Joshua Tree Highlands House

A perfect, relaxing bungalow/​cabin rental. Simple, funky retro-​Ikea décor. A well-​stocked kitchen. Hot Tub under the stars. WiFi. outdoor firepit. Joshua Tree is in your backyard. It’s a bit of 2014-​style roughing it – you literally have to drive down a sandy road, so you’re really going where «the blacktop ends» but with tons of modern touches. Don’t be scared off by the paypal deposit OR the coyotes that will be hanging around and howling in your backyard (he’ll get you your security deposit back 24 hours after you leave, and the coyotes are harmless but creepy the first time you hear them).
Overall, great vacation rentals. Would go back in a second.

This review is for the Villa Rocosa house.
We stayed at Villa Rocosa for 5 days and it wasn’t enough! I never thought I would love the desert, so we planned a short getaway. We ended up loving the place and Joshua Tree park, so we stayed longer.
Villa Rocosa seems the perfect size for a weekend escape for two. The layout is very open — a bar separates the kitchen from the living room which doubles as bedroom with a Murphy bed — and the living room wall is built into a formation of rocks that bring the outside in. It gives you a sense of being in the Mojave (with the comfort of a Swamp cooler!) There is a small TV and a selection of movies on DVD, although you’ll probably want to spend your time watching the small animals outside (like the curious Greater Roadrunner who came within a few feet of my wife as she was sunbathing…) And there is free WiFi, so you can post all your pics of Joshua Tree in the evening after your hikes :)
The small refrigerator was roomy enough to stock food for the entire time we were there (we only ate out once — at Royal Siam… decent Thai food). There are grocery stores, a Walmart, etc. and Gas/​Convenience stores nearby. The entrance to Joshua Tree National Park is just a few miles up the road, so it is very convenient for any hiking or off-​road trips you might want to do.
The dirt road leading to the house is definitely rocky/​bumpy at certain points. In our Jeep it was nothing, but if you have a smaller car, you’ll probably feel it.
The house and the area are very quiet… and the stars at night, amazing! This is definitely a great spot for getting away from it all. We took advantage and did some songwriting. But regardless of what you want to do, it’s definitely a quiet little place to get away and relax.
Over all, a very good experience. We like it so much, we’ve already booked our next trip to discover the Sky House! (…and hit the dusty Joshua Tree trails we couldn’t get to this last trip).

We stayed in Villa Rocosa for two nights and loved it. It was easy to reserve and pay through PayPal. Jim sent me an email immediately with directions and check-​in instructions. It was easy to get to and took about 2 hours from Pomona. The house is located on a hillside just north of Joshua Tree National Park, accessible by a dirt road between the Joshua Tree Visitor Center and the actual park entrance. The house was clean upon arrival, and the Jaccuzi was heated and ready for use. We sat in the hot tub at night stargazing and had morning coffee with the animals. What I loved about this house — the windows which on all sides show beautiful landscapes — you can feel close to nature while being inside because of this; the animals that came to eat at the feeders and plants that were set up (we saw quail, ground squirrels, and jackrabbits, and heard coyotes); the chairs set up a bit away from the house proper and facing a rockpile; the well-​stocked kitchen; wi-​fi; the tasteful interior design, books, magazines, DVDs, and music collection; firewood cut and ready. It was a 5 min. drive into the park and down on the strip (the 62), various restaurants including a health shop, Indian restaurant, and pizza places were less than 5 min. away. It took about 20 min. to drive to Pappy and Harriet’s to the west and another 20 to the Oasis of Mara at the northeast entrance to the national park. Things to note: no curtains or shades in the living room and kitchen which light up brightly when the sun rises; and the hot water takes a few minutes to actually heat up — we let the shower and kitchen sink run a few minutes til it heated. Overall, this was a beautiful and peaceful weekend that gave us an escape. Well worth it. We plan to go back.

My family and I had the pleasure of staying at the Sky House over the weekend. What a treat. The home is very clean, well stocked and perched on a hill providing views that challenge you to stay home and enjoy. The entrance to Joshua Tree Nat’l Park is about 4 miles away. If you’ve never been, rent this home or one of their other two properties nearby and take in the beauty of Joshua Tree. Our two young boys had plenty of adventure. Just one thing to note… the last mile up to the house is a dirt road… don’t worry about washing your car for the trip.

I have stayed at 3 different houses: Villa Rocosa, Willow House (now sold, and unavailable to rent) and Sky House. All houses are amazing!!! You can literally buy groceries and never leave, which is what we always do. They are fully functional and have all the amenities you need (except internet at a few of their houses, which I think depends on geography.) The owners are super accommodating and always available if you need something. These houses are perfect for a romantic getaway (Villa Rocosa) or a trip with friends (Sky House.) All houses are secluded and the surrounding areas are gorgeous, with vegetation and boulders galore. Sky house has the most amazing view EVER. I highly recommend these houses to anyone!

Stayed at Joshua Tree Highlands House before but never at SKY house. Their coolest and snazziest home rental. It was fabulous. It has a full kitchen, tons of room, two bedrooms and really wonderful outside space. There is a jacuzzi and an outdoor gazebo which is perfect for breakfast and best of all it sits way up a mountain looking out onto the entire area. The sunsets were amazing. And the mornings were just
beautiful. This place is super clean and relaxing. I will be back.

The following review is for the Luna Mesa House:
From the outside, this place looks like a run-​of-​the-​mill desert bungalow. The inside, however, resembles an IKEA show room, albeit much more sparsely decorated and functional.
Here are the features that we liked:
+ Pet friendly
+ Hot tub (already warmed up for us upon arrival)
+ TV, DVD player, iPod docking station
+ Free WiFi
+ Hammock
+ Well provisioned kitchen (so you don’t have to eat out)
+ Lots of books, DVDs, and games
+ Sofa that folds out into a second bed
+ Close to Joshua Tree National Park
Here’s what we disliked about the place:
— A tad pricey ($ 200 a night)
— No closet to hang your clothes
— It’s located off a bumpy dirt road
Overall, the Luna Mesa House is a really nice vacation rental.

We booked the Villa Rocosa house for a weekend birthday retreat for a few friends, and were so delighted by our stay that I hope to host my wedding party there next fall. The layout, the décor, everything about it was classy, comfortable, and very well-​appointed. Our group grew by 2 so we moved to the Willow House the next night, with the expectation that it would be bigger… I’ll admit to being slightly disappointed by the size of the kitchen, but it still worked out fine. Overall I felt that the Rocosa was much better appointed for cooking and entertaining, what with the gas stove, huge concrete counter and both gas & traditional grills outside. Oh did I mention the nice linen, soft towels and ROBES?! Perfect for lounging after stargazing in the hot tub.