5 Eyre Square Lane

DISCLAIMER: This review is for 6 EYRE SQUARE LANE, not 7, as 6 doesn't seem to show up on Google Reviews. We were ten lads, so we weren't too fussy about the accommodation and didn't expect The Ritz. It was fine, and we had no cleanliness or hygiene concerns. One shower didn't work, but otherwise the apartment was good. The location is amazing, right in the heart of Eyre Square Galway. The problem was communication with the property owner or day to day manager. Replies were slow, and I can imagine serious problems taking a while to sort out. We asked for a late checkout and didn't get a reply until the next day, when the answer was no. The bigger issue came a week after we left. My brother emailed to ask when his damage deposit would be returned, and they replied immediately with a claim that we'd smoked inside and that they could keep his €300. They sent photos of cigarette butts in the house, which must have been there before us, as nobody smoked indoors. The butts had white filter tips and were ripped up, so they couldn't have been smoked anyway. We pointed that out and got an immediate rebuttal. It felt very shady, like they were making false claims against us. We said we'd take it further with booking.com, since this went against booking.com policies and we expected to be vindicated. A short time later, someone higher up got in touch to apologise on their behalf, and the deposit came back two days later. The location is great and the stay itself was fine, but be cautious about their attempt to discredit you. I'd take pictures on arrival and when leaving in case you need to dispute an effort to hold on to your money, such as a damage deposit.