This was my first time staying in a hostel, and Highroad has definitely set a very high bar for…read morefuture hostel experiences. From the friendly staff and excellent organization to the cleanliness and convenient location, everything exceeded my expectations. The hostel was well maintained, the common areas were welcoming, and the overall atmosphere made it easy to feel comfortable. The staff were always helpful and approachable, which made my stay even more enjoyable. I would highly recommend Highroad to anyone visiting DC and looking for an affordable, clean, and well-run place to stay. I would gladly stay here again.

Really lovely hostel and experience. Stayed in a 6 person shared room. Hostel and room was very…read moreclean. Room made me feel like I was in a tree house. Kitchen space, free coffee and tea, toiletries, two small social spaces. Staff are friendly and helpful. There was a private bathroom with a shower in my the shared room but also various separate private bathrooms on all the floors with a shower. Great location next to lots of restaurants. It did get pretty busy out on Saturday night but every other night was fine. Parking is a little tricky. There is a garage across the street, but the garage was pretty packed Saturday night unless you were already parked there. I would definitely stay here again.

Hostile and unprofessional staff. I had to call the police just to try to obtain my refund and…read moreretrieve belongings I had left at the hostel after an aggressive confrontation with the manager that made me feel extremely unsafe. Apparently, someone from the staff made a mistake while extending my stay. I followed the instructions given to me by this person and on the second day when I was ready to move to the room assigned told by the latter, I calmly approached the manager to confirm. Manager became unnecessarily defensive insisting that I had only paid for a cheaper room even though I had the receipt and the person who originally made the extension confirmed that my reservation was exactly as I described. Instead of apologizing, management reacted with hostility, cancelled my reservation without an explanation, and demanded that I leave the building immediately. This person even became more aggressive, rushing me out giving me little time to properly pack my belongings with dignity, humiliating me in front of other guests, and taking my things nearly outside without my permission even though I never resisted leaving. At one point he told me, "You will see today," while trying to provoke me into re-entering the building likely to escalate the situation even further. I chose to walk away because his behavior appeared completely out of control. If you value professionalism, respect, and personal safety, I strongly recommend avoiding this hostel. I would not recommend this place. UPDATE: Now I see the property responded to my review with false claims, including accusing me of "taking a leak" in the room and underestimating their hostile behavior, in what seems like a desperate attempt to distract readers from the serious and unacceptable incident I experienced there. This person seem to forget that the police were called for a reason. Nothing justified such behavior. Dear readers, this is how low and sketchy this place is. Instead of addressing the lack of professionalism, the owner chooses to attack my character publicly fabricating arguments. I dare this property to prove their claim. Again, I was NEVER given an explanation as to why my extension was suddenly revoked. It is clear the manager just appeared frustrated and angry after his misconduct and decided to retaliate by forcing me out in an intimidating and hostile manner likely to try to humiliate me. This appears to be a family-run business. Manager and owner seem related. Again, for your own dignity and safety, I strongly recommend staying away from this place.

So first of all, I should note that I am 40 years old and definitely not the target demographic for…read morethis particular hostel. That said, I would have been just slightly less appalled if it was 20 years ago and I had this experience. The staff person was polite, but not particularly helpful. I told him I would be checking out before 6am, and so he wouldn't give me a key to my room because he said no one would be on duty that early to take the key back when I checked out. Not great for my roommates, I had to leave the door unlocked while they slept when I snuck out a little after 5:30am. The facilities were so filthy that I didn't even feel comfortable taking a shower there, or using the bathroom much at all. I wasn't given a towel, so showering would have been awkward anyway. More on the lack of hygiene was demonstrated by the presence of all the mice; not fun seeing a dying baby mouse stagger from the kitchen to the bathroom, or hearing about mice running around in the dorm I was assigned to from my roommates. The best things I can say for this hostel is that it's in a popular location, the bedsheets were clean, and the other guests were nice and polite without being overly friendly. This was a last resort because reservations at other places fell through, but I definitely wouldn't return here for anything, and no matter how minimal your needs or budget, I'd advise avoiding this place.

I try to go into things with low expectations but I guess my previous hostel experiences were just…read moretoo good. This place is no Generator Hostel nor does it have hot water for showering (apparently some rooms have more hot water than others, mine was the one where the roommates would yelp every time they stepped in the shower). The other visitors were pretty cool but the staff I met after checking in were a bit more lackadaisical. The place is old which is to be expected in a historical part of DC, but it would be cool if they painted over all of the repair spots on the walls - judging by previous reviews they'd been there awhile. The linens you get are fine but they will be on the older side - I don't mind this but if you don't want your towels and bedding to feel used (ex. pilling, lots of fraying, bleach spots, the slight smell of not having dried properly) then good luck. Also just a heads up but even if you're from out of the area, if you have a local ID from years ago you should probably go to a motel/hotel/AirBnb instead.

