My name is Joan Borst and for the past 8 years I have taught 12 University students each year while we live in Western Ireland for 2 weeks. During the past 5 years the Sleepzone in Galway has been our home.

As with any sleeping establishment for travelers, sometimes individuals or groups abuse the inexpensive accomodations at the hostel because it is "cheap". Unfortunately, this ruins a quiet night sleep for everyone. The Sleepzone staff and mangement are vigilant and responsive to disruptive and boorish behavior. They offer good security for entering the hostel after hours and enough staff to be respnsive to disruptions.

There are many reasons why I choose to stay at the Sleepzone in Galway; cleanliness, comfort, convenience, and professional treatment.

The hostel is clean and comfortable despite the many people pushing in and out of the doors on a regular basis. To maintain this quality is no small task, yet the windows and floors in the common kitchen sparkle. The walls look newly painted. The beds and bedding are comfortable. The rooms are en-suite, with additional bathroom facilities down the hall. There is also a small laundry area available.

The hostel is located in a convenient location. It is out of the hustle and bustle of the main city center but is only a short walk to eveything! There is no reason to look for an Internet cafe becuase there is a computer room for guests to stay connected to friends and family without leaving the hostel. This service is part of the cost of the bed.

Perhaps the main reason I stay at the Sleepzone is the friendly management and staff. They are knowledgeable, long-suffering and remarkable at multi-tasking. The front desk staff is able to help with money exchange, reservations, check-in and checkout, and directions - often all at the same time! The management extends genuine support and true hospitality.

I plan to bring my group here again and believe it is the best value for the money in Galway.

I stayed here with a group of Motorcyclists for a one night trip to Galway.

As bikers, we were very impressed with the underground parking facility (see picture), which was accessed by a secure swipe card provided by the hostel. Although you still need to lock your bike as the garage is accessed by other users of the building, we felt very confident that the bikes were safe - and they were. If you are coming on motorcycle, be sure to book the parking with the hostel in advance.

I'd have to say that overall my group were very impressed with this hostel, some of them never having stayed in a hostel before.

The staff were friendly, polite and helpful.

We had a single, a twin and an 8-bed dorm. The single and twin were excellent, clean, spacious - more like a basic hotel than a hostel. The 8-bed dorm was a bit cramped for 8 guys and their gear - but perfectly adequate.

A great plus was the free basic breakfast of toast, tea, coffee and orange juice. If we had planned a bit better, a packet of bacon would have resulted in some very nice bacon butties at little cost!

The only negative I experienced was the noise of people returning late at night and getting-up early. This woke me a couple of times. But in hostels, you can generally expect this. So if you are a light sleeper, I would suggest ear-plugs. Personally I like sleeping with my MP3 player on which helped overcome this.

Sleepzone issues RULES for group bookings. No drinking, smoking or making noise etc. We were happy to see this as it gave us confidence that bad behaviour from guests would not be tolerated. Breaking the rules means losing a security deposit. I would suggest that if your group is unable to abide by these rules, then don't stay here as you may lose a significant amount of money. Having read other reviews, some groups have suffered this loss.

I stayed three nights at Sleepzone Galway with my partner-- we booked a twin room, because it said online that they were the ones with en suites. The double and twin rooms are actually in some houses across the road from the main sleepzone building, and you only share a kitchen with two other rooms. It was all very clean (no hair in the showers), and the houses with the double/twin rooms also have their own washers/dryers, which was an added bonus for two of us with very dirty clothes. :)

The only bad thing was that you're not allowed to use kitchen appliances when someone is having a shower, because you risk blowing a fuse-- this is a bit annoying, if you are half-way through cooking breakfast, and someone wants a shower.

Not clean is all I can say. Reviews don't seem to be consistent, and unhelpful in booking stays here. I've had cleaner places in Ireland and Europe. Dirty bathrooms and showers. Clean should mean immaculate and no hairs. Also... slightly stained towels and sheets. What's the deal with this place, and the inconsistent reviews?