Derby Village Apart-Hotel

Derby was quiet and really pleasant, and I’d recommend staying there. I spent five nights in one of the lovely places, with lots of wood and beautiful finishes. The big lawn, lounge chairs, and furnished terrace were a real treat. The kitchen looked great but wasn’t very well equipped. There weren’t any kitchen knives, so cooking with only table knives was hard and we made do ourselves. We also missed having a moka pot. Bring your own, and remember the stovetop is induction.

Derby Village is an apartment complex in Derby, not the town itself, which seems to have confused some reviewers. The location works well, about halfway between Aosta and Courmayeur, with easy access to both and to Val Veny, Val Ferret, Valgrisenche, Val di Rhêmes, and, a bit farther out, Valsavarenche. Our apartment was less satisfying: the stove was tiny, the fridge was too small, there was no freezer, and we didn’t have a large pot for pasta. Both bedrooms faced the street, so passing traffic was quite noisy. The TV, at least, was really large.

Derby is a hamlet of La Salle and makes a good base for exploring the Valley, even without a car. It sits roughly between Aosta and Courmayeur, and buses come hourly. At ..., it’s 24 minutes to Courmayeur and ..., 56 minutes to Aosta. The buses were clean and on time, which deserves a mention. I also appreciated that rides were free during the pandemic. The village itself is worth a detour: clean, full of flowers, and lovely to walk around. Don’t miss the CHURCH, and try the walk past the RIDING STABLE to the LENTENEY WATERFALL, where it meets the Dora Baltea River. There’s a restaurant nearby for an aperitif and local cured meats with Arnad lard, which melts in your mouth. They have rooms too if you’re tired. Long live the Aosta Valley!

A good choice for families with kids. The rooms are spacious and nicely equipped, and there’s a large grassy yard. In summer, the location works for walks around the area and toward France; in winter, it’s handy for skiing, with a bus right outside the hotel that takes you to the slopes.