I stayed 3 nights at this hostel (04/29-09/01). If you can help it, stay at Hostelling…read moreInternational down the street. The only reason I stayed here is because I needed to make this reservation at the last moment and my original choice (Hostelling International) only had private rooms available ($120/night). When I reached the hostel, I was asked to take my shoes off, which I was fine with considering that there was supposed to be a homely feeling here. However, forgetting that the slippers that they offered felt like they going to fall off at any given moment, the bin that they're kept in is enclosed, keeping the smells from other shoes within the shoe bin and creating a lovely (sarcasm) aroma every time you open it. I kept my shoes with me in my room. When I went to check in, I was told that the room that I had reserved for three nights would not be available for every night. This would be perfectly okay if it had showed that when I reserved on HostelWorld.com, but it didn't. Furthermore, when I moved out of the room to relocate after the first night, I found out that it wouldn't be ready until 3:00 or 4:00 PM; I had been told previously that I would be able to move into the new room as soon as possible. The biggest problems that I had were in the new room. Other than there were a few flies in there, someone had left a "present" in the toilet. I found out the toilet was broken (which there was evidence that it had been like that for some time). The person that was managing couldn't fix it, and told me that no one would be available until Tuesday (after I was gone). Then later that day, the power went out in half the room. I asked what happened and he told me that DC was having power outages. However, I could clearly see that there was power everywhere else in the hostel. Because of this, neither me nor my roommate could use the AC. We had to sleep in the living room, which did have AC. It wasn't the worst that could happen, but it's best to choose another place.

I came here over the summer sometime in June/July. I've never been to a hostel and my friend…read moreconvinced me to go for the experience. This one had good reviews on hostel sites so we decided we'd stay here for 2 days. I'm a clean freak and if you are too please don't stay here. Every time I went to the bathroom I questioned everything because it looked disgusting and in need of a lot of repairs. The beds are worn down and not comfy. I stayed in a 2 bedroom so we had privacy and weren't stuck with sharing a space. They have a no shoes policy and I didn't feel comfortable with that cause it just looked dirty. I wouldn't stay here again. The one staff member we dealt with wasn't all that nice so that def didn't help.

Conveniently located 10 minuet walk from Union Station, open 24/7 and cheap. Plenty of bathrooms…read moreand common space to hang out. Free wifi, clean bathrooms. On the negative side the building was a little old and stuffy, but for ~ $25 a night, can you really complain. Had a very attractive young lady working at the front desk.

First of all, I extended my stay in DC and thought about hosteling. This hostel had a good review…read moreand was close to my hotel, Zena, so I booked for my last two nights there. I showed up with my luggage at around 14:00 hrs. and the employee at the front desk didn't even respond to my greetings. Every question I asked went unanswered. Rude to say the least. As soon as I gave him my ID, which he did not request respectfully. He barked: check in is at 3PM!. I responded that even in boutique hotels they cut you some slack. No response. So, I asked if I could leave my luggage there, and again, rude, responded, $5.00 per piece! I asked for my IDs and went back to the Zena and left my luggage there free. The first impression is important and the one I got of this place was terrible with this employee. He argued with me in a few occasions, he's absolutely impolite, and seems not clean and moody. Every request was encountered with a rude response and an argument. Terrible! Seems to hate his job there. When I commented about it with roommates, they all felt the same way. Now, the evening and afternoon employees were very nice and polite! Unfortunately the dark man with the beard that is there in the morning takes all the good and turns it negative.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my stay at Duo Housing. This was my first US hostel…read moreexperience (and my first hostel period in 20 years), so I was bracing myself for noisy young backpackers, work, not super hygienic facilities, and I was a bit nervous about safety. Not at all what I found at Duo - the staff were courteous and very helpful, the very nice bathroom and kitchen facilities were clean and well-supplied, and the beds, while no frills, were comfortable, warm and clean. There was a mix of residents, in terms of age (at 40 I was not even the oldest one there!) some were international travelers, others were US visitors to DC, I didn't actually meet or talk to any students. I was only able to stay one night because my driver's license still has my DC address, and they don't allow DMV residents to stay for more than a night at a time (I moved less than a month ago). For the price, this is a great find and will definitely be on my list of places to stay when I have to be in DC for work On my first night checking in, there was an older gentleman on the stoop outside telling everyone trying to get in that this was the worst hostel experience he'd ever had, and I wondered what I was getting myself into. Turns out that guy was the equivalent of a live 1-star Yelp review that Yelp would put in the "not recommended" bin.

Absolutely loved hiking at Bear's Den Overlook! The trail was peaceful, well-maintained, and had…read morebeautiful scenery the entire way up. The hike itself was fairly easy and can be finish under a hour. It is dog friendly, fairly shaded, and trail is well marked. You can sit down on the rock ledges and look at the incredible panoramic views of the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a small parking lot. It's a perfect spot for a quick getaway from the city, whether you're going for sunrise, sunset, or just a relaxing day outdoors. After can hit up Bear Chase Brewery close by.

