Connemara Sands Beach Hotel & Spa

Ireland , County Galway
Ballyconneely, Mannin Bay
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

23 Oct 2025

Deirdre

Very friendly and helpful staff. Breakfast was one of the best I have had at a hotel. Great variety and freshly made. The evening meal was of a very high standard and a good choice menue.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Oct 2025

Belinda

Staff wonderful, breakfast gourmet style
Area around hotel out of this world and beach and water super.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Oct 2025

Hannah

Fantastic on all areas. Would love to revisit

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2025

Ron

Room was spacious and clean, staff were sparse at times but all very helpful and cheerful. The area is even more gorgeous than we imagined! All food was spectacular, decadent, and very well presented. Couldve used additional staff for dinner service, but hard to complain when the food and drink was so fantastic.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Sep 2025

Lynn

This hotel was the highlight of our trip to Ireland. Though we met kind strangers and viewed indescribable beauty in our travels around Ireland, the isolated, quiet and luxury of the Connemara Sands was a balm for our souls and a treat to the senses. The menu was thoughtful and the food first class; the accommodations were roomy and tasteful with views of the Connemara landscape and sheep roaming cliffside. A special thank you to staff member, Marion who was there every morning to greet us with a cheery smile , recommendations and true Irish hospitality. We will return to this beautiful haven.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jul 2025

Lisa

We spent 2 wonderful nights here! It’s beautiful. The food and staff were great. I’d definitely recommend a spa treatment or 2.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

02 Jul 2025

JOHN

Hotel was geared mainly for people using the spaas there was no guest lounge to seat in and read. We paid extra to have a room with a sitting room so we could sit and read.
Breakfast was brilliant lots of different choices and tasty.
We booked the hotel for three days and found very little space to put your clothes.
The restaurant was good but quite expensive.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jun 2025

Tony

Staff was lovely and the beach was absolutely breathtaking!!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2025

Robert

Highly recommend!

A stunning hotel and an absolutely beautiful location.

Hotel decor on point at every level and throughout, no short cuts taken or spending held back.

Rooms super clean, generous size, warm and comfortable.

Service in the hotel was incredible throughout and from every Team member, a credit to the owners.

Food at breakfast and the dinner menu were both excellent and the highest level.

Can’t wait to rebook for a few nights in the summer!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Oct 2024

Olive

Lovely break

We stayed in self catering house just few yards from the hotel. The house had everything we needed, was very clean and comfortable too. We ate in hotel on first night. Food was excellent. Hotel is very well decorated and clean. Staff were helpful, especially Marian and Kylie. Didn’t use the spa nor the sauna (which you have to pay extra for). The sauna is by the small private beach. Definitely would highly recommend this place.

Partner

2/10

Poor

14 Aug 2024

Anna

A very disappointing stay, would not recommend

We booked a deluxe Double Room with garden view. There was barely enough room to walk around the bed let alone open our suitcases. The bed near enough filled the room. The on-suite door to the shower room opened either onto the basin or onto the bed. There was no bath as shown in the room. Our view was the car park. After a long wait at reception, I asked if we had been given the correct room as it didn't have a garden view. I was told to look past the car park to see the garden. Finally, the air vent on the ceiling was covered up.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2024

Mary

Gorgeous! On the water Wished I booked a longer stay. Restaurant for dinner was excellent.
Breakfast was excellent too

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2024

William

Quiet room. Big parking lot. On the beach. Lots of things to do.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2024

Grant

Great place to stay, close to the beach, peaceful and quite

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Sep 2023

Melody

Stunning location; very helpful and friendly staff; delicious breakfast.

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2023

Jamie

All the staff and the Owners were extremely supportive, helpful. Great place

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 May 2023

catherine

Thoroughly enjoyed staying at Sands, the accomodation / staff and location were excellent. I will definitely be booking a return trip.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2023

Ruth

The food was SO good! Our room was bigger than my apartment in NYC with an achingly beautiful view. Everyone was so accommodating and lovely and fun. I hope we get back there soon & in the summer for more ocean activities. Sauna was heavenly.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Apr 2023

Carl

Excellent

Excellent Great experience and lovely staff. Food incredible

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jul 2022

Maryann

Wonderful food and service
Beautiful location

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2020

Michael

Beautiful hotel in an amazingly beautiful setting.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2019

