Galway is well known for its diverse calendar of festivals which take place throughout the year and the first of the important ones, the Cuirt, the International Festival of Literature, takes place this year from 12th to 17th April. Some of the authors are taking part in this festival for the first time but there will also be a lot of Irish writers whose literary talent has been recognised nationally and abroad. Dermot Healy, Paul Murray and Valerie Hemingway are among the names participating in this year’s literature festival.

Although there is a wide range of accommodation available in Galway from top hotels to B&Bs it is advisable to book in advance during festival time to avoid disappointment and to get the best rates possible.

The Meyrick Hotel in Galway is the official hotel for the festival. It is an elegant Victorian four star hotel located right on Eyre Square in city centre of Galway. Lots of shops, theatres, restaurants and pubs are just a short walk from the hotel. The hotel is booked out for the weekend of the festival but rooms can be had from the Tuesday through to Thursday from €115 per room per night. The Harbour Hotel is another four star establishment  located in the...Click to read more about Uncategorized

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Galway offers luxurious four star city centre accommodation from where guests can admire spectacular views of the world-famous Galway Bay. Located on the waterfront of Lough Atalia, the hotel overlooks Galway Bay and is just a 15 minute drive from Galway Airport, 200 metres from Eyre Square and a few minutes walking distance to Galway city centre. Galway Racecourse is just a 10 minute drive and all the rooms at the Radisson Galway hotel have free Wi-Fi so you can stay in touch with the crazy world outside after being pampered at the hotel spa.

The Spirit One Spa has a large relaxation area, with an ample menu of therapies including massages, body wraps, manicures, pedicures, facials etc. Ole Henriksen and Elemis Spa treatments are also available in this luxurious Glaway hotel. The hotel has an indoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi and an outdoor hot tub which overlooks Lough Atalia.

This hotel is now offering special rates to those guests who choose to stay 2 or 3 nights in this establishment in Galway. There is a 15 percent reduction off the total price that is applied when staying for 3 nights at the hotel and a 10 percent reduction when booking 2...Click to read more about Uncategorized

During these difficult economic times in Ireland it is important to take advantage of any opportunity for a celebration and Galway will be just the place to do that during the 2011 St Patrick’s Festival. Like most towns in Ireland, from 16th to 18th March, Galway will become a celebration of art, music, and street festivals, with the parade on 17th March being the highlight of the festivities. The festival will start at 8pm on Wednesday 16th with live music at the Spanish Arch. The main Parade will start at 12.30 on 17th March and the celebrations with music and entertainment for all age groups will continue during the rest of the day and well into the night. The end of this year’s festival will be on Friday with street theatre from 6pm and and live music at the Town Hall Theatre with The Molly Hicks band at 8pm.

Due to the popularity of Saint Patrick’s Day festival most hotels in Galway are almost fully booked for those dates but it is not too late to enjoy and celebrate this special day and accommodation is still available in some hotels. For example, The Menlo Park hotel is a four star hotel located within walking...Click to read more about Uncategorized

The latest industry report from City Occupancy Hotel Index and Savills shows that in 2010 the hotels in Galway managed to charge more per room than any other city in Ireland and that hoteliers in the city outperformed everywhere else in the country, benefiting from what could almost be termed a mini ‘boom’. The report also found that, on average, Galway was the most expensive city to get a hotel room in last year achieving the highest average room rates in Ireland of €87 per person which actually represented a 6% premium on the average price of hotels in Dublin.

However, Paul Gill, Chairman of the Galway Branch of the Irish Hotels Federation sounded a more cautious note and said that the headline figures did not tell the whole story and that the figures were somewhat skewed due to the fact that only 15 out of the 45 hotels in Galway are included in the Index, whereas all 200 Dublin hotels are taken into account. As the figures included the higher-end Galway hotels this would obviously push the average price a bit higher. Mr Gill, who owns the Claregalway hotel located just outside the city, indicated that in reality rates in 2010 were still down between...Click to read more about Uncategorized