Had the most amazing time staying in this cozy little cottage!
Firstly Jo was super friendly, responded to all messages quickly and even gave heaps of advise on the local MTB stores, rental places and things to see and do in the area.
We turned up late on a Monday night, word of advise - Mon & Tues in Derby is like their weekends and everything is closed by 5/7pm. The Dorset Hotel is the only Pub open serving meals till 8pm, everything else closes early and if you are planning to stay during peak season, if you don't reserve a table you may not get a meal.
But that was okay as Jo's little cottage has everything you need!
The kitchen has all the necessary utensils and more, even a slow cooker if you wanted to put on a curry in the morning before riding all day and have it ready for when you got home.
Make sure you grab any other food you need if you are planning on getting here after 5pm as the general store closes 5pm sharp!
The cottage even has two fridges for use, one for food in the kitchen and one for alcohol stock up in the dinning area, there is plenty of condiments, tea & coffee, toilet paper, bathroom amenities and all the basics you expect from a Aribnb property.
The cottage is small but spacious in a warm cozy way, it is super clean with modern touches. It is also big enough for 8 adults comfortably - 9 maximum (or another 2 small children)
The rooms are lovely and the beds are so comfy, the mattress are the best! I slept like a baby!
The pictures are true to what you will see, fresh linen that smelt like spring, nice silky soft sheets and soft fluffy pillows.
The lounge room is spacious enough to have everyone together watching a movie on the big TV or playing a card game together on the nice new carpet, drinking hot chocolate with the fire place going.
There was plenty of wood for the fire place too and was already cut up with sticks and logs for us, so no chopping needed.
Bathroom is lovely, the water pressure/hot water was fantastic! This was actually a highlight for me.
Was also able to do some clothes washing, with detergent provided and a clothes horse to dry everything on.
Out the front is a lovely little deck with comfy deck chairs that you can sit and enjoy the afternoon sun whilst watching the world go by, it has an amazing view of the surrounding mountains.
There is also a nice back deck up in the garden surrounded by trees that even have a few hammock to relax in.
Out the back there is also a big BBQ to cook up a feast for a group of people.
As for derby itself, the cottage is within walking distance to everything, it only takes 13 min to walk to the start of the MTB tracks.
There are a few pubs, cafes, a burger bar and a pizza restaurant to enjoy, and for those who are not into MTB there are some amazing little walks/hikes.
My favorite was the 1 hour return, flat easy walk around the beautiful local lake Briseis.
I highly recommend Jo's Crosskeys Cottage, it is so homely and perfect for families or those who want something a little nicer and somewhere to relax.
Thanks again to Jo for letting us stay, we hope to stay here again when we come back next time.