Casa Luisa Joshua Tree — Hotel in Joshua Tree

When I showed up to Casa Luisa in Joshua Tree at night, I was greeted by fanciful lights and amenities. This AirBnB short-term vacation rental stood out from the crowd. My friends and I enjoyed this people pleaser, which has become renown for its completeness of creature comforts and provisions in the scenic desert park tourist destination. Minutes away from the national park entrance, the four bedroom, two bathroom single family home first reveals itself to guests as an unassuming house denoted by a driveway, garage, fenced draped for privacy. The magic of this destination is that is grew on me minute-by-minute due to its full-featured list of amenities and conveniences. The large back yard is decked out in locally-appropriate decor that shows pride of ownership, combined with just enough whimsey to put a smile on my face, and just enough quaintness to give a feeling of ease and enjoyable abandon. Casa Luisa is a bespoke getaway adorned with unique designs, with just enough luxuries to spoil visitors, and down-to-earth price that is affordable for many vacationing families of up to 6-8 persons. Billed as “the essence of an escape,” proprietor host Joel Oconer designed the home’s spaces with guests in mind with amenities that he describes as “beyond comprehension,” amid artfully unique interior designs, providing spacious indoor and outdoor living. Sip coffee before a beautiful sunrise, cool off in the pool after a long day’s hike, soak blissfully in the hot tub spa, or lay in a hammock, mesmerized by the vibrance of the star-filled sky. No wonder Casa Luisa is so popular. Weeknight stays can sometimes be done on short notice, but those wanting to stay on a weekend, holiday or big event should book well in advance. Owner Joel was there. He said: “It’s always a pleasure meeting guests in person and making that connection. I am glad that single guests and families alike enjoy their stays at Casa Luisa.” Joel adds, “My team and I really love to help people have enjoyable stays, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to host them.” The stylish living room features a refined tortoise-wood coffee table and one-of-a-kind mirror, vintage furniture and a sliding glass door with mountain views. All four bedrooms and the living room have Smart TVs with streaming services. Each of the four bedrooms & two baths offers its unique blend of modernized, traditional comfort. A smart assistant Alexa device can play music of the guests choice. Get plenty of work done, browse the web or watch Netflix in high definition detail thanks to super fast business class internet service. The cabana-style patio has an outdoor dining table and lounge chairs for creative conversations. Use it for relaxing, or for a peaceful yoga session. Open the outdoor drapes to take in the amazing sunsets! The mini resort shelters visitors in a place of exquisite exclusivity. Clad with small mountains of majestic rock formations, its forests of extremely rare yucca brevifolia joshua trees that can only survive in this unique high desert soil where the Mojave and Colorado desert intersect, and with cold temperatures in winter and hot temperatures in summer. So sensitive are these plants, that they can only grow if they are physically orientated precisely in a particular N-S-E-W facing positing. The special trees are exclusively available for enjoyment around the Joshua Tree National Park area. The big desert park provides endless hours of healthy fun in the great outdoors. The area is also home to the internationally famous annual outdoor music concert called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Not exactly 5-star quality, and it certainly lacks Four Seasons perfection, Casa Luisa does provide splendid features, delivered with a bit of economy, and just a dash of festive, fun...

We had an amazing visit, in no small part because of this beautiful desert retreat. Perched atop a hill that overlooks the small outcropping of shops and restaurants in Joshua Tree amid a vast expanse of unusual rock formations, with great mountain canyons in the distance, we were able to relax virtually upon entry. The self illuminating single code entry locks provide easy access to the front gate and the front door, and it was great not having to fumble with keys in the dark.

Once there we really appreciated just how clean and well equipped virtually every element of the property was. The kitchen has everything one might need to cook a full meal, though I'd recommend stopping for groceries before arriving as there is no full service grocery store in town (but there is a pricey health food store and a few gas station convenience stores that will provide you with the basics and these are basically within walking distance to be fair). It includes an ice maker, a stove, a large fridge, a microwave, as well as all the supplies one might need for using the large grill, and a toaster (no toaster oven though, if you're a lazy cook like me haha).

The bathrooms come with quality soap and include facial soap, body wash bars, as well as shampoo and conditioner that are a cut above the motel standard. They are also very clean and notably have plenty of hot water and great water pressure (both of which I have had issues with in other vacation rentals in JT).

The living room is large and open, connecting seamlessly with the kitchen and dining area. It's more than enough space to comfortably entertain a small party or have a handful of friends curl up and watch a movie or TV. By the way, the TVs are all working cable TVs, with the ones in the master bedroom and the living room being larger and newer smart TVs that integrate with my iPhone with ease. In general, the house comes Packed with a a lot of thoughtfully installed tech that allows one to play music easily in any of the outdoor living spaces.

The master bedroom is large with a king sized bed and crisp premium quality linens. The other bedrooms are smaller and share the 2nd bathroom. Our friends who stayed in them found them entirely comfortable and without fault.

Where the place really shines brighter than the rest of the convenient 'in-town options' for vacation rentals is with the very private park like yard and patio, completely with a swimming pool and large jacuzzi. The price we paid for this place would have been warranted without these qualities, but with the beautiful grounds and amenities, I declare this spot the best value I have seen for stays in Joshua Tree.

The jacuzzi is BIG and fit 6 people with relative ease. The fire pit was also really special and allowed all of us guests to sit around telling stories and catching up without the distractions from all the electronic conveniences we have become so accustomed to these days. Finally, the sizable patio, with its semi-enclosed outdoor living room complete with an easy to operate outdoor heater and 6 person dining table overlooking the the beautiful grounds and view beyond gave us the perfect opportunity to put our phones down and enjoy a great meal in one another's company.

The whole place was just ideal -- we feel so relaxed after our short stay there and will surely be returning (and...

What a beautiful home to spend a girls weekend in Joshua Tree.

Location - the home is located SUPER close to one of the entrances of the Joshua Tree National Park and a lot of great, local (and popular) eateries and souvenir shops.

Space - the home fits 6 adults wonderfully. The bedrooms were spacious and the bathrooms clean! The backyard is exquisite. So much to do in the backyard space - hot tub, pool, meditation, group conversations around their wood burning fire pit, star watching/gazing, dinner, and more! Lots of space to be together with your group but also lots of space to just be with yourself too!

Details - so many small details that made our stay above expectations! New house slippers to use indoors for each guest, a warm home upon arriving with music playing in the background, to fresh towels, toiletries, masks, anti-bac, and a warmed up hot tub at the ready! The design of the home inside and outside, is very intentional.

Communication - Joel is super communicative and checked in a couple of times during our stay to make sure everything was going well. We had asked a couple of questions during the weekend and response time was quick.

We will definitely come back and stay at Casa Luisa. It was a great home away from home experience. ...