Merchant House High Desert
A mid-century Adobe house at the base of a mountain on 5 acres of un-spoilt landscape.
We carefully designed and created everything solely for you to relax and unwind in the privacy of your own desert retreat.
How would you describe Desert Wild Joshua Tree in a nutshell?
Desert Wild is a unique and tranquil oasis in the Mojave desert that we built from the ground up. We carefully designed and created everything in the home and on the property solely for you to relax and unwind in the privacy of your own desert retreat. Either lounging by the pool, stargazing from the hot tub or curled up near the adobe fireplace while watching a movie on our projector, Desert Wild can be your place of rest and relaxation.
What is the story behind Desert Wild Joshua Tree, what was your inspiration to create it?
We had fallen in love with Joshua Tree National Park where our dream was to build the perfect retreat. We found a piece of land with beautiful views and knew this would be the perfect place to bring our vision to life. We loved having the freedom to design from the ground up and create a space with everything we feel is needed for an amazingly luxurious stay in the desert.
How would you describe the atmosphere and the interior design of Desert Wild Joshua Tree?
In order to capture that tranquil feeling as soon as you enter Desert Wild, special attention is given to design from start to finish. An uncluttered setting with smooth plaster finishes, brass accents and a desert-inspired color palette that blends with the outdoors, achieves that purpose. Natural finishes, wood and linens create warmth, texture and luxury.
Are there any restaurants within walking distance?
The town of Joshua Tree is a 4-minute drive away and that is where you’ll find coffee, lunch spots and a few places for dinner. The Health Food Shop in Joshua Tree has some great basic groceries and some produce, organic wine, etc.
How big is the pool and is it heated?
Our pool is 20 feet by 10 feet by 5.5 feet deep with a tanning shelf. It can be heated at an extra cost which we recommend from about October until June because the nights are still chilly.
What’s your policy on children?
We welcome children and we can host up to four adults and one child as long as they sleep in a crib that the guests bring themselves. We do not allow anyone to sleep on the sofa as it’s an off-white color.
We created a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom home with an open floor plan layout. The home includes the kitchen, a living area with a kiva gas fireplace and a projector for movies and a dining area that displays sweeping views of the mountains on both sides. Our main bedroom has a king bed and an ensuite finished in plaster with a huge window to look over our cactus garden while you are showering. We have a guest bedroom with a queen bed where you wake up to beautiful views. The guest bathroom has a large built-in soaking tub and shower.
Out front, we have a spacious, covered patio which contains a day swing and a built-in seating area for morning coffees while watching the wildlife or the vibrant colors at sunset. Our backyard has a refreshing pool, a shaded cabana area, an oversized daybed and sun loungers. We also have a bocce ball court, bbq, and a covered outdoor dining area. For those cool nights, we have a hot tub and outdoor firepit.
Desert Wild has everything you could want for a comfortable stay in Joshua Tree. Inside we have super comfy bedding including memory foam mattresses, Bed Threads linens and Tuft and Needle pillows. We provide Public Goods soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions. We have a “top of the line” appointed kitchen. Outside the guests can find a pool, hot tub, BBQ, bocce court, wood-burning fireplace (season permitting), and a level 2 EV charging port. On cool evenings, snuggle up by our gas adobe fireplace and pick a movie from Netflix to watch on our indoor projector screen. We have aircon and heating to keep you comfortable but the design of our house keeps everything at a nice temperature most of the year.
Our pool is 20 feet by 10 feet by 5.5 feet deep with a tanning shelf. It can be heated at an extra cost which we recommend from about October until June because the nights are still chilly.
Joshua Tree is a famous destination for hiking and climbing. There are hikes for every level of fitness and we can make recommendations during your stay. Joshua Tree is also famous for its dark skies. So, stargazing is an activity that many people love to do when they come to visit and stargazing is especially fun from our hot tub. Also, Desert Wild’s pool is a great way to cool off after a day of hiking. Additionally, you can play a game of bocce ball while having a bbq and eating your meal in our outdoor dining area while enjoying the beauty of our cactus garden.
One highlight is the wildlife. Joshua Tree is a wild place. We have desert tortoises, long-horned sheep, coyotes, jackrabbits, desert quails, eagles, owls and all sorts of reptiles….just to name a few. Most of these can be seen right from Desert Wild, by driving through the National Park or walking the nearby trails.
Second, Joshua Tree and the neighboring towns have a lot of quirky stores for vintage shopping, art or handcrafted items. The Saturday morning farmers market and the Saturday morning flea market are great places to visit. We usually head to the farmer’s market for a coffee and some groceries, and then head to the flea market to try and find something unique or an old record.
People also love heading to the odd and unique places that are all within a 30-minute drive to Joshua Tree. We always recommend looking into a sound bath at the Integratron followed by a drink and a snack at one of our favorite spots that we can recommend if you book with us.
We are located 2 hours from Los Angeles and 45 minutes from Palm Springs airports. Desert Wild is in the scenic and safe residential neighborhood of Upper Friendly Hills sitting on over an acre of land. It is about a 4-minute drive into the town of Joshua Tree where you can get nice coffees, visit the cafes or shop at the Saturday farmers markets. The Health Food Shop in Joshua Tree has some great basic groceries and some produce, organic wine, etc. Joshua Tree is a small quiet artist community that backs onto the beautiful Joshua Tree National Park. A wonderful place to come to hike, relax and reset.
We are about a 10-minute drive to the entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. We do have neighbors, but Desert Wild still feels very private. We have beautiful views of the mountains from the backyard.
Joshua Tree is very different throughout the year and it all depends on what you prefer. By far the most popular months are March through May and October until early December. Those months usually mean warm days and mild nights….perfect for hiking, climbing and seeing desert tortoises and wild flowers.
The summer is for people who love to get up at sunrise and have the trail to themselves and then lay around the pool the rest of the day. The temperatures at night are still warm and it’s so nice to sit and look at the stars without having to wear a jacket. Summer is also the best chance for desert rain which is just magic.
Winter still has warm days, but the nights are nice and chilly which means bright stars and the best time to use the outdoor fire. It’s our favorite time of the year to sit in the hot tub and stargaze.
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