The Hostelz.com Review
Sleepzone Hostel is an excellent hostel. It is five minutes away by foot from the bus and train station. Additionally, it is about three minutes from the major pedestrian street running throughout Galway. And since Galway is such a tiny town, this means you're not more than a few minutes walk from any pub, store, or site that you may want to see. The park (which unfortunately is under construction at the time of this review) is less than a minute away.
Inside the hostel, things are just as nice. The staff are very friendly and helpful (though you may need to ask for your HI discount if you are a member -- they didn't ask). They also feature free internet access for their guests, and not just one computer, but a whole room full! Additionally, there is a tv room for guests to relax in.
An all-you-can-eat breakfast is offered, featuring cereal and juice along with the usual bread/jam/butter and coffee/tea. And the kitchen/eating area is very nice and spacious.
The bedrooms are a little crowded -- the bunks definitely maximize the available space. But with private bathrooms for each suite and hall bathrooms, it is plenty convenient for everyone.
All in all, Sleepzone is a nice hostel at a reasonable price.
Inside the hostel, things are just as nice. The staff are very friendly and helpful (though you may need to ask for your HI discount if you are a member -- they didn't ask). They also feature free internet access for their guests, and not just one computer, but a whole room full! Additionally, there is a tv room for guests to relax in.
An all-you-can-eat breakfast is offered, featuring cereal and juice along with the usual bread/jam/butter and coffee/tea. And the kitchen/eating area is very nice and spacious.
The bedrooms are a little crowded -- the bunks definitely maximize the available space. But with private bathrooms for each suite and hall bathrooms, it is plenty convenient for everyone.
All in all, Sleepzone is a nice hostel at a reasonable price.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2004
Their Description
HI - Galway - Sleepzone Hostel Details
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HI - Galway - Sleepzone Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Very good It was our first stay at the slepzone, and we are more than satisfied. The hostel is more like a simple hotel, than a hostel. The staff was very sympathetic, everything was clean, and the location perfect. — Lea , Germany (2012-05-13) This hostel was great! The location is convenient and quiet.The staff were very friendly and helpful. I was in the nine-bed female dorm and it was big and clean and even had an en-suite bathroom, and a balcony. There was free internet which was hard to get on, but it was worth the wait to get it free! It's a great place to stay and great value for your money. — Anonymous (2007-07-07) Nice hostel, close to the bus station, quiet, helpful staff, nice kitchen, good price for value! — Jack , USA (2007-05-05) Our staying at this hostel was very good. It is always good to stay in Galway and this time it was greater because of the hostel. The hostel is very well located (short walk to the pubs but in a very quiet place not far from supermarkets). The most positive thing the friendly and helpful staff at the front desk. Something not in the average -- the space in the rooms (quite small rooms). Something negative -- not enough of a kitchen when you have to share it with large groups (like forty people). Something not acceptable -- breakfast is enough short to run out of juice at 8 o'clock in the morning. Anyway, our feeling to this hostel is very positive. — Unai , spain (2007-04-25) This was a very nice hostel. Just off the main square, but still very close to everything. The room was clean, each room had its own bathroom, which was very nice. Our room was through a door at the end of the main hallway down a separate hallway, which smelled like mold, but that was the only bad thing about it. Free internet, shower was warm. Security was good, you had to use your key card to get to the floors with rooms on them, and to get into the building at all past a certain hour. They give you breakfast in the morning, which is small but more than I would have expected from anywhere else. Nice place! I would stay there again. — Stephanie , USA (2007-04-04) It's not as central as some other places, but since Galway is so small it doesn't really matter, plus its quieter. The staff were friendly, the six-bed dorm very clean but very small. However we were only staying a night.
