Situated near by the central station and all important museums and sights. Good service in lobby, clean room (except for mouldy stains in the bathroom) but in need of some renovation. Breakfast OK with very white toast, jam and spread cheese. Good coffee. Very friendly staff. A good basic hotel worth the price in a city where you're not supposed to spend time at the hotel unless you're sleeping. (An extra plus for the daily drama of the cats in the backyard)

I stayed three nights in Florence, in this hotel. Apon arriving i found it hard to find. I had to ask at another hotel for directions to the hotel i was staying at!

When i found it, i could bearly fit into the elevator with my backpack, but when i got to the front desk i found i had been upgraded to a nicer room, that was very nice of them.

The staff was very nice, helped me when i needed help. I stayed in room 9 (i think) It was small, but i had a huge bed! very comfortable too. The only real problem i had with the room was the smell, it constantly had a faint smell of bleach... it was bearable and with the window opened it went away. The bathroom however! That smell never went away, i had a private bathroom, with no windows and the smell was unbearable! it smelt like mold, damp and bleach, it was terriable, even with the fan on, i tried to hold my breathe everytime i went to the toilet.

I loved the view from the room, it was completely magificant! the best part of my stay!

I also read about the room top terrence online, and was looking forward to eating breakfast there ever since i booked it, sadly i didnt get to even see it! i was quite disapointed.

I would not go there again. and i wouldnt reconmend to a friend.... there was a few nice things about the hotel, but all up i wasnt pleased with my experince.

We arrived at Hotel Derby with the excitement of the Terrace, too bad for us that it was beat up and not very pretty at all, but the view of the duomo is exceptional. The bedroom was really tiny, so not ideal for a young child who needs space to move. On the other hand once we got into bed the room was nice and warm and cozy. Still, the breakfast the next morning was nothing more than a coffee and a slice of break with jam and some cookies, not exactly a well balanced breakfast. Though the attendant was courteous. When i went to pay they told me they only accepted CASH, frustrated by this because i had to walk outside in the rain to the ATM, they apologized but i was still a little annoyed especially since the man made a comment the first night that he assured us we could pay with credit card, and that it would be no problem.

All in all, i would pay 20 euros more and go somewhere else. This place is very much a backpackers hotel/hostel. The only thing nice or exceptional was the man who cleaned our room was very thorough and sweet.

p.s parking down the street is 26 euros a night. and the cheapest closest one is about a 20 min walk and cost 20 a night.

The Hotel Derby is definatly a backpackers type place. The building is owned by one person. There are several floors that are hostels and the Hotel Derby is one wing of the 3rd floor. The only difference between it and a hostel is that it has private bathrooms. It is a VERY clean hotel. The rooms had A/C and comfortable beds with clean sheets and towels. The bathroom was spacious for Europe. The lobby is on the 5th floor and that is where you get breakfast and your internet service. It is a very appropriate place for backpakcers and budget travellers. The rooftop terrace had beautiful views of all of Florence and was a greta place to have fun, play games and socialize. We met many people here while we stayed here.
The hotel is near several shops and resturants and is two blocks from the main shopping street. It is maybe 6 blocks from the Duomo and all the sites. We walkeed everywhere while in Florence. It is also in a safe, lively area. Almost all of Florence is very safe and the hotel area made it easy to come back late or go out at night.
Overall a fantastic experience and would recommend and stay again should I find myself in Florence in the future.