Having read the reviews on tripadvisor.com, we decided to give the Skeff a try. We got a good Internet deal, as we thought, so were happy to try it out.
On arrival we were happy with the nice reception and modern family room that we received.
Having returned after dinner that evening, we were getting ready to tuck in for the night, as we had a tour of Connemara booked for the following day and wanted to get a good nights sleep.
However, at 9pm, while watching some telly, we noticed a distinctive thum thum in the backgroud. This continued to get louder and louder.
At 9.30pm, we decided to investigate and discovered that our room was only a few doors down the corridor from the back door of the upstairs bar.
When we went down to reception to enquire, we were told that it would be going on all night. On our booking form, we had requested a quiet, smoking room, but had received a non smoking room only a few doors down from the bar. Because graduations were going on in Galway that week, the students were out in force.
We were offered a room move, but at 10pm at night, when you are already in your pyjamas and unpacked, this is not an option. We were also told that a manager was unavailable to speak to us at that time and would contact us in the morning. No manager ever did and we actually saw no management presence at all during our two night stay in the hotel.
We eventually nodded off at 1pm out of sheer exhaustion.
The following morning, we awoke tired but looking forward to our day in Galway. We headed down to breakfast to discover that it was served in the same bar which, a few hours earlier, had been a busy nightclub.
The floors were still sticky from the last nights drink and clearly had not been washed properly. The bar was dark and dimly lit-not very suitable for breakfast. We had to wait 30 minutes for our cooked breakfast and when it eventually did arrive, it was cold and congealed- not very appetising.
The noise was the same on the second night, if not worse. At this stage, it was quite clear that the bar was the number one focus for the hotel and not the hotel guests. At 2pm in the morning, when we had eventually nodded off, we were awoken by a late night reveller shouting on our corridor. It was obvious that he had escaped the confines of the bar onto our corridor next door.
We did not bother with breakfast the second morning, as it had been so bad on the first morning,and proceeded to check out.
At this stage, the hotel were trying to charge us double the rate that I had booked on the Internet. Because I had my confirmation from the website with me, I got charged the correct amount, but was told that the website in question would have to pick up the difference. No so, when it clearly stated on our confirmation, the total cost for a two night stay for bed and breakfast, and the hotel was charging us double the amount.
The rooms were lovely in this hotel, but when you cannot get a good nights sleep and a decent breakfast, this takes away from that. Also the hotels clear lack of care for hotel guests, when placing rooms so close to the thriving bar, shows that the bar is clearly the number one focus in the hotel, and not the paying guests. We will not be returning to stay at this hotel.
- Skeffington Arms Galway
- Hotel Skeffington Arms
