Galway- best place to stay with toddlers, things to do nearby

[krisskross]

We are hoping to go to the coast of Galway in July. The group will be 6 adults and 3 toddlers. Any recommendations for self catering accomodation would be great.

Can you recommend where to stay? We would like a village/ small town on the coast, where ideally we could walk to a pub/ restaurant etc rather than being totally rural and having to drive everywhere.

Can people also recommned activities nearby (driving fine) in case of bad weather?

We chose Galway as we have a christening in Dublin and want to drive at most 2-3 hours away to coast (but not wicklow/ wexford) - so if you can recommend anywhere else lovely instead of Galway that owuld be great too.

Thanks

We go to Galway every summer with our 2 dc .
have always used agency called Connemara Coastal Cottages . And they have always been fab .
Connemara is really remote though (thats the appeal for us). We rent a house next to a beach and just spend out time there .
Clifden would be the nearest place to where we stay , and that consists of lots of restaraunts , gift shops , a cinema , and a supermarket .

Hope this helps .

thanks topsy v, helpful. would you recommend clifden as a picutresque type place to stay? what do you do if the weather is awful?

Its Connemara , the weather is frequently awful !
We were there last August and we had only 1 day of rain . Infact weather was so glorious I got sunburned (naughty topsy !)
There is an outdoor activity center not far from Clifden , can't remember the name , but it's near Kylemore Abbey . Kylemore Abbey is another great place to visit , looks like Hogwarts !
But to be honest , its not the kind of place to go to if you need lots of things to do . We go because we totally switch off . We drive into Clifden to do the shopping , have the occaisional meal . But we mainly spend our time on the beach . If you get good weather , the beaches are spectacular .
I would reccomend trying to get a house as close to the beach as possible , makes all the difference .

Clifden is lovely , the have a big horse fair in August and the town is packed . Lots of nice places to stay in and around the town .

If I can reccomend (ramble on)anything else , feel free to ask !

brill topsy, that is really helpful. may well contact you again!