A great quick out and back hike! It took us about 20-30 minutes from the parking lot to get to the…read moretop with no breaks. Great view from the top and a quick walk to the bear den hostel from the top. Well maintained trail. Lots of parking even on the weekends although it can get rather crowded on the trail

This house has not been renovated. For me, that was just fine as often modernizing takes away…read moresomething. The accommodations were quite sufficient for a week's stay and the staff was kind and thoughtful. I loved the authenticity and prefer it. The location was perfect for seeing Washington DC. The pricing was realistic. It was several years ago that we stayed there. We still have happy memories of the week we spent there.

When my sons and I stayed there we loved it. Wonderful view from the 3rd floor, and so nicely…read moresituated for walking places. In fact, I was digging through old emails trying to find it again as it's been several years. I was dismayed at the negative comments, but I also wonder if it could just be related to expectations. It is a lovely, unique old building in a quaint neighborhood. It was quiet when we stayed there and the staff was cheerful and friendly, and we had all that we needed. There are stairs, and that is important to note. It was not a trouble for us. In a city like D.C. it was kind of an escape to something that felt down to home, a spot where you could go and rest, and catch your breath without sharing the space with 500-1000 other people. Delightful.

If you call the number listed they will not confirm or deny the name or contact anyone staying…read morethere, You need to call The house phone And if you're lucky who you're looking for will be within ear shot. 202 2910761 The plastic covers on all the beds is kind of creepy. People tend to drink here and create Late night drama. They have a house guitar You can borrow. The bulletin board is my favorite thing there and Talking to people from around the world. It's an experience that's worth the discount.

around 10 years ago when i looked for a job in the US, i stayed there for around 100 nights. it was…read moreone of my nicest experiences. it was closed lately during covid. Thanks dear Lorry and Ron.

Lee & Rush were absolutely awful airbnb hosts:…read more I have never had a negative experience with an airbnb until these hosts. I stay in airbnbs for 3-4 months per year. A few things that dramatically impacted my stay: 1.) In the middle of the stay the host's entered the apartment while I was naked, and walked in on me. I felt violated. 2.) Construction began nearly every weekday of my stay, waking me up between 7 and 8am. The hosts said at one point that 'they did not know the construction was happening,' and later that they had visited the property prior to my check in 'and thought that the construction noise wasn't that loud.' Early in my stay they told me that construction would be concluded shortly. It was not; the property was still under construction the day I left. They offered no remedy. 3.) The hosts left plastic bakeware in the oven, and didn't give me any warning that plastic bakeware was left in the oven. So, I turned on the oven to use it, and only 10 minutes later noticed the smell of burning plastic. Who leaves plastic in the oven of an airbnb?!? Maybe your own home, but not an airbnb. I informed the hosts of this and they told me not to worry about it. I gave Lee & Rush many opportunities to remedy their mistakes; they chose not to. I will not be staying with them again.

Update, 5/29/21:…read more Wow, the business response should tell you everything you need to know about this shady property rental company. Here's the truth: 1. I was more so doing my due diligence than being combative initially because the Hotels.com page said nothing about an additional guest agreement before booking, which meant I couldn't cancel and get a refund if I didn't agree with something in the contract. 2. I actually did inform Lee & Rush that my husband was staying with me; I indicated that there were two guests on the reservation in the guest agreement, of which I obviously have a copy. I also verbally mentioned it to an employee prior to checking in. My husband was vaping, not smoking, and only vaped on the bench out back, which is over 10 feet away from the house. I thoroughly reviewed the agreement, and there is nothing in the guest agreement saying you can't smoke, let alone vape, outdoors. Kind of creepy that they were spying on us with their security cameras, though. 3. They're actually trying to suggest there's some sort of conspiracy, like we're arsonists or something? On the contrary, we think it's highly suspicious that both units we stayed at had faulty appliances and flammable materials in the ovens! Again, my husband and I have stayed at dozens - if not hundreds - of Airbnbs, vacation rentals, and hotels, and we've never had appliances catch fire or malfunction. 4. Lee & Rush claims that they "meticulously inspect every apartment for safety, cleanliness, and quality standards before and after each guest stay." However, we have video proof and had firefighters witness that the fire alarm was NOT working, so how can that possibly be true? 5. I didn't reply to the emails asking about how the stay was going because the stay was nonrefundable, and we just needed a place to sleep and work, so why bother. What were they really going to do about a mildewy smell that wasn't going to be invasive and interrupt our work day? 6. I actually raised the concerns with fire safety during the stay, to their employee James (who was the only kind employee we encountered with Lee & Rush). The fact is, this company is more concerned about trying to undermine us than addressing the serious safety and enjoyment issues at their properties, or to make things right for us. Why risk an experience like ours?