Never made it to the breakfast but I'm sure it was fine, and we all complained that the ten a.m. checkout was too early. Galway is a party town, and you want to sleep till ten a.m. to get rid of that hangover. Free internet was a bonus. — L Hill (2006-04-18) I found the hostel dorm clean and tidy. Luckily it was September so I had a dorm and bathroom for my own use for the one night I was there. I can imagine the place gets really crowded at the height of summer! The en suite bathroom was clean and there was hot water aplenty. Free breakfast provided, but I didn't bother, as it's a queue to the one sink to clear up your plates, etc! Staff were helpful and hostel had secure card system and lockers available. I found that some people obviously didn't read the notices about being quiet at night — the slamming doors! But expected it, I suppose. Easy access to city center nearby. — Nick R. (2005-09-18) Well, I personally thought this was an excellent hostel. One of the reasons was that this was the only place in Ireland where we didn't have to get out of the room in order to go to the toilet or to take a shower. The TV lounge was legend, and the cooking facilities were good, except for breakfast, which was chaotic and took a long time.
On the last evening HOWEVER, a room was broken in to. Six girls from our group were in a room on the ground floor right next to the open street. One night we went out for dinner, and when we came back the window had been smashed. They were moved to another hostel, but nothing was stolen and they didn't get to take their luggage, as the police had to come. The staff didn't really do anything, as far as I can remember.
I met some interesting people there though, and I'd definitely recommend it, but be aware of possible theft and keep your valuables on you. — Simon (2005-09-04) Although this hostel doesn't have the intimate hostel feel some have, I thought that the free Internet, fine breakfast and relatively quiet rooms made up for it. The rooms are a bit small — I still don't know how they fit ten beds into the room I was in. — Inky (2005-05-25) The staff here are excellent — very friendly and helpful, and always had the guests' interests at heart. It's very convenient to have en suite bathrooms and the rooms were clean (but our sheets were a little sandy). We appreciated the free Internet and the numerous terminals that were available for the guests. The hostel had a big kitchen and we were able to cook our meals without having to wait for the others because there were several cooking stations for the guests. Security was tight and we felt safe here. There were quite a few noisy guests here, but it's certainly not the fault of the hostel. Just bring your earplugs — same as when you're staying in other hostels. Overall, the staff charmed us with their excellent hospitality, and we loved this hostel very much. It is definitely one of the best hostels in Europe and highly recommended. We will definitely stay here again if we get a chance to visit Galway. Excellent! — Anonymous (2005-05-09) It was very nice. The first night I had a room with two girls whom I hung out with the whole night. The next night it was two old guys who snored all night. The free Internet rocks and more then half the time you didn't even have to wait. The breakfast is kind of a mess, but the place was fun. — Craig (2004-10-17) This is one of the best hostels I have ever stayed at. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. The location is very convenient. The rooms were very nice, and for the most part, clean. — Heather (2004-10-02) This is a great hostel, the best that we stayed at throughout our whole entire trip. The room and the en suite bathroom were clean and pretty big. The kitchen/dining area was spacious, although breakfast was only toast for the two days that we were here. The hostel is in a great location, because it's within walking distance to the city center and the tourist information place. The free Internet access was definitely a big plus. However, half the computers in the area were not working. The staff were friendly. I would definitely stay here again if I go back to Galway. — Aida (2004-10-02) Good points: the staff were really friendly; free Internet; good location; and a great place to meet people from all over the world.
Bad point: a horrible bed-assigning system. In the week that I stayed here, they moved me around to different rooms five out of the seven days. It's a serious pain, as you have to move out before checkout time and put your stuff in storage every time. The storage area can get very crowded, so you try to cut corners on some things, such as toilet paper, etc.
Summary: One of the best hostels in Europe. I would definitely stay here again! But guys, next time someone makes a reservation three months in advance, try to stick'em in one bed for the whole time :> — BC (2004-09-08) The rooms and bathroom were decent. It was hugely overcrowded, though. Kitchen facilities were good, but my three stars go to the free Internet access! Plus, they exchange traveller's cheques! — Anonymous (2004-08-23)