The flat is a very beautiful ground floor unit right at the edge of the harbor; a truly gorgeous space. I have nothing to complain about the hosts: they were communicative during an issue with the shower drain (which was beyond their control) and were willing and open to help.
However, there are a few things not covered in the house manual that may help future travellers:
1) The hot water only truly works in the morning hours. Using the boost function as indicated takes at least an hour to heat water off-hours, and even then it is lukewarm at best. If you have a family keen to taking evening showers after a long day, they will need to shift their preference here.
2) While we’re on the boost function… the operation of it is not a “jacuzzi-style” timer but rather just a slight touch counter-clockwise as the timer moves in that direction as it counts down. This took some trial and error to discover.
3) The ensuite shower requires some secret knowledge to operate. This knowledge did not reveal itself to us during our trip.
4) Even though the flat makes several stern references to needing it to be quiet after 10pm, do not expect this same courtesy from the youths congregating outside. They generally quit smoking and drinking around midnight (in our experience). These may have been extenuating circumstances as we were staying over a bank holiday weekend.
5) Be mindful to load the washer/dryer unit conservatively. Disregard this advice at your peril.
…all in all, a great trip to Galway with a very nice flat which might’ve been made slightly better through a clearer set of instructions. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time there!