If you find yourself curled up and snoozing peacefully atop an outdoor ‘stargazing’ bed as passing breezes perfume the air with the scent of cedar and sagebrush (an intoxicating fragrance that should be sold in candle form at gift shops) and baggy-skinned chuckwallas scamper across the landscape, you could be forgiven for thinking you were dozing off under a starry night sky within Joshua Tree National Park. You practically are.
Sacred Sands is a dashedly charming inn, and its footpath-connected guesthouse Lobo Luna sit together on 10 acres of mountain-facing land a mere 2 kilometers from the park’s West Entrance Station. It’s like overnighting inside the park but with a ‘treat yourself’ mentality for people who want crisp linens instead of shaggy sleeping bags (and the promise of a tarantula-free night’s sleep).
Why stay at Lobo Luna at Sacred Sands?
California’s Hi-Desert, the area north and west of the park which includes communities like Yucca Valley, Pioneertown, Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, has largely eschewed big-box hotels (though a few familiar US chains can be found along Twentynine Palms Highway). Instead, homestays heavy on desert swagger which have been designed to lure drive-market weekenders, plus cowboy-curious travelers from elsewhere in the US and around the world, dominate.
Lobo Luna at Sacred Sands delivers boho chic vibes in spades and its proximity to the park makes it the envy of other vacation rentals. Current owners Keith and Kaylee Niemann Hamm acquired two-guestroom, event-forward Sacred Sands in 2019 and guesthouse Lobo Luna (named after the nearby Lobo Pass) in November 2024. Since that time, the couple have seamlessly merged the two properties into a chill, self-service desert escape parties can reserve individually or book in entirety, for anything from a destination wedding to a weekend yoga retreat.
What are the rooms like at Lobo Luna at Sacred Sands?
The main house has two bedrooms, each blending Moroccan and midcentury style with desert-inspired decorative art. Though the house includes a full kitchen, the north-facing guestroom offers a bonus kitchenette while its sleeping area contains a king bed covered in white linens, decorative pillows, and a striped runner with jaunty tassels. A sitting area features two leather chairs, a side table, and a patterned footstool. There is also a small work desk with a swivel chair and a guitar propped against the wall, and both guestrooms have sliding doors leading to attractive outdoor patios.
Though the second bedroom is smaller (but still contains a king bed), I burrowed here during my stay because of its larger patio. Both patios have floating stargazing beds, deep-soaking porcelain tubs, an outdoor dining table, and steel-constructed outdoor showers with brass fixtures and a rustic patina, but this one houses an additional dining table, a propane gas grill, and best of all—dreamy panoramas.
The two bedrooms at Sacred Sands, meanwhile, are named The Jade and The Onyx (after a pair of dearly departed kitties) and are styled similarly to the guestrooms at Lobo Luna. Each comes with a mini fridge, coffee and tea, record player, and private patio.
All four guestrooms between the two properties have their own bathroom with a vanity, toilet, pebbled flooring in the showers, and plentiful plush towels and toiletries.
What to eat at Lobo Luna at Sacred Sands?
You’ll eat what you can cook. Lobo Luna boasts a large kitchen featuring granite countertops, an electric range, a farmhouse sink, a refrigerator stocked with carafes of water, a microwave oven, a toaster, a spice rack and knife set, cupboards filled with pots and pans and enough glassware and plates to serve ten. Aside from complimentary tea and coffee, guests will need to haul in their own provisions from nearby supermarkets.
But you probably won’t want to cook every meal nor should you. Sacred Sands is a six-minute drive from the town of Joshua Tree and its main drag boasts radar-worthy eateries like pizzeria Sky High Pie, chic grab-and-go spot the DEZ and its roomier sibling The Big DEZ, morning coffee shop and nighttime taproom Más o Menos, Joshua Tree Coffee, and Crossroads Café. Noteworthy offerings further afield include two outposts of Snakebite Roadhouse, Rat Pack-era hangout The Copper Room, Pioneertown fixture Pappy and Harriets, and buzzy New York Times-reviewed cafe La Copine, my personal favorite.
What are the facilities like at Lobo Luna at Sacred Sands?
In addition to the kitchen, there’s a small foyer with a jute rug and a living room with a nap-worthy sofa upholstered in teal velvet, a relaxing leather rocker, a wooden pedestal coffee table and a 55 inch SHARP smart TV. It hangs between two gigantic windows which deliver western-facing mountain views and applause-worthy sunsets that I could have stared at forever—watch that instead of the TV.
A pathway connects Lobo Luna to Sacred Sands, and guests staying at either property can relax outdoors in a shaded breezeway featuring teak armchairs and a pull-down projector, or seek relief inside the air-conditioned and tastefully appointed Great Room. There’s also a Sunset Patio: perfect for gathering with other travelers around the fireplace, and a 100-person capacity Ceremony Circle.
What’s the service like at Lobo Luna at Sacred Sands?
While Loba Luna and Sacred Sands are self-service properties, owners Keith and Kaylee consider themselves ‘in-touch’ concierges available to offer recommendations for restaurants and things to do nearby (their complete list of recs is emailed after booking). They can also help plan an engagement party, book a private chef, or rearrange furniture inside the Great Room at Sacred Sands to accommodate a sound bath or yoga workshop.
I met up with the couple who ticked off their favorite places to check out around town while giving me a tour of the in-ground swimming pool and meditation pathway coming to Sacred Sands in 2026. Pool passes for guests not staying at the inn hint at day club vibes, and chances for guests of the inn to mingle with townies and fellow travelers—it would definitely be an idyllic day trip visit.
What’s the area like around Lobo Luna at Sacred Sands?
Many Hi-Desert backroads are dirt and gravel and you’ll kick up plenty of dust while traversing them (a rental car, preferably four-wheel drive, is mandatory in these parts); the sloped driveway leading up to Lobo Luna is no exception. It’s lined by greasewood bushes and several Joshua trees (shocking, we know).
Above the parking area sits a quartet of west-facing Adirondack chairs that are a nice spot to hang at any time with a beer in hand, but especially at sunset when searing hues of pink, orange, and baby blue swirl together behind the mountains.
Why you should book a stay at Lobo Lunda at Sacred Sands
The location—perched on a craggy hillside within stone’s throw from the park and town—is stellar, and between the two properties, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Lovebirds can lavish one of the outdoor tubs with bubbles then canoodle in it under the stars, adrenaline junkies can recharge in style after long day hiking to Joshua Tree’s most iconic and remote places, while first-timers to the region get an ideal base to both explore the park and check out Hi-Desert attractions like Pioneertown, the Integratron, Skies the Limit, Mojave Flea Trading Post, and Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum.
DETAILS
Address: 63005 Quail Springs Rd, Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Price: starting at $476 per night
Closest transport: Palm Springs International Airport is just under an hour’s drive from Lobo Luna.
Book now: via Booking.com
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