Teahorse B&B & Hostel

At first, I was a little confused by this Chinese-​named hostel run by an older Caucasian woman. But in her younger days, Laurel traveled quite a bit, becoming enamored with China (hence the Chinese hostel name). Because of her traveling, Laurel is familiar with what makes a good hostel, and accordingly provides those perks — clean beds, free soap/​shampoo/​conditioner, all you can eat waffle breakfast, hang-​out common area for socializing, shared kitchen, board games, and bike storage locker. There’s even a world map for you to pin where you’re from.
(Sidebar: As you’d expect, the clientele are outdoorsy folks (hikers and bicyclers), so they’re on the younger side. Which is a bit different from the Teahorse website which shows a bunch of older folks congregating together.)
There are a few down sides to this hotel though, which is why I knocked the rating down a star. Beyond Laurel’s control, the hostel is about a mile from Harper’s Ferry and that mile is 95% steep uphill, which wasn’t especially fun on a bike. (It’s also technically not in Harpers Ferry but the next town over.)
The price is also a bit on the steep side for a hostel. We paid ~$ 145 for a room (consisting of 4 bunk beds). If you’re renting just a bed, you’ll also pay ~$ 35 a person, and could possibly end up in the shared room for 8. Maybe these are Harpers Ferry prices, but I know of hostels in downtown Boston that charge about the same price.
Overall though, I enjoyed my experience here.

I rented the small cottage that is separate from the actual hostel. Laurel was flexible with me on check in time so that I wouldn’t have to carry my bags around town (I had no vehicle). The rental was cozy and clean. Breakfast at the hostel was fruit and fresh made waffles. The cottage is very close to the downtown area, very easy to walk back and forth.

Clean, bright, and friendly hostel. A great place to stay when biking the C&O. Laurel is so nice and helpful; she went out of her way to tell me the «secret» route to get back to the C&O going downhill the entire way. Highly recommended! My only regret is leaving before the morning waffles were served.

Laurel hosted me when I came in off the C&O trail. She was very understanding and patient even considering how late it was when I got there. This is the cleanest and most orderly hostel I have ever stayed in and I have stayed in quite a few. Very comfortable beds and your stay includes a free breakfast.
The only things that I can complain about are that the hostel is a few miles uphill from lower Harpers Ferry (can’t do anything about that) and that the check out time is 10am which is a bit early in my experience. Other that, awesome!

The Teahorse provides very good value for the money. Very clean facilities and the owner prepares a waffle breakfast the next morning. Most hostels that include breakfast have guests prepare their own food. Like any hostel, you have to make some compromises on privacy and personal space but overall the tradeoffs are worth it. Recommended.

What a great place to stay after a week of hiking! Laurel, the owner, is a wonderful person so staying with her is a pleasure. The hostel itself is kept very clean! All areas too, the bunk-​rooms, common area and bathrooms. Honestly probably one of the cleanest hostels I’ve been too. A free waffle breakfast is also included it was tasty! A nice treat in the morning and a good way to end your stay.
So in closing, when you come to Harpers Ferry please consider staying with Laurel at the Teahorse and helping out a small business owner instead of supporting another large hotel/​motel chain.

Loved staying at the Teahorse! We emailed to make a reservation a couple weeks in advance, Laurel (the owner) was accommodating even when we had to make a last minute change. It was a comfortable and quiet night’s sleep. The showers are amazing after a long day of biking or hiking.
Three of us were on a weekend bike trip from Washington, DC to Harpers Ferry and we loved that Laurel provided secure bike storage in a locked shed, plus a delicious waffle breakfast in the morning. There are tons of resources for Appalachian Trail hikers, Adventure Cycling bikers, and general Harpers Ferry tourist maps and guides. There’s a computer you can use if you need to check something online and free wifi if you have your own. Great place with everything you might need for a stop on your journey, and Laurel is very sweet. If you look in their guestbook, it’s nothing but pages and pages of rave reviews of the Teahorse!

I stayed at the Teahorse B&B Hostel while on a bicycle trip from Cumberland, MD to Washington DC via the C&O Canal tow path. I’ve stayed in many an hostel and this one is wonderful. Very clean — — bathrooms, bunk rooms, kitchen, commons area. Beds are new and comfortable. The owner/​host is very nice and helpful. The breakfast provided was homemade waffles, fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee, tea. If you’re on a bike I recommend getting a shuttle from the «old» downtown area to the hostile as it is a very steep ride to the hostile. There is a nice pizza joint a couple of blocks from the hostile and you can buy pizza by the slice. I look forward to staying here again.