LOVER'S LODGE - COZY FIREPLACE, SOOTHING HOT TUB.

Lovers Lodge was a great place to stay in Joshua Tree. It has just about everything you need, towels, shampoo and other toiletries, coffee, sandwich bags, a cooler, candles, matches, and even DVDs. The hot tub was a perfect way to end the day after hiking in the park. The park is a short drive from the house, as well as places to eat and drink in Joshua Tree. There is also a place to make a fire and the grill on the front porch was easy to use. The view at night was beautiful, with tons of stars and the lights from the towns below. Also the bed was very comfortable which is always a plus!

Vida was very easy to arrange things with, I paid with PayPal, but you can also mail her a check. Her directions to the house were easy to follow. The only thing I would say that wasn't perfect was the house was not 100% clean when we arrived. The bed was unmade, there were crumbs still on the table from the previous renter, the floor hadn't been swept and the coffee filter had not been cleaned out. These were very minor flaws in an overall great experience - hence why my review is still five stars.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a quiet weekend or week in Joshua Tree. I will definitely rent from Vida again the next time I am in Joshua Tree.

Took my girlfriend to the Lover's Lodge to get away from the city for the weekend. We wanted to bike in Joshua Tree, so we didn't want to camp and risk having our bikes walk away. Found this place and we are so happy that we did.

Lover's lodge is the perfect size. The kitchen is great (I couldn't find a coffee grinder), we used both the front patio and back for dining locations, and the hot tub hit the spot after a long day cycling (It takes some time to heat up, but the view of the stars is incredible).

Vida was warm and helpful and provided excellent suggestions for breakfast dining options (and where to find the awesome coffee mugs).

There's no question that we'll be back.

I'm writing this review because I just finalized dates to go back to this cabin for the second time, and Vida deserves the good press.

I'm a writer, and I live in Orange County, which is great and all but I get sick of its prefabricated feel. Not always inspiring. I also teach college, which means that I'm always working -- not that I work a million hours a week, but that I'm never really 'off' -- weekends, nights, anytime...I could theoretically be working. And I'm always working at *home*. So last year, I decided to take off to the desert for my spring break so I could 1) get away from the school-aura that hangs around my apartment at all times and 2) do some writing in a new natural environment. I'd never been to the desert so I was kind of scared -- I'm very much a coastal person. But I got a good feeling about the place from the pictures, reviews, and from my communications with Vida. Plus the U2 album I listened to in middle school.

Anyway, with that groundwork laid: the place is great! I had a phenomenally relaxing and productive week. Finished a manuscript, did a lot of journal writing, couldn't wait to get out of bed in the morning, stopped watching Netflix and checking email compulsively, and breathed deeply of solitude. I had a small smile on my face the entire time, I'm pretty sure (though only the jackrabbit in the yard would really know). I used absolutely every amenity in the place -- hammock, firepit, fireplace, tv, wifi, jacuzzi, desk, cd player, kitchen, airconditioner....and everything worked just fine. It took me a while to figure out the flue, honestly, had to google it, but I pretty much figured it out. And it's isolated enough I slept with the curtains open so I could wake up to morning sun (also an impossibility in my first-floor Irvine Company apartment). I was so far away from what my day-to-day is, but it didn't feel uncomfortable, either. The property is a bit windblown around the edges but it's the desert, so duh. I like that about it anyway; it's down-to-earth, approachable, solid. Inside, the decor and layout are clean, usable, and just arty enough that it's easy on the eyes but not so much you're distracted by it.

I can't say enough about that week. And come January this year, I started, out of nowhere, smelling heat that rises from desert dust in a quick storm, and dry clean air, and woodsmoke. I didn't even mean to go back, but it just came over me. And I can't wait.