The staff at Aran Islands Hotel were very friendly and accommodating. We left our bags early in the day as we had an early flight, and checked in later in the afternoon after exploring the island. The room was quite spacious, and the bed fairly comfortable. However, there was only a couple of sachets of shower gel, no actual soap provided, so make sure you take your own.
Dinner was a simple affair, but tasty – we had a Cajun salmon (a welcome bit of spice) and a goat’s cheese salad. Quite pleasant, and the wine was palatable, too. After the meal we moved into the foyer area to get more reliable wifi reception, which was pleasant as we could still hear the live music and get some work done, too.
We were quite tired after a busy week and headed off to bed early (about 10:30pm). The other guests partied on for quite some time in the bar area, but luckily, we had a room at the end of a corridor, so we weren’t disturbed by either the music or the guests returning to their rooms.
The main problem we had with the hotel was a lack of hot water for showering. Other reviewers have mentioned ‘luke-warm’ water, but it really only felt luke-warm if using it in the sink, NOT the shower! I know that the place was only 3 star, but surely that should include hot water?
There were some issues with breakfast as well. If you are expecting a hot breakfast, that is not available until after 9am (and we had to leave for our flight at that time, so we couldn’t partake of this). Another slight was offering a jug of cordial for breakfast, not juice.
For the price this is still a reasonable option on Inishmore, and the staff really are lovely. Just be aware of some of the things that may cause dissatisfaction.