Robert

We had a great family weekend at the hotel with our kids at the end of October mid term break. Lovely beach 5 minutes walk away. Holiday homes were well stocked and had everything that we needed. Great food at the hotel which was an added bonus to our trip. We will definitely return again.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Lovely hotel

Lovely hotel in a beautiful location. Would definitely recommend.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

12 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

It was a nice place to relax Dinner was nice. Room was very nice with a beautiful view.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

We loved this place. Watched the sunset from the beach there. The bartender, Paddy, was friendly and funny. This was our favorite stay in Ireland.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

18 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Room was very nice; bar menu very poor and service average despite it being pretty quiet

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 May 2019

Verified traveler

Very quiet location and had great views of the sea.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Apr 2019

Nancy

Booked this place months ago. Site said they had a self catering family cottage. They didn’t. They called to let us know they didn’t have cottages but apartment type room, a few days after booking. An hour before arriving after a day of travel & site seeing they called to say there were electrical issues and they could put us in a suit with same number of beds but no kitchen. Let us know they had restraunt there. We accepted the different room, but what else can you do on long weekend at 6 pm at night. They would make reservations for us if we wanted. We chose to eat in town we visit in the day as the resultant prices for our family to have breakfast was to be €40 Next morning however I was curious & went back to site to see what room rate difference was. Found site changed to state only rooms , no self catering rooms at all. They also included breakfast in room cost. We called to ask if they would comp our breakfast & were told us as welcome binder stated we could get a discount. A while later they called back & said basic breakfast was free for Easter. So the hotel made up some of the issue with a free breakfast. Still all in all we had to pay for a few more meals out over our long weekend due to not having what we paid for. If we hadn’t gotten such a good deal for our original rate I’d be unhappy with this stay.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Nov 2018

Jeanie

Book book book!!! 💕

The place was beautiful, rooms were even nicer than expected, people are so very hospitable and genuinely warm and the food was AMAZING!

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2018

Great Staff, room, breakfast and all around experience. Highly recommended. Family operated with pride, and it shows. Great value for a 2 bdrm. Suite.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Oct 2018

Kathleen

Connemara Sands is truly a gem! I am so happy that we stayed there. We were treated like true guests. The staff were delightful.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Aug 2018

Lesley

What a great place! Because of airline issues, we came in very late - almost midnight. We called and they were ready for us. They even kept the bar open for us to have a drink and wind down. It was hard to find in the dark, but we stopped in Ballyconeely and got directions.

Breakfast is definitely a highlight of the location. The food - breakfast and dinner - was absolutely fantastic! We wish we would have done our entire trip there!

The suite was large and very comfortable.

The beach access is amazing and really made the trip for us.

The Sky road and Kylemoore Abby were highlights of the area.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2018

Steven

A respite in our Ireland Adventures

The roads are narrow and have much beauty offer so to park and stay a while is delightful. Our room had a beautiful view and wonderful bath tub next to our king size bed. The whole location seemed brand new. The food was delicious and the staff was very nice, both Paddy's were quite entertaining! The water at the beach was the same clarity of the Caribbean wish we had time to kayak. The rainbow was a sign for us that we had found our pot of gold for future travels.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2018

Karen

Outstanding hidden gem

Lovely hotel great views great food great beer hospitality was top notch will definitely be back 👍👍

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2018

Verified traveler

Gorgeous hotel in the perfect location

We had a wonderful 2 nights stay in this hotel. Of course the weather was fabulous but our luxury suite with a lovely decking area was the height of comfort. We loved that we could just walk down to the most amazing beach within 2 minutes. The bar was lovely, the food was excellent and the young staff were so friendly and genuine. My daughter's had a ball. We didn't want to leave and we will be back asap.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2018

Michelle

Awesome

Great location, staff was helpful in trying to book things for our group to do. The staff was helpful and the room was great with chairs to sit outside and enjoy a cocktail.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

05 Jun 2018

Brian

Nice hotel and great food in a stunning setting.

We really enjoyed our stay in this hotel. The room was very spacious and the Beach was stunning. The Breakfast was excellent and the food from the Restaurant was exceptional.

