# Hotel in Derby - recommendations please!



## Paul Russell (Jan 26, 2011)

I'm visiting Derby in March for the Format photography festival - has anyone got a recommendation for a hotel, please?

It needs to be fairly central (within walking distance of the train station) and, of course cheap. Cheap and cheerful is fine. I'm not too fussy.

I've looked at the Travelodges, etc. - the price is right but they all seem to be a bit too far out of town.


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## Maurice Picarda (Jan 26, 2011)

I wish there was a site where people could post reviews of hotels. A kind of advisor on any trip one planned. Why can't there be such a thing?


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## Paul Russell (Jan 26, 2011)

Yes, thanks a lot.

I have TripAdvisor open in another tab. There is not a lot on there. I was hoping I might get a personal recommendation from a nice person on urban75, rather than a smug arsehole comment.


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## lizzieloo (Jan 26, 2011)

There's a pub, near the station that I stayed in a bout 10 years ago, very cheap and cheerful but clean, I'll see if I can remember the name, could be all-change now mind.


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## Oswaldtwistle (Jan 26, 2011)

lizzieloo said:


> There's a pub, near the station that I stayed in a bout 10 years ago, very cheap and cheerful but clean, I'll see if I can remember the name, .


 
Queen Alexandra http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...=sZC-GMj4UmSNa0wq3VS44Q&cbp=12,227.87,,0,5.87

Never been myself, but that is the nearest to the station I think


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## lizzieloo (Jan 26, 2011)

It was The George but I just found this from July last year....



> See my prediction of Jan 2008 - this has now happened, with the intervening 2 years having seen a tenant try, and fail, to make this pub pay despite paying extortionate rent and beer prices to the pubco (Admiral, who make the much-hated Enterprise Inns look positively benign).
> Closure this time seems more likely to be permanent as the freehold is now on offer for anyone looking to take over a run-down, pub that has been neglected by the pubco and place it in direct competition with 4 nearby excellent real ale pubs and 4 less good ones - probably an unlikely prospect. Realistically, the last pint has probably been pulled at the George and a future as flats, a restaurant or a shop appears far more likely.
> RIP



So it might not even still be a pub.

Fucking big help, me.


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## Mogden (Jan 26, 2011)

The 2 main hotels in spitting distance of the train station are the Hallmark Hotel and the Aston Court Hotel. Think they're approaching the pricier bracket but I've been to weddings in both and are quite pleasant. If you leave the station by the back entrance you can get to Pride Park and it's a short walk to the Harvester and there's a TravelInnLodgeThing over there but can't recall which one. There are barriers on both sides of Derby station so you'll need a ticket to get back through the station the following day but it doesn't take long to get to town walking the long way.

Closer to the city centre but a bit of a walk, about 25 mins, from the train station is a B&B called the Rangemoor something or other. Never been in that one but it looks like a 70s throwback B&B! Opposite that is the Heritage Hotel. Cheap I believe but not so cheerful I think. Not helping much am I. Lots of B&Bs on Crompton Street and that's about a 25 min walk to the station and very central. Taxis are cheap though. Takes me about 25 mins to walk to the train station from my place and a more expensive yellow cab costs me a fiver to get home.


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## Paul Russell (Jan 26, 2011)

Ta for the comment everyone. I will take a proper look tomorrow.

TripAdvisor has come in useful as one the Google Derby Hotels you come across first is described as a hell-hole by quite a few people.

76% of travellers do not recommend
2.0 of 5 stars 53 reviews

    * Excellent  2
    * Very good 6
    * Average 6
    * Poor 14
    * Terrible 25


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## lizzieloo (Jan 26, 2011)

Paul Russell said:


> Ta for the comment everyone. I will take a proper look tomorrow.
> 
> TripAdvisor has come in useful as one the Google Derby Hotels you come across first is described as a hell-hole by quite a few people.
> 
> ...



Derby isn't the nicest place on earth, I expect that's why, if you're just looking for a place to lay your head for a night it doesn't really matter IMO if it's clean.

Also people tend to post reviews of places they've found to be shite more than they would if it was OK, folk love a moan.


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## Paul Russell (Jan 27, 2011)

lizzieloo said:


> Derby isn't the nicest place on earth, I expect that's why, if you're just looking for a place to lay your head for a night it doesn't really matter IMO if it's clean.
> 
> Also people tend to post reviews of places they've found to be shite more than they would if it was OK, folk love a moan.



Heh, yes. But even by TripAdvisor review standards, this place gets savaged!

Thanks for the help everyone. In the end I went for a Travelodge as it was £29 a night - a bit far out but I will just have to do some walking or get a bus.


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## Paul Russell (Jan 27, 2011)

Mogden said:


> Closer to the city centre but a bit of a walk, about 25 mins, from the train station is a B&B called the Rangemoor something or other. Never been in that one but it looks like a 70s throwback B&B! Opposite that is the Heritage Hotel. Cheap I believe but not so cheerful I think. Not helping much am I. Lots of B&Bs on Crompton Street and that's about a 25 min walk to the station and very central. Taxis are cheap though. Takes me about 25 mins to walk to the train station from my place and a more expensive yellow cab costs me a fiver to get home.



Ta for that!


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## Mogden (Jan 27, 2011)

Not a problem. If you're in the Travelodge around Kingsway, you can walk out to Uttoxeter New Road and get the Mickleover Blue or Red buses into town and they run all day and late into the night. If you're on Pride Park then you can get the 111 bus into town but it runs only until 7pm. A good local cab firm is Western Taxis, 01332 331331, and if you need any more info that isn't appropriate to post on here cos of privacy, feel free to PM.


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## Paul Russell (Jan 27, 2011)

Mogden said:


> Not a problem. If you're in the Travelodge around Kingsway, you can walk out to Uttoxeter New Road and get the Mickleover Blue or Red buses into town and they run all day and late into the night.



Oh, thanks very much for that, and the taxi info. I booked the Kingsway Travelodge cos it was £29 per night.

I didn't know anything about buses, so I just took a look at Google Street View to make sure it was walkable (i.e. the roads had pavements, etc.) if the worst came to the worst. Good to hear the buses run quite late.

I booked four nights in the end - I have some photos showing in the Format photography festival and as it is quite a trek up on the train from Weymouth I thought I would stay for a few days and visit some nearby cities like Sheffield and Birmingham. Probably not most people's idea of fun, but I don't get out much!


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## Paul Russell (Jan 30, 2011)

Maurice Picarda said:


> I wish there was a site where people could post reviews of hotels. A kind of advisor on any trip one planned. Why can't there be such a thing?


 
BTW. apologies that my reply was slightly more aggressive than I would have usually posted. End of a long day, and all that...


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## Maurice Picarda (Jan 30, 2011)

Paul Russell said:


> BTW. apologies that my reply was slightly more aggressive than I would have usually posted. End of a long day, and all that...



It wasn't noticeably disproportionate.


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## stuff_it (Jan 31, 2011)

Advice = don't go to Derby


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## Paul Russell (Feb 2, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Advice = don't go to Derby



Too late now. I've got a hotel room and train ticket...


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## Oswaldtwistle (Feb 2, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Advice = don't go to Derby



Naff off


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