Back in the 1990s and 2000s, new luxury golf resorts seemed to be opening on an almost monthly basis in Ireland. The dream was to attract and retain international visitors – specifically Americans – to the country.
While much has changed since those days ahead of the Ryder Cup’s arrival at The K Club in 2006 and the financial crash of 2008, the Celtic Tiger is still very much roaring.
Ireland’s premier links courses are solidly booked out – almost entirely by the American market – at rack rates and there is a huge appetite for all the country has to offer, with the trump card (no pun intended) being the deeply emotional ties between the two nations going back to the millions of Irish who emigrated to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.
With the Ryder Cup returning to Ireland, at Adare Manor in Limerick, next autumn, the glory days are here again.
The Hawthorn at Galway Bay is only 60 miles north, and this new resort has plans to establish itself as a key West Coast stop for golfers and non-golfers alike. It certainly has a lot going for it.
The golf course itself has been here for over 30 years, very much part of the previous wave of golfing developments. It was designed by Christy O’Connor Jnr but attracted relatively little attention over the years, certainly from an international perspective.
There was also a hotel here, which closed in the aftermath of the financial crash and laid derelict until its complete redevelopment by owners Connacht Hospitality Group. It is part of a wider £50m investment into the resort as a whole, including significant upgrades to the golf facilities.
The new hotel, which opened in the summer of 2026, is stunning. Better still, it offers views across the water to the vibrant yet compact port city of Galway, which is just a few miles away. This allows guests to enjoy the array of facilities of a self-sufficient luxury resort along with the buzz of a city on the water. It is quite the combination.
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A member of Leading Hotels of the World, it is the first new five-star hotel to open in Galway in more than two decades, bringing together championship golf, immersive wellness and destination-led dining in one of the most ambitious developments ever undertaken in the region.
The property is positioned as a new benchmark for luxury travel in Ireland and represents a significant addition to the country’s golf offering. It is within easy reach of Trump International Ireland (Doonbeg still, to many of us) to the south, while Sligo’s Rosses Point, and Mayo’s Enniscrone and Carne are just to the north and west.
The hotel features 114 rooms, including 47 junior suites and 17 penthouse suites, each designed to reflect a contemporary expression of Irish luxury.
Dining is led by The Skylark, a signature live-fire restaurant celebrating premium Irish produce, while the Oystercatcher Bar introduces a Japanese-inspired menu alongside panoramic views across the championship course and Galway Bay.
The vibe is cutting-edge luxury – think of The Grove but on a more intimate scale – with service levels dialled up the max. You come to The Hawthorn for a treat and an escape.
At the heart of the hotel is The Spa at The Hawthorn, an immersive wellness sanctuary centred on restoration and balance.
Guests are invited to experience bespoke contrast therapy, holistic treatments and carefully designed relaxation spaces, alongside outdoor bathing rituals that draw a direct connection to the surrounding coastal landscape – see below for our full review.
A series of intimate, experience-led spaces further define the guest offering, including the Chocolate Nest chocolatier, a dedicated Whiskey Room and a Wine Cellar designed for curated tastings and private events.
The golf course is laid out between the hotel and Galway Bay and has recently seen significant investment, including a comprehensive bunker redevelopment project.
The Galway-born O’Connor Jnr’s design opened in 1993. It is not a links but it certainly looks like one and offers sea views from more or less every hole.
Previously known as Galway Bay, it is over 7,300 yards from the back tees, not that most of us would ever want to attempt such a thing.
Back in the late 1990s, it hosted the West of Ireland Golf Classic, won by Costantino Rocca, with Padraig Harrington finishing runner-up. The field included the likes of Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Paul McGinley.
In truth, though, the course has been widely overlooked as golfing tourists hurtle down to Clare and Kerry and up to Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.
That is all set to change – in fact it already has. With the advent of the new hotel and the change of ownership, the golf course has also attracted welcome investment and a renewed level of attention.
The eponymous hawthorn trees are just one of many features that have been accentuated in recent years as part of a re-wilding programme and an attempt to restore a naturalistic feel to the course.
