The Connemara Lake is a super hotel, with a great manager. I do a lot of travelling, both business and leisure, and this place comes very high in my estimation.
I stayed in Oughterard early August 2009, while travelling from the UK, via Shannon, to Mayo, to meet up with my family following a bereavement. The timing wasn't great, as it was the school holidays and the weekend of the Galway races. As a result, I had serious trouble finding somewhere to stay to break up my journey.

Let me cut the story short -- I was driving through Oughterard and called into the Connemara Lake without much of a hope, because the place looked too good! Surely they would be booked up? But fortunately for me, they had only just opened, and had a room available. Much more important, the proprietor, Ivan, made me feel incredibly welcome. while the two girls who looked after me while a room was being sorted out were genuinely charming and friendly.

As for the hotel itself, it turned out to be absolutely fantastic. The room I stayed in was beautiful. White, minimalistic, nicely designed with modern bathroom fittings. My only criticism is a weird one -- there were 14 electric plug sockets! Why so many in a single room? I asked the boss, Ivan, the next day, and he admitted that there may have been a 2-for-1 offer at the DIY store the day the electricians stocked up! But I normally grumble about hotel rooms having too few sockets, so it's not a serious complaint.

Because the hotel was new, the Wi-Fi wasn't operational, but I was assured me that it would be working within days. As this wasn't a business trip, I didn't mind.
After checking in, I had a superb, hot shower in the state-of-the-art bathroom, before going for a wander around Oughterard, which turns out to be a typically lovely, small Irish town. I was stopping only one night, but the locals urged me to come back to sample the famous fishing. Apparently the local lake and river are world-famous trout and salmon fishing spots. Boating and golf are other celebrated local activities.
I must admit that my preoccupations were more sedentary. There are plenty of places in this small town to find a nice pint of Guinness, and I sampled 3 or 4 of them. I made sure my final port of call was the hotel bar at the Connemara Lake. My plan was to have a single, final pint as a night-cap but the black stuff was so beautifully kept and served here, that I extended that to 2-ish!

The ground floor restaurant is very popular, and it’s easy to see why: the menu is modern, but not pretentious. My lasagne and salad was really tasty, and while I didn’t have a pudding, they looked like the sort of things my wife would swoon over.

After a good night's sleep came breakfast, which was perfect -- the full Irish, served on a massive square plate, the size of a paving slab.

The best recommendation I can give for the Lake is this --- I am going back to Connemara next April with a small party of around 6-8. I had already provisionally booked a hotel in Galway City, but I've cancelled it and booked with Ivan at the Connemara Lake instead. We are giving Oughterard and the Connemara Lake the business they deserve. I have sometimes found Irish hotels to be a little expensive and lacking in facilities, but here at last is a place that I will happily come back to. They deserve to succeed, and I can recommend with confidence. You won't be disappointed.