Review
The Clybaun Hotel is ideally positioned 10 minutes from the buzz of Galway city in the seaside resort of Salthill. A 4-star luxury hotel, it’s a great base for exploring Connemara, the Aran Islands and the rugged coastline of the Wild Atlantic Way, while having the delights of the city on your doorstep.
On arrival the staff are welcoming and friendly while taking all the necessary Covid-19 precautions. Part of this is taking bookings for dining and using the leisure centre, so make sure you do, as the outdoor hot tub is very nice indeed. The beauty rooms come highly recommended and there is plenty of space for just sitting around and reading a good book, so some down time here is a pleasure.
O’Gorman’s bar & bistro is situated in the centre of the hotel with seating options in the bar spread through three rooms, dark wooden floors and a striking boating picture on the wall setting the nautical theme which is carried throughout. Outside is a long, bright and airy conservatory area leading on to the terrace and deck. There is plenty of space between tables al fresco and you still get to enjoy the novelty of human company.
The menu is a simple all-day menu offering some of the old favourites as well as daily specials. As much as possible the food is locally sourced and changes with the seasons. Starters, mains, grill and pizza oven options cover the bases, and there is a vegetarian risotto with mouth tingling amounts of parmesan and the added benefit of a poached egg on top, which ir guaranteed to get the taste buds going.
With a good choice of six starters ranging in price from €5.50 for the soup of the day to €8.95 for the BBQ ribs I ordered the Caesar salad with added black tiger prawns, (chargrilled chicken was also an option) and the crispiness of the lettuce mixed with the succulence of the warm prawns and the tangy/creamy was a meal in itself . As for Keisha and Fred, they had the Connemara oak smoked salmon platter which arrived as a work of art on a plate, the colors of beetroot and the caper berries against the white plate were stunning.
We chose our mains from the main menu and the daily specials, which included fillet of hake, a wild mushroom risotto or sirloin of Irish beef. I was tempted with the pan fried lemon sole which turned out to be an excellent choice as it was two fillets cooked perfectly dressed with a caper butter and served with fresh veg and baby potatoes.
Other appearances to the table were the Sri Lankan chicken curry served with basmati rice and poppadoms and a Hereford Irish beef burger which with cheese, tomato, crispy bacon and served in a brioche bun with homemade fries. This needed a big appetite, but in fairness was demolished.
When we thought of dessert we decided to take a break and then ordered the warm apple pie and the sticky toffee pudding to share. Both were delicious, and with a coffee to finish we enjoyed the rest of the evening in the foyer before retiring for a great nights sleep.
During the day you can get a lighter lunch here; the chowder is excellent, or for something more substantial the steak sandwich will hit the spot. The Clybaun Hotel is the perfect get away for the family, with loads to enjoy on site and only a short drive from anywhere you may wish to visit while in the west.