Last winter, an extensive project reduced the number of bunkers to fewer than 60, enhancing playability and allowing the greens staff to concentrate more on the really important stuff, namely the grass.
Led by Director of Golf Dean Montgomery, a key objective was to move away from the course’s previous concentration of traditional parkland-style bunkers, replacing them with a more refined and strategic bunker style that better reflects the natural landscape and modern course design principles.
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Many of the larger hazards have been removed or reduced in scale, while several greenside bunkers have been replaced with carefully contoured run-off areas designed to introduce a broader range of recovery shots.
All remaining bunkers have had drainage renewed, and a resin-bound liner installed to ensure consistency, longevity and the highest level of playability. While undertaking the project, drainage has also been improved in all areas of the golf course, particularly around greens and surrounds.
The experienced Montgomery, who has also worked at the likes of Bearwood Lakes before his move to the west coast of Ireland, said: “We wanted to take a considered approach to the bunker strategy, look at how the course could be improved both visually and from a playing perspective while respecting Christy O’Connor Jr’s design.
“By reducing the number of traditional parkland bunkers and introducing smaller pot bunkers alongside more natural run-off areas, we have created something that is more in keeping with the landscape while also adding greater variety to the challenge for golfers.
“The other key part of this project has been around reducing the maintenance strain that our previous bunkering had on our greenkeeping team. This project will enable them to focus more of their time on other areas of the golf course, particularly the greens, fairways and tee boxes,” he said.
In time, Montgomery hopes to position the resort as an additional stop-off for high-end golfing tourists visiting the likes of Adare Manor and Trump International Ireland.
“It is important for us to ensure the golf course reflects the same level of quality and ambition as the wider destination,” he said.
That journey is already well underway. The Hawthorn at Galway Bay is very much up and coming – and this is a resort we are going to hear a lot more about in the years ahead.
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The Spa at The Hawthorn
The hawthorn tree is an ancient symbol of protection, healing and renewal, and from the moment guests step into the calming reception area, it is evident that The Spa at The Hawthorn has been designed to deliver each of those qualities.
Friendly and professional staff are immediately on hand to describe the treatments and facilities and provide glasses of refreshing fruit-infused water before leading the way to the relaxation room ahead of any treatments.
There, floor-to-ceiling windows frame views across the golf course, with its trademark windswept hawthorn trees, and out towards Galway Bay beyond, while guests relax on comfortable beds, screened from neighbours by curtained partitions.
Treatments include both skincare and body therapies, giving visitors a broad choice of experiences, whether they are looking for rejuvenation or relaxation.
And while the wider spa facilities are reserved for over 16s, The Spa at The Hawthorn offers selected wellness treatments for children aged 12 to 15 when accompanied by a parent or guardian – a thoughtful touch for families travelling to the west coast who would like to enjoy some special, screen-free bonding time with their tween or teen.
Every treatment and ritual here is said to be inspired by the Atlantic coastline and shaped by nature – a philosophy most clearly seen in the range of seaweed treatments, from an organic seaweed leaf wrap to an Irish seaweed bath in one of the copper bathtubs in the outdoor thermal bath area.
Beyond the bathtubs are an outdoor heated pool and hot-tub-style dip. Both are shielded from the golf course – and the winds off the Atlantic – by clever landscaping, offering complete privacy to enjoy the experience. Indoors, a vitality pool has a range of powerful jets to deliver an invigorating massage from the shoulders right down to the soles of the feet.
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A steam room and Finnish sauna – both with plenty of seating – along with an infrared sauna and snow room with plunge pool complete the spa offering to help all the stresses and strains of everyday life thoroughly melt away.
The luxurious feel of the spa even carries through to the changing rooms, where every detail has been considered carefully, from the spacious showers and changing cubicles to the top-of-the-range hair-styling products and equipment.
Sheltered from the outside world, the whole spa experience is designed to make guests want to linger before eventually leaving with a feeling of health and restoration – and the hope that they will return before too long.
Discover more about The Hawthorn by Galway Bay and to book your stay here.
NOW HAVE YOUR SAY
Have you played golf in Ireland or even Galway previously? If so, which courses did you play and what was it like? Let us know in the comments or by getting in touch with us on X!
