Glasshouse Hotel

Not a big fan of the funky colours and the steak dinner wasn't the best. A bit dry to be honest. There was a weird painting in my hotel room of a cowboy wearing a pink hat and it just made me feel very uncomfortable, lol!! That said, I had a balcony overlooking the river and the hotel is situated in the middle of town.

Moderne hotel with style. I will try to cover what others haven’t mentioned. Parking: free in the underground garage--just park and they validate your ticket whenever you want to go out. Location: in the middle of town, across from the Yeats Memorial Building, less than a block from pedestrian areas with many restaurants and pubs. Swans frequently gather in the river right next to the hotel. Internet connection: free, fast, easy to connect. Good desk for working at a computer. Iron, ironing board, coffee/tea maker in room. Clothesline in bath/shower. Sink in bathroom has an unusual drain--I couldn’t figure out how to open it and I’m a mechanical engineer. Turns out you push on the chrome plug with a finger and it flips up! An example of the futuristic sort of stuff they have here. Good if you want something different or prefer the modern style. Furniture in room and breakfast area have a few stains and show some wear, so not quite 5 star quality.

The staff were extremely pleasant at reception and in the bar where I had a lovely bowl of soup for a mid day snack (young male bar staff during saturday was exceptionally friendly which isnt very common these days). Rooms are a good size with the usual extra large king size bed. Each floor in the hotel has a different colour theme it would appear. We had orange, so some orange walls, net curtain, end of bed throw, bed cushions and chairs. Its so nice to see a hotel use colour!!! Bathroom also a good size. Only issue, which does seem to be a problem, is the heat was unbearable! Breakfast was good, nice and fresh and no rushing when it was supposed to finish at 10.30am. This is a great hotel, in a great location. Only down side is its highly likely to get the hen nights staying and this brings a lot of noise!!! But i suppose its an excuse to drink a few more to make sure you sleep!!!!

I stayed here a few weeks ago. As I sat on my Ryanair flight to West Knock (a shed in a field) I had no idea that this hotel was going to be quite as smart as it was.

Scenically sat on the quayside in the heart of the Atlantic town Sligo, the 4* Glasshouse is very much a Design Hotel. This means funky colours, vector cartoon prints on the walls, curvy bars, floors decorated in alternate shades of lime green and orange, and a massive chandelier in the reception area. If you are coming to Ireland looking for Ye Olde Rustic Charme of the Olde Country, this is not a good place to come.

The hotel is built overhanging a bridge and weir on the river Garavogue. Being so close to the sea, this is tidal, so the level rises and falls noticably through the day.

Despite the rooms being painted in either orange or lime green, this has been done with a certain amount of style, and, bizarrely, the colour scheme really works. Rooms are large and clean, bathrooms well appointed and beds comfy.

The restaurant and bar menu are both excellent. The restaurant is recommended in the Michelin Guide and is not cheap, but the food is very good, and the portion sizes are frankly terrifying, so it would be quite practical to save your entire day’s food budget for the evening! The bar menu is a fair bit cheaper - portions are, once again, massive, and the quality is equally high.

What gets this hotel the final star is the quality of the staff. They are impeccably professional, polite and helpful. The (English) manager of the hotel was particularly charming and took a real interest in the group I was staying with.

The hotel’s bar is open to the town, so you can mix it with the locals in the evening. And, I’m delighted to report, despite the upmarket styling, we all still managed to end up belting out “Molly Malone” and various other well known Irish classics alongside the Sligo residents who were there until 4 in the morning. Craictastic!