The Hostelz.com Review
Far from the bustling city life of Dublin and Cork is Sleepzone Connemara, tucked into the beautiful scenic mountains of County Galway, Ireland. The newly remodeled interior and helpful, friendly staff of this hostel make a great first impression. The dorm rooms are remodeled too (and quite roomy), each with an en-suite bathroom.
In order to get to the hostel, one has limited options. It appears that most guests use cars, although many take advantage of the relatively inexpensive shuttle that runs from Sleepzone Galway (their sister hostel) to Sleepzone Connemara. This shuttle only runs once a day and sometimes at inconvenient times. The actual Bus Eireann stop (in Leenane "town center") is quite a long walk from the Sleepzone Connemara hostel, but apparently sometimes the Sleepzone staff can arrange for the bus to stop closer to their hostel.
The bathrooms and bedrooms are cleaned often. The kitchen and dining facilities are very clean as well. Free breakfast includes coffee/tea, toast, and cereal. Breakfast is usually a lively time, where people meet each other (if there are a lot of people staying). There is also one computer with free internet (if someone isn't hogging it already!).
Sleepzone Connemara is basically secluded in the wilderness, which could be a nice thing if you like nature. But if you're looking for things to do, you have some options. Killary Adventure Company is Sleepzone's neighbor, but classes fill up quickly, especially during the summer, so a reservation is the best bet if you want to go kayaking or rock climbing (or any of its wide variety of activities). If you don't have a car, your options are more limited. Walking around the nearby Killary Fjord is a scenic hike. Also, Sleepzone rents bicycles for the day, and many things (Kylemore Abbey and Connemara Park) are within cycling distance.
The fact that Sleepzone Connemara is secluded also brings about a friendly atmosphere between guests. At night, most people stay inside (Connemara nightlife is nonexistent) so the Sleepzone is where it's at! There is a TV room, where people gather to watch sports games or television programs, there is a nice dining room to socialize in, and there is also a bar/lounge room with a jukebox and pool table.
The friendly staff and lovely accommodations make this hostel worth staying at. Just make sure you know that you are not going into a city. If you don't have a car, be prepared to get moving (either on a bike or foot) to see the beauty of Connemara!
In order to get to the hostel, one has limited options. It appears that most guests use cars, although many take advantage of the relatively inexpensive shuttle that runs from Sleepzone Galway (their sister hostel) to Sleepzone Connemara. This shuttle only runs once a day and sometimes at inconvenient times. The actual Bus Eireann stop (in Leenane "town center") is quite a long walk from the Sleepzone Connemara hostel, but apparently sometimes the Sleepzone staff can arrange for the bus to stop closer to their hostel.
The bathrooms and bedrooms are cleaned often. The kitchen and dining facilities are very clean as well. Free breakfast includes coffee/tea, toast, and cereal. Breakfast is usually a lively time, where people meet each other (if there are a lot of people staying). There is also one computer with free internet (if someone isn't hogging it already!).
Sleepzone Connemara is basically secluded in the wilderness, which could be a nice thing if you like nature. But if you're looking for things to do, you have some options. Killary Adventure Company is Sleepzone's neighbor, but classes fill up quickly, especially during the summer, so a reservation is the best bet if you want to go kayaking or rock climbing (or any of its wide variety of activities). If you don't have a car, your options are more limited. Walking around the nearby Killary Fjord is a scenic hike. Also, Sleepzone rents bicycles for the day, and many things (Kylemore Abbey and Connemara Park) are within cycling distance.
The fact that Sleepzone Connemara is secluded also brings about a friendly atmosphere between guests. At night, most people stay inside (Connemara nightlife is nonexistent) so the Sleepzone is where it's at! There is a TV room, where people gather to watch sports games or television programs, there is a nice dining room to socialize in, and there is also a bar/lounge room with a jukebox and pool table.
The friendly staff and lovely accommodations make this hostel worth staying at. Just make sure you know that you are not going into a city. If you don't have a car, be prepared to get moving (either on a bike or foot) to see the beauty of Connemara!
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
October 2006
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The Connemara Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Our staying at this hostel was very pleasant. the location is excellent, and the visit is worth it. The hostel is quite old, but it's ok. The staff was very helpful. We asked for a six dorm for five people and were given two rooms at the price of dorm for five, great! It's a wonderful place to rest the hanging over from Galway. Do not expect so much of the internet service (there is a computer, it is online, but so slow -- at least it's for free). — Unai , Spain (2007-04-25) Good hostel, but pretty expensive. Quiet location but the road to get there is very narrow and in very bad shape, full of potholes. One extraordinary memory is definitely the midges, those invasive gnats teeming up there, rushing everywhere there is room for them, under your clothes, in your mouth if you're too talkative, and stuck on the ceiling in the bathroom if you happen to leave the roofwindow open for a while! Kitchen was clean but a little too small for the number of people using it, nice common room and the best dining room I've seen on my trip, a warm and cosy place. When we were there, it was crowded with French people, and as we wanted to speak English, it was a bit disappointing. This is probably due to the fact that all French people know the Connemara through a famous French song talking about it. Bad point, we had to intervene not to get nabbed because we had paid for three nights in a six-bed dorm and had to move on the second night in an eight-bed dorm, member of staff did not spontaneously reimburse the price difference. We had to ask for it several times until we actually got our cash back. It was not a lot of money, but that's for the principle. By the way, the summer staff there is composed of many youngsters who like partying among themselves but who are not really open to other lodgers, some of them were really unfriendly and distant. We ended up in a dorm in which one of the female staff members was sleeping too, waiting for another accommodation, and she had simply requisitioned the bathroom, spreading her cosmetics, shampoos all over the place and hanging her bra at the door hook, whereas there were five other people using the bathroom. Inconsiderate person. Oh yes, do not use the campers' facilities if you have a room, they are the dirtiest I have ever seen (of course, certain people had a shower with their muddy boots on). — Mike, France (2006-10-03) It's a very nice hostel, situated quite upside the only one irish fjord in the Connemera National Park. Nice view from the hostel, signs near the fjord and also 50km away tell you where to go. Anyway it's quite hard to find the gateway from the street to the hostel. It takes a 1km country lane away from the road. From the hostel there's a footpath down to the fjord. Free internet is granted, and also breakfast facilities are included, and in the evening there's a pub open for the guests. Very nice staff! Very nice location, very clean! We (my dad [77 years old] and me [25]) enjoyed our stay. It's about 1 hour to drive from Galway. — Anonymous (2005-12-15)