Where to Stay in Palm Springs & Joshua Tree

Where to stay

If you make your home base:

• Joshua Tree: Book a b&b close to the park.

• Palm Springs: Pick a hotel that makes you feel like a 1950s movie star.

My must-have requirements

• Water for dipping. Bonus if the pools are hot and cold, salt or mineral.

• Outdoor space made for chilling. Think: conversational fire pits, stargazing setups.

• Mid-century modern design and organic architecture.

• Mood board: Slim Aarons, Kellogg-Doolittle, A-Z West.

Joshua Tree wish list

Houses I can book for you:

• A Wabi-sabi desert home featured in an Andy Samberg movie, with a jaw-dropping saltwater pool.

• An off-grid, upcycled home; no pool, but I’ll allow it, because you get to sleep under the stars in an open-air bedroom—no walls, no ceiling, just sky.

Palm Springs wish list

• Two Bunch Palms: A spa hotel rumored to have been Al Capone’s secret desert hideaway; now a luxe mineral springs oasis.

• The Colony Palms: A hotel with 1930s mobster roots, boutiquey Hollywood glam, and a stripey-chic pool.

• Sparrow Lodge: An MGM star’s 1950s barn turned lodge hotel—rumor has it Elizabeth Montgomery (i.e., Samantha in Bewitched) had her first wedding here.

• Korakia: An eclectic hotel that started as a Scottish painter’s 1924 Moroccan villa.

Things to do

• Number-one priority is a pool day in Palm Springs!

• Joshua Tree Park: Arch Rock, Cholla Cactus Garden, Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail. Every trail was better than the last. Too bad for us, the cacti trail was closed, but driving through the garden was still super cool. The namesake Oasis trail is a perfect pre-lunch hiking trail that leads to a real-life desert oasis!

• DIY architecture tour: I never previously considered myself a home design or architecture nerd, but maybe I should. I did spend a lot of time playing Sims, after all. On the drive-by list: Frey house II. The pink door house. The visitor center. 1011 West Cielo Drive. The Elvis house in Chino Canyon. The old Coachella Valley Savings & Loan. Del Marcos Hotel. Wexler. That being said, it’s a mecca, so aimlessly driving around will probably also work.

Places to eat & drink

• A brief moment for La Copine: This Frenchy place is an absolute desert-lunch dream. One of the best meals we’ve unanimously ever had. Go after a hike and shop while you wait for a seat at Teocali (in a camper van, in the back). Our favorites ranked: The fried chicken. The eggplant fries. The smoked salmon sunchoke latke. The gnocchi. The mushrooms.

• Bar Cecil: Supposedly, this is the spot for drinks and snacks, if you’re lucky enough to get a reservation or a walk-in bar seat. I want to like martinis. But I don’t like martinis. Yet, I still feel like I need to try their $50 signature caviar-adorned 'tini.

• Paul Food/Bar: From what I can tell, local Redditors fear sharing this spot because it's just that good and lines are starting to form.

Road trip pit stops

• Photo op: Kitschy Cabazon Dinosaurs, home of the “World’s Biggest Dinosaurs”

• Try the date shake at Hadley Fruit Orchards, famous since 1931

• When in doubt: In-N-Out

• Tacos: Mitla Cafe—Taco Bell has them to thank for their crunchy taco recipe

• Burritos: Handmade tortillas at El Burrito Redlands

• If there's a superbloom, then take a detour: Chino Hills, Walker Canyon, and Idyllwild Nature Center

• Sweet stop: The Donut Man

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Palm Springs page.