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July 2024 by Sandy Mitchell Pavick
The Open Arms Hostel is a great home away from home, within striking distance of the Appalachian Trail. Alison is a gracious host who makes every one of the nightly (sometimes quirky) group feel like family. She'll not only offer you a bed, shower and laundry, but run you to get food, pick you up from the trail or help w resupply. Highly recommend.
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July 2024 by Paul Abdis
If you"re hiking the AT this is a good place .
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July 2024 by Crowba Shearer
Love this lady. Great place.. she goes beyond..
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June 2024 by Katrina Berdou
Allison was super sweet and all of the hikers were nice as well!
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March 2024 by David Baldwin
Alison is awesome! Looking forward to staying at the hostel in Sept! Super friendly and super helpful! Love love love everything about this place!
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March 2024 by Dob Dobbin (Dob Dobbin Photography)
Amazing spot for hikers and travelers alike. Allison will take great care of you. Shuttle service and slackpacking options available. Best of all she's open year round. Don't miss out on this awesome gem on the Appalachian Trail. You'll have a tough time finding anyone that cares so much for hikers along the trail. Thanks for a great stay. I'm sure to return.
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November 2023 by Linda Hutchings
Cute convenient well stocked mindfully created and maintained simple simple hostel in a family home, owned and run by the amazing personable helpful kind generous Allison! Very reasonably priced, with laundry available too ($5/load).It is not fancy, and none of the sheets match, but you find out that when hearts & needs match, that's much more important! And it sure beats staying at Skylands on the nearby famous Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah for $200+/night! It's 7 minutes from Luray Caverns, the Singing Tower, and Luray's museums and food establishments. As or more importantly it's very reasonably close to all the fantastic trails up on the near Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah Mountains.There were three twin beds in the small room I shared with two other and there are some people who stay there longer time, but everyone was respectful and and managed to share the one bathroom on the second floor without any issues. At the end of the day a place to sleep, cook, store food, do laundry, and socialize with personable people was a fantastic deal.A smart business woman and thoughtful hostess, Alison takes about every form of payment I can think of, cash, credit, venmo. And she has many supplies hikers and travelers might want, available at cost, and also includes all kinds of dishes, plates, pots and pans, oils, spices, and and condiments, and use of the stove in the kitchen and the living room TV that make it so homey to stay at Open Arms.And I must say that if you arrived without supplies, common sense, basic manners, or wisdom for life, Open Arms will teach you a thing or two, because Allison has signs on literally everything, to keep things running smoothly for all the guests and herself!??♥️
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October 2023 by Brooke
I’m not usually one to post reviews, but Alison and the whole Open Arms crew were so welcoming and kind that I want to shout from the rooftops that anyone ever passing through Luray should stay here! We stayed in August 2023. Alison is an absolute doll, and works so hard to make sure every guest is comfortable. Hikers passing through get to exchange stories. The pets are so cute. The vibe is very home-y, and this will not be a hotel experience by any means. But what’s in store is so much more fun- access to a full house and fantastic company. We wish we could’ve stayed longer. We thank Alison for being so kind to us during our stay and we hope to come back! This truly was a hiker’s paradise.
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September 2023 by Ann L
Alison, the owner of Open Arms, is an angel! While in the national park my car broke down. I was walking back to my car from the main entrance and she gave me a lift. As I waited for hours for a tow truck that was not going to come, she happened to pass by and ask if we were alright. Long story short, we stayed the night at the hostel.Alison goes above and beyond.
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July 2023 by Connie W.
This place is a true travelers hostel!! We were hiking the Appalachian trail in the Shenandoah's when we decided we need a day of rest. We found this place and they had Two available bunks. There are all the comforts of home, shower, you can use the kitchen....but there are a few good restaurants close by also. Walking distance to the grocery store and a shuttle back to the trail the next day. We arranged a slack packing day also!! All in all one of the most welcoming laid back hostels on the Appalachian trail! Thanks for everything!!!
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June 2023 by syd farrar
Allison is a very friendly, hospitable and AT hiker knowledgeable!
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May 2023 by Tamara Carter
Open Arms is a great Hostel with an amazing owner/host. Allison Coltrane goes above and beyond for her guests. The rooms are always clean with fresh linen. She collects the hikers dirty clothes as they come in cleans them and folds them. You simply ask and the items you are looking for are usually available or She helps you get it. She makes daily runs to town for resupply. Guests have full use of the kitchen and most of the house. It's like making a trip home and seeing a friend. I simply do not know how she does it all from morning until night. I have stayed here several times. Last year with my granddaughter while hiking the AT and This month while Backcountry hiking. The perfect place to take a zero. I will be back to stay again. Highlights:- Clean comfortable rooms.- fans, air-conditioning, heat : depending on the weather/season- laundry- showers- full kitchen use- shuttle service- resupply runs- WiFi- small in-house resupply- refrigerator- games/ TV/ DVD- accepts and holds hiker boxes/mail- Dog friendly place
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April 2023 by Heather Bercot
Fantastic place to stay. I had my choice of a firm or soft mattress. The firm mattress was fantastic and I slept incredibly well on it. Alison was wonderful and I enjoyed my stay.
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January 2023 by Fergus Dignan
May not suit everyone but for me as a hiker visiting the AT it was
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January 2023 by Nathan Glomb
Awesome hiker hostel. Good vibes. Stayed here for two nights on my thru hike of the AT. Looking forward to coming back and spending more time in Luray.
