We had stayed at two of the nicest hotels in Ireland before coming to the Kinlay. Really. The Shelbourne in Dublin, and Mount Juliet Estate between Dublin & Cork. Clearly Kinlay is not near that level of quality, service, luxury. But, we didn't expect that for the three day side-trip to Galway. If you want a clean, well-located, and much-better-than-youd-expect experience for a "hostal" this place will be a winner. Very simple rooms, without air-conditioning and extra furniture, but a perfectly comfortable place to sleep and possibly meet someone very interesting. Safe & secure protections for entry, movement within the facility, etc. make this place okay even for families. I stayed with my 14-yr old daughter and had a private room including en suite bathroom (not luxurious. but got the job done) and it was perfectly fine for our needs. No food service. No real "service" of any kind, but very friendly and helpful employees helping however they could. Reduced parking rate down the street. Absolutely perfect location to bars, restaurants, activity within the center city and Latin Quarter. I would not hesitate to stay here again by myself and/or with my family. Simple, but met our needs.

No A/C for us soft Americans, but most of the time in Ireland that's not needed anyway. If you know what you're booking with this place there really is nothing to not like.

Very clean rooms and comfy beds. We had private room for three with bathroom and it was amazing. The plug set up at the beds was very useful. K The breakfasts were excellent with massive selection and the kitchen set up for self catering was superb. The central location made nightlife so easy and safe.

The only thing is that the first day coming out of my room 214 turned left instead of right and ended up in a creepy parkade stairwell feeling confused and unsafe. I found my way out and most certainly did not read signage somewhere along the way I have to think. Maybe I’m the only one but if not maybe increase the signage or make the ‘exit’ door unusable.

I cannot fault my stay here and can see why it's been voted the best hostel in Ireland! The staff were very friendly. The rooms are separate from the social areas and corridor doors closed during quiet hours, so you're not disturbed by people being social later into the evening. The bathrooms are set out nicely - toilets on one side and shower cubicles on the other - neither were fully occupied at any time I used the facilities. The rooms were awesome - privacy curtain, storage cage under the bottom bunk, shelf with plug and USB sockets and a light, comfy pillow and nice bedding. Breakfast was a decent set up - everything that was needed and alternatives available and labelled.

The breakfast was really fantastic. A nice varieties of cereals and bread. There is ample sitting area where you can sit to have your breakfast - a quieter area or where the crowd is. A stone's throw away from Galway Ceannt station. Also, the 4-persons room I was staying in was quiet at night and the 3 others in the room were understanding to not make a lot of noise when they came in at night. The kitchen was a flurries of activities. Everyone is cooking different food and it is nice to interact with others from various countries. The location was also not too far away from Lidl / Aldi where one can get some food to cook. Another thing to mention is that there is a "quiet section" where the doors will be closed at night so that the other not-so-quiet section would not disturb those in the quiet section. That is really great if you want to have a good rest for your next day itinerary.

The toilets and showers are a distance away from the room. The are a male and a female toilet on each end of the floor. This means that it depends on which end of the floor your room is. My room is on the other end of the floor where the male toilet is. If there are male and female toilets on both ends of the floor, that would be great.

My stay at the hostel in Galway was excellent! We were warmly welcomed by Roberto, who explained all the facilities and gave us great tips for local tours. Our room, although booked as mixed, had only women, which made me feel more comfortable. The women’s bathroom was spotless, spacious, with hot water and soap provided. Breakfast was fresh and varied, with bread, yogurt, porridge, cereals, jam, fruit, and coffee. The common areas are beautiful and cozy, and we were able to store our backpacks safely and stay at the hostel before our train. In the afternoon, there was 1€ coffee, free fruit, milk, and biscuits, and even when we missed our train, we were warmly welcomed back. Impeccable service and excellent facilities, we highly recommended!

Breakfast suggestion: add eggs or ham

Easily the nicest hostel I’ve stayed at EVER! The rooms were spotless, the free breakfast was generous and delicious, the bathrooms were very clean and maintained regularly, the common area was constantly cleaned and maintained by the staff making it easy to sit and relax, the location is less than 5-10 minutes from most major attractions, FLAWLESS! I felt so spoiled here! I’ll definitely stay here again next time I visit Galway.

Everything was spectacular! The only two very small critiques I have are these: 1. The beds are a bit on the harder side, so if you’re super sensitive to that I’d recommend grabbing an extra comforter from the front desk to lie on 2. The location is near a few popular pubs so the patrons exiting the pub can be a little loud at night, (which really doesn’t have anything to do with the hostel!)

We celebrated our wedding anniversary during our stay with them and they went above and beyond to help us treasure our time with them. We were so blown away by their thoughtfulness and hospitality! At first, I was a little concerned booking a single room in the hostel, wondering if it would get rowdy at night, but that was never a problem at all. Our room was comfortable, the breakfast was nice, and from all of the events that were posted on the walls, I can tell that the staff are dedicated to making their hostel a welcoming, vibrant, and unforgettable experience for all guests. This truly is a gem of the place and I am so glad that we stayed with them.

The single room didn't come with shampoo. That's understandable, being a hostel, but I was unprepared for that. Toiletries can be purchased at the desk, but it would be nice if they were also included. That's super minor though! We loved our stay!

This hostel is surprisingly good at what it does. It is modern, clean, well-organized, offers breakfast and has got an unbeatable location next to Eyre square. There's an office that sells tours and other entertainment to guests on premise. You can make use of the kitchen outside breakfast hours, and you can use the fridge/freezer.

The four person room was really cramped for our family of three. Barely any storage space in room and bathroom. Tiny sink in room (instead of bathroom) with push button faucet wasn't great either.

liked the spacious room, i like the whole curtain thing on the bunk bed and having a light and power point. the linen and airflow of the room was super comfortable and fresh. There was a toilet /shower inside the room and a large shower room directly outside the bedroom which was clean and comfortable. The main communal areas were very comfortable, staff friendly , and they play really good music.

Whilst the breakfast is really good, i would have liked to have had greek yoghurt on the museli selection, and they didnt have standard bread or a toaster.

The free breakfast is super. The kitchen is big enough to let you cook what you want. There is everything that you can need in the kitchen. And the dinning room is cool and you can always find a place to sit. I really appreciate the fact that there is curtains around the bed so you can have some privacy and can sleep even if someone is reading. The free luggage room is a plus, so you can let your bag all the day to visit the city. The reception's personal is really kind and make everything to satisfy you, so really, thank you !

Nothing, everything was perfect.