I stayed five (5) nights at the Hotel Umbria in Perugia in late October 2006, and advise travellers to STAY AWAY. Here are the good and bad points of this property:

GOOD:

1. Excellent location, merely a long and steep flight of steps down from the central Corso Vannucci.
2. Within 3 minutes walking distance of the Cathedral and the Palazzo dei Priori.
3. Within 5 minutes walking distance of Piazza Italia (bus stop for train station)
4. Within walking distance of many restaurants and of the University for Foreigners in Piazza Fortebraccio
5. Located on a very quiet alley
6. Managed by husband/wife team
7. Small number of rooms makes for a boutique-type ambience.

BAD:

1. Poor cost/value ratio.
2. Abysmal breakfast mandatory during certain periods. At six Euros per person, it's a rip off: bargain basement grocery store products in cellophane wrappers; absolutely no fruit, yogurt or cold cuts, just bread, bread and more bread products (and cheap quality as well).
3. Windows don't close well because they are rotted and decrepid; window curtains filthy; window shutters rotted out and panels missing.
4. Holes in walls not patched; walls need repainting; door frames separated from wall and not nailed back in place; armoire doors missing knobs; filth in corners of marble floors.
5. Very poor sound insulation from room to room
6. Rooms FLEA INFESTED: dogs are allowed, and they leave fleas in the wool blankets!!!!!!!!!
7. Must pay in CASH, and no discount whatsoever is offered.

It is clear that the management of this property does not expect any return visits from anybody, and therefore has adopted an "I don't give a damn" attitude. The Management team doesn't have a clue about running a hotel. Too bad, because this hotel, in the hands of the right people, would have a GREAT DEAL to offer.

After doing lots of research online I chose to stay here for several days, partially because of the price and partially because if its proximity to the main piazzas in the old part of the city. I was not at all disappointed in my choice. It is not a place to stay if you want to spend lots of time in your room (the rooms, espcially the singles are pretty small) but is perfect if you are there mainly to sleep and have breakfast on the terrace. Just keep in mind that you are not paying for a high-end hotel so don't expect one.

The hotel is in a back alley which actually ended being good because it was really quiet. The man who worked there was nice and spoke VERY little english so be prepared with italian phrases. The room was 55 Euros without breakfast and 67 Euros with - go eat breakfast at a grocery store! The breakfast was crackers, croissants in plastic wrappers and stale white toast. Not worth 12 Euros!!!

The room was clean, but small which was fine with us. The bathroom was decent, but the toilet seat was broken - didn't snap in to place and the hotel attendant was unable to fix it or put us in another room so that was kind of weird.

The location is EXCELLENT. For the price it was worth all of its money, but skip the breakfast.

The Hotel Umbria is on a sort of alley/back stairwell, so although it is right next to the main thoroughfare, it is also very quiet. The room was pretty spartan but the beds were comfortable. You can buy a cappuccino in the morning and sit on their sweet terrace.