Park House Hotel

The Park House Hotel is housed in a Victorian-style stone building festooned with pretty flowers lining a ledge above the entrance flanked by white columns. The hotel is traditionally decorated with antique-style furnishings and decor, including patterned carpets and Oriental rugs, wooden paneling, and faux marble statues. The effect is a bit dated in places, as if the hotel has not been updated much since its 1975 opening, but is clean, well-maintained, and elegant. The lobby is filled with patterned couches and leather armchairs surrounding wooden coffee tables. Colors are dark, with lots of burgundy and navy hues that are paired with wooden furniture and cream walls, many of which are covered with black-and-white photographs depicting a Galway of yesteryear. Even the hallways and stairways are covered with richly patterned carpets, with lots of sitting nooks in common areas throughout the hotel accompanied by antique tables and large decorative vases.

The hotel’s Boss Doyles Bar draws a lot of locals who infuse the space with an authentic and friendly atmosphere. Beautiful oak paneled walls are covered with intricately hand-carved decorative details and stained glass. Wooden booth seating and chairs are upholstered with patterned fabrics and floors are covered in decorative tiling. The hotel’s restaurant also attracts plenty of local residents as well as guests with its renowned food. The space is filled with dark wooden tables and specially commissioned oil paintings of old Galway on the walls. 

The hotel draws plenty of families but mostly couples, and the clientele tends to be on the mature side.

The Park House Hotel is centrally located on a busy street around the corner from Eyre Square. There are several restaurants and bars in the immediate area, and most top sights are a short walk away, including the Spanish Arch (nine minutes away), Lynch’s Castle (six minutes away), St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church (seven minutes away), and the Galway City Museum (10 minutes away). The waterfront is a five-minute walk from the hotel. The train and bus station is right around the corner.

There are three types of rooms available at the Park House Hotel: Superior, Deluxe, and Junior Suites. Traditionally decorated with wooden furniture and soft, warm colors, rooms have comfortable beds with high-quality bedding and organic goose down duvets, as well as work desks, flat-screen TVs (some rooms have old tube TVs), and electric kettles, though only the Deluxe Rooms and Junior Suites have minibars. Freebies include Wi-Fi and daily newspapers, as well as bottled mineral water and handmade Irish chocolates in Deluxe Rooms and Junior Suites. Bathrooms, though small, are clean and tiled in white, with shower/tub combos and stocked with eco-friendly toiletries.

The hotel’s restaurant and bar is popular with locals and guests alike. The Park House Restaurant serves a French menu with Irish influences and an emphasis on seafood and seasonal, locally sourced ingredients; it has won several awards through the years. Breakfast is available, though for an added fee. Boss Doyle’s Bar also offers a lunch and evening bar food menu in a more casual setting, as well as an extensive selection of beers, wines, and cocktails. Guests can also have a drink at the hotel’s Residents Bar.

Parking is available by the hotel, though for a fee. Freebies include Wi-Fi and daily newspapers.