What? A hotel rec?
No, this is not my travel report about our holiday in Ireland but a quick note about our lovely bed & breakfast place in beautiful Galway City. Instead of just mentioning it in my yet-to-come travel report, I thought I’d dedicate an individual page to The Stop B&B at Kilcullen House because it simply deserves it.
Let’s start at the beginning. Once upon a time I emailed The Stop to enquire about a room for the two of us. I had come across a recommendation in a German facebook group and was quite happy when we managed to book the number of nights we had planned at an affordable price. Considering the rave reviews I’d found on almost every travel website, it all sounded like a €uro well invested. Russell, our soon-to-be host, immediately offered advice and detailed contact information and seemed genuinely happy to have us there. That was back in December 2015.
Warm welcome
June 2016 finally came and we arrived in Galway City as planned. The Stop was rather easy to find (not counting the nerve-wracking driving on the “wrong side” of the road). It’s located just a tiny bit outside of the city centre. Later we should learn that it’s mere 5 walking minutes to the old town of Galway and about 10 minutes to the beach in Salthill (the “place to be” for sunsets as Russell mentioned later). The walking times are estimates only. Rain might make you walk faster and there is certainly always a moment to spare to take a closer look around. For some reason we’ve come to enjoy our little walks across the nearby Wolfe Bridge but let’s save this for the actual travel report.
Russell greeted us warmly and like we’d known each other for years and advised how to find the parking lot behind the house. The road was impossibly narrow but, so he claimed, if they could do it, we could do it as well. At least, on the small road we did not have to worry about a left or right side. ;-). Oh, what adventures!
Stylish and yet homely
Room # 7 was ours, and we found ourselves in a neat, clean and artistic room with ensuite bathroom. No television as Rus had advised at the beginning but who needed the distraction of TV in a cosy, atmospheric house like this? (WiFi was free, by the way.)
The ground floor housed the breakfast room, kitchen and living room. What a charming place, that was my first thought. Everything seemed to be (and probably was) at its destined spot. From the stylish lamp with its old-fashioned and yet artistic light bulb to the comfortable sofa with its colourful pillows and side tables the atmosphere in these rooms was nothing but homelike. What must have been hard work to create felt like a place where warmth, love and tranquility unite. Tea lights and unobstrusive chains of light added to this wonderful atmosphere of peace and quiet. Discreet background music jingled through the rooms, jazz style, completing the circle of indescribable magic.
Russell explained the essentials. Breakfast was served daily from 8.00 to 10 a.m. A blackboard in the breakfast room showed the various choices of a veggie, sweet or substantial start of the day. In additional, muesli, fruit, cheese, jam, honey and home-baked bread were offered as a buffet. Every evening we could write down our choice of breakfast for the next day and leave it on the table so that it could be prepared once we decided to crawl out of bed.
What can I tell you? We tried all versions of breakfast and they were all delicious! Scrabbled eggs with tomatoes, basil, olive oil. Sausage. Greek feta cheese. We were in heaven every morning! The muesli was fantastic, too, and I am thrilled to report that you can find the recipe of the muesli on The Stop’s website.
Russell and his team provided help and advice on all things imaginable. From a hand-drawn map of the city centre with recs of where to eat and go to driving directions through Connemara. Whatever it was, they had an answer, a recommendation or advice.
My advice for today: Try the Noodle House on Middle Street. Awesome, simply awesome!
So, my little review of The Stop B&B comes to an end with the promise that we will be back for sure. Thanks again for your hospitality and kindness. (And here’s to Galway2020!)