Sol to Soul - named by Condé Nast: Coolest in Cali

We invite you to experience the otherworldly at Sol to Soul, a 10-acre sanctuary on a private road in the exclusive Gamma Gulch of storied Pioneertown, surrounded by a mystical theater of boulders in the starkly beautiful Mojave Desert. With dark skies for ultimate Milky Way viewing, you will reclaim your sense of awe and magic and leave more inspired + spellbound by life than when you arrived. Distinguished as the Best Stay in California (Condé Nast) and a top 10 U.S. accommodation (Visual Pleasure Magazine + Delsey).

The enchantment begins the moment you turn off the pavement into the exclusive land of Gamma Gulch. A private, maintained dirt road takes you through fields of Joshua Trees and past massive outcroppings of granite boulders for which the Joshua Tree National Park is known.

Turning into the driveway of Sol to Soul there is an otherworldly sense of arrival with Sol's iconic, all white, modern structure set in the wild terrain of grandiose boulders. The crowning feature is the massive whale-shaped rock that towers above Sol, as if wanting to see and greet each guest. A celebrity in its own right - and one of the most photographed boulders in the high-desert - we have unoriginally but affectionately named it Whale Rock.

Once you arrive, we welcome you to do as much or as little as you desire. Sol is high design in the wild desert, with every amenity for your heart, soul and human comfort. There’s bbq and live music 15-minutes away at the world-famous Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace; a sound bath at The Integratron – built by a UFO advocate; antiquing in Yucca; and custom guided hikes, rock-climbing lessons and even a night with your own personal astronomer in Joshua Tree National Park.

The other option is to arrive and never wander off the 10-acre property. Either way, you’ll leave differently than you arrived. Deserts have always been steeped in mysticism and the awakening of clarity, awe and transformation -- a place where the Phoenix comes to set itself on fire and the Alchemist to learn how to become the wind.

Our personal recommendation is that you stay up late counting stars, wake early for an unbelievable sunrise and grab a nap on the outdoor sofa later in the afternoon after a day of writing music, catching lizards, drinking margaritas at Red Dog, playing Scrabble, watching clouds, getting an in-home massage, reading the Great American Novel, reconnecting with your beloved, picnicking on the rocks or hiking. Before you doze off, grab the binoculars and have a peek at the family of hