Vacation Rentals by Owner

Style and Seclusion

Guest: Mike and Jim (Washington, DC)
Date of Stay: 03/25/12 Review Submitted: 04/13/12

We rented this house the last week of March and it was truly spectacular. Dave was very responsive and provided the most detailed list of what is provided, down to every single item in the kitchen. Of course that meant we had to only bring ourselves and food and drink! The home itself is top notch in style and substance. Little details like the magnetic doorstops and even a cocktail shaker make this the best experience we have ever had renting a home (and we rent vacation homes several times a year). As great as the house and owner are, I cannot leave out the setting. It is truly an oasis only a couple of hours from LA. It was quiet and so serene every single day. This should be at the top of anyone's list if you like design, desert and serenity.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Fabulous house and piece of land

Guest: Holger (Munich, Germany / Ventura, CA)
Date of Stay: 01/04/12 Review Submitted: 01/16/12

We have had the pleasure to spend three nights at the Rock Reach House in early January 2012. I can only underline what other reviewers are describing: This house and the setting is truly amazing and I've enjoyed every minute of our stay. I came with my wife and 9 year old son to rock climb, take photos, cook and enjoy the landscape around. There is really nothing to add, the house is wonderfully equipped and very thoughtfully designed. My wife and I both studied Industrial Design and we enjoy attention to detail in Interior Design - The house is a true case study and inspires to start a project yourself. While there, we've read up on the development process and the prefab concept the house is based on ; we drove around and looked at the second house not far from the Rock Reach House - wonderful as well. From the first call, to booking the rental and finding everything in place - David is wonderful to work with - hands down. Thanks for sharing this place and we will for sure try to make it back for a second visit. Other details: The road to the house is absolutely drivable - we came with our 2-wheel drive Hybrid car and had no problems. Bring your mountain bikes - the sandy roads are wonderful terrain to ride around and enjoy the area. Friends flew in for an evening. The nearby YV airport is small, but very close to the house (2.3 Miles).

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Amazing design and attention to detail

Guest: Steve (Santa Barbara)
Date of Stay: 09/28/11 Review Submitted: 10/06/11

I have never stayed (nor lived) in a dwelling with such a thoughtful and creative design. From it's siting on the property, to the floor plan, to the interior and exterior lighting, everything is beautiful and thoughtful. The attention to detail for the guest is 5 star--even down to the note pad in the bed side stands for the midnight inspirations! What a great romantic get away. Truly a one of a kind experience.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

My Dream Vacation

Guest: T.C. (San Francisco, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/27/11 Review Submitted: 06/01/11

My friends and I had an amazing Memorial Day weekend at the house. There were five of us total and we ended up making all but one meal at the house for the five days we were there. Everything was very thoughtful, and there wasn't a single thing we needed for cooking/living/enjoying ourselves that wasn't provided. I will dearly miss drinking my coffee on the front deck while watching this lizards sunbathe on the rocks. And at night we would sit in the (hot) cowboy soak tub, listening to music and star gazing. What a dream!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Extraordinary House

Guest: sara o.
Date of Stay: 05/21/11 Review Submitted: 12/15/11

I posted this on Homeaway and wanted to share here as well: I stayed at this amazing home over six months ago and am still in love. I want to live here. I currently live in Hawaii but want to leave it for a house like this one, in the desert. Obviously, the house is gorgeous. And as mentioned in the other reviews, the owner provides thoughtful touches so the home is set up perfectly. Often I find that vacation homes are missing the little things that make the stay comfortable, such as updated internet codes, sufficient cookware, etc. Here we had no inconveniences, everything was provided for and all went smoothly. We had a great time in Yucca: We didn't try any of the local restaurants, but did find a bar nearby (Joshua Tree Saloon?) that had an excellent jukebox with Johnny Cash on heavy rotation and Jenny Lewis waiting tables : ) There are some nice little vintage shops in the area as well. Back at the house I took approximately 4,000 photos of the property, and spent nights soaking in the tub and starring at the sky with wine in hand, the cowboy soak tub being my other favorite bar in the neighborhood. Can't think of one negative, it is a truly lovely place, thanks for sharing it.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Extraordinary Property

Guest: sara o.
Date of Stay: 05/21/11 Review Submitted: 12/15/11

I stayed at this amazing home over six months ago and am still in love. I want to live here. I currently live in Hawaii but want to leave it for a house like this one in the desert. Obviously, the house is gorgeous. And as mentioned in the other reviews, the owner provides thoughtful touches so the home is set up perfectly. Often I find that vacation homes are missing the little things that make the stay comfortable, such as updated internet codes, sufficient cookware, etc. Here we had no inconveniences, everything was provided for and all went smoothly. We had a great time in Yucca: We didn't try any of the local restaurants, but did find a bar nearby (Joshua Tree Saloon?) that had an excellent jukebox with Johnny Cash on heavy rotation and Jenny Lewis waiting tables : ) There are some nice little vintage shops in the area as well. Back at the house I took approximately 4,000 photos of the property, and spent nights soaking in the tub and starring at the sky with wine in hand, the cowboy soak tub being my other favorite bar in the neighborhood. Can't think of one negative, it is a truly lovely place, thanks for sharing it.

