I suppose hence the name.
Situated a few minutes drive outside the city so relaxation is on the cards but more hustle and bustle easily found in the city.
Hotel has 2 dining restaurants, one inside the hotel «The River Room» restaurant (where the amazing breakfast is served) and the second is the «The Pullman» restaurant which is 2 original carriages from the orient express. Pretty cool!