Barnacles Hostel

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

Auberge de jeunesse ouverte aux personnes de tous âges.
Accueil très correct, petit déjeuner gratuit et à volonté entre 7H30 et 9H30.
Linge de lit + couette + oreiller fournis
Idéalement placée devant le pub The Quays.
Lieux sympa pour les fêtards.
Pour ceux qui souhaitent y séjourner dans le cadre d’un emploi à Galway, demandez un chambre qui né donne pas sur la rue qui est très bruyante la nuit.
Je connais cette adresse depuis 2002 et la qualité y est constante.