No joke, this spot is awesome. The reviews are spot on and the house is out of this world. The room is private with everything you need including a great shower and lots of room. The Ard Bia restaurant is a real gem where you should make more than one visit. Everything was extremely close and you are far enough from the downtown area where it can be loud. Everyday we found a different route around the town and it was great. Locals are more than happy to share places to go. On the way out the care taker of the main house (joined but well separated) greeted me with a hand written list of spots to see in my next destination. This is truly an amazing spot you should not pass up if you are staying in Galway.