Recommended for:

Charming house, beautiful location

Guest: meg (santa barbara)
Date of Stay: 05/13/11 Review Submitted: 05/17/11

It was a good omen when members of my family driving from the East Coast, and me, flying in and then driving from LA, met at the corner near the house within 10 minutes of each other! We all loved the house--it was comfortable, beautifully calm, and totally in keeping with the natural beauty around it. One note of caution: the road was much more difficult than we expected-- thank god I had rented a Jeep SUV--I cannot imagine a regular sedan would have made it without ripping off the tail pipe!

Owner response:Thanks for the great comments Meg. As for your note of caution I would only say that we have folks staying all the time who drive regular sedans and no one has had any problem. We even have a regular visitor who drives a low-slung Prius and he loves driving to the house!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

luxurious home in the the middle of spectacular wilderness...

Guest: Natgeo girl (Washington DC)
Date of Stay: 04/17/11 Review Submitted: 04/20/11

but just 15 minutes from supermarket. It's probably already been said of this house, but this the best of all worlds: superior design, accessibility, and the feeling that you're all alone in the middle of nowehere, AND it's a nowhere that's exceptionally beautiful. Incredible rock formations, beautiful natural desert plants and animals, clean air, quiet, and clear night skies. We stayed in late April and except for a few hours when we first arrived, never needed to use anything but the cross breezes to cool the house. Just hiking around the area was better than all of my visits to JT National Park over the years. Why? The landscape is as wonderful if not more so, you don't run into random hordes of toursist, and you can head back to your stunning house with private outdoor shower instead of an icky camp site. What more could you ask? Well, one more thing... I would have loved a swimming pool :) But perhaps that would make it less "authentic"; the cowboy soak tub ( we filled it with cold water for those hot afternoons) was lovely. We WILL be back. Thank you for sharing your beautiful vision, Dave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Ethereal weekend in the desert

Guest: HCT (Boston, MA)
Date of Stay: 04/01/11 Review Submitted: 04/05/11

We are just (reluctantly) departed a spectacular long weekend at Rock Reach House! The house is an immaculate combination of luxury and economy of space. The setting is other-wordly; the photos don't do it justice. We loved every inch of the house and site and made use of the cowboy soak tub and fire cauldron for our own cowboy s'mores. The house was very thoughtfully stocked and the instructions thorough and accurate. The outdoor lighting and sound system made our evenings at home magical. We were two adult couples and the size was perfect. Can't wait to return!!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway.

Great stay at the Rock Reach House

Guest: Chad (Des Moines , Iowa)
Date of Stay: 01/22/11 Review Submitted: 02/02/11

Everything is in great condition and very clean. Remote location with lots of privacy. Dave was great to work with and everything went just as planed. I would definitely recommend renting this come. Can't wait to go back.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

wow. just wow

Guest: babs (los angeles)
Date of Stay: 11/25/10 Review Submitted: 12/30/10

This is an absolutely stunning house in a gorgeous, secluded and quiet location. And a wonderfully executed example of modern, sustainable, minimal impact architecture--no wonder it was featured in Dwell magazine. The house and land are so peaceful and relaxing with incredible views and outfitted with everything you could possibly need--we went home with appliance envy. The soak tub is a great place to star gaze and there is all sorts of great critter watching from both inside and out. We stayed over Thanksgiving and Dave was an attentive (though not intrusive) and gracious host. We would highly recommend this place to anyone wanting a luxurious modern retreat in the desert.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Kendall
Date of Stay: 09/05/10 Review Submitted: 09/07/10

Hi David, We LOVED everything about the house! Every detail was appreciated...my friend was freaking out over the Heath Ceramics :) I can just tell you that you couldn't have had girls that truly appreciated and loved the house more than us! We really enjoyed looking at the stars out on the porch, drinking a beer in the soak tub and the having speakers play music throughout was magical! I'm sure you haven't been to the house, but we left a thank you note and a succulent, it was just prefect and we are so glad you decided to share this home with us! It was very very well stocked for a rental and that made it feel like home! The style was us in a nutshell!   Thank you Dave!!! I hope you get more renters who love it as much as we do!

Recommended for:

Modern Luxury in the Desert

Guest: Jetsettera (San Francisco, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/06/10 Review Submitted: 05/27/10

This is THE way to experience the desert. Besides being able to tell our friends we vacationed in a house featured in Dwell magazine (bonus), we could not get over how the house seemed to float above the Mojave desert landscape. We felt like we were in our own Joshua Tree National Park and the Flintstones-like boulders took our breath away. It's super private, which makes day and nighttime hikes all the more amazing (I don't know the last time we saw stars like this), and we loved the cowboy tub to cool off after a long, wonderful day at Joshua Tree (just 30 minutes down the road) and to keep warm at night when the desert temps drop. Palm Springs was also just 30 minutes away, so after checking out all the mid-century modern architecture there and shopping and eating, we loved coming back to the Rock Reach house for margaritas on the deck. You could easily split the house with another couple, but my husband and I loved it as our private escape. The solitude is perfect for creative pursuits, but you're close enough to Joshua Tree, Pioneer Town (you must go to Pappy & Harriet's!) and Palm Springs if you want to get out and do more.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.