Family

8/10

Excellent

14 May 2018

Sean

A lovely stay with great service

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Nov 2017

Zena

Fabulous hotel

Everything about this hotel is fab. The spa is amazing and so relaxing. It has its own wonderful beach. Bar has a great vibe, food is delicious and has a great range of all types of beverages. Service all over the hotel is excellent. Breakfast choice is so good and a great start to the day.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2017

Peter

Very nice hotel, but a ways from Clifden

The hotel room was more of an apartment and very appreciated as such by the three adults using it. It was a long way from Clifden, and if you expect to go pubbing in town, expect to pay an additional $30 for round trip taxi. Those Connemara roads are dark, tight, and winding!

Family

10/10

Exceptional

31 Oct 2017

Verified traveler

A lovely quiet retreat

All staff was extremely friendly & welcoming. The property was a bit out of the way but well worth it for the views & quietness. Clifden is only 15 mins away by car & there you can find restaurants & shops. Breakfast food was delicious. The only complaint really was that we arrived at the end of their season & you could tell that the upkeep wasn't 100% due to seasonal staff. There were a couple of lightbulbs out, spider webs in the lampshade & the carpet could use a good wash but overall, a comfortable & practical apartment for the price.

Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Oct 2017

Ann

Very comfortable

Very good. Got up
Graded to suite.Food very good.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2017

Alison

Lovely stay at the edge of the season

This was a very pleasant stay with very good food and service. We had a family room/suite which had plenty of room. We can particularly recommend the excellent breakfast. Only one caveat - the bath needs time as the water is heated separately!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Aug 2017

Richard

ConneMARVELOUS Sands

This area is such a peaceful and beautiful part of Ireland that you will remember any vacation here for a lifetime. The staff worked to get me into a room for a really late booking, and were exceptionally helpful. Dining was on premises with wonderful meals. I stayed in one of the older rooms, BUT featured unforgettable views. I'm currently trying to work out how to get back here for a longer stay!

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2015

Verified traveler

Really enjoyed our break at Connemara Sands. Rooms were bright and airy, plenty of space. Food was delicious and good choice. Beautiful scenery and beaches.

Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Nov 2015

Laura

Very family friendly Hotel, great location in good weather, a little far outside Clifden if you would prefer to be close to the town

Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2015

Donnacha

Top class

The staff here are fantastic. Extremely welcoming, professional, friendly and an attitude of \"can do, will do\" sets it apart from a lot of other establishments. We stayed in a deluxe room, the rooms were spotless and extremely spacious. The view was great. We ate in the restaurant on a number of occasions and the food was fantastic from breakfast through to lunch through to dinner. The chef even checked with us which was a lovely touch and shows the pride he has in what he does. Mind you, this could be said for all the staff from management, reception, housekeeping, bar and restaurant. The private beach at the rear of the hotel allows guests to stroll along the Ballyconneely coastline for miles if you so wish. The scenery is breathtaking. All in all, a top class experience. Thanks again one and all at the Sands hotel. Donnacha.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Oct 2015

William

Best Hotel Experience Ever

I am a pilot with a large international airline and stay in hotels around the world. I picked this hotel because of the great reviews I had read. The hotel was even better than I had hoped. We didn,t arrive until 8 pm. The reception clerk was still waiting for us to check in. It is off season and there was only one other room booked that night yet the bar tender and the chef were waiting for us. The food we ate here was the best on our trip and maybe the best I have ever had in a hotel. I cant say enough about the entire staff. We saw how they worked when it was slow and full and every one was always friendly and helpful. The Hotel itself is located on an oceanfront road that is out of a movie. The hotel has free bikes to use and we road right from the hotel The most beautiful colors I have ever photographed were on this little half mile stretch of single lane road. We traveled with our two young adult children and rented a family suite. It was huge. Two bedrooms and a living room. The rooms are kept immaculate by the friendliest room cleaner I have ever met. My hat is off to the Managers who have made this little place so magical.

10/10

Exceptional

13 Oct 2015

Madaline

Beautiful beachfront hotel....

This is a very large resort, but since we were off season, we were the ONLY people staying here! I had booked online and it didn't get into their system, so we were relieved that they did everything they could to make us welcome anyway when we arrived around 8pm. The suite they placed us in was lovely (2 rooms and a living room) with a beach view. Fantastic restaurant choices in the nearby town. Good signs to find the hotel.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Sep 2015

Annie & Chris

Beautiful Hotel right on the water

Sensational hotel approx. 8 kms. from Clifden - typical Connemara scenery incl several sensational beaches. First class administration and restaurant/bar - modern, comfortable and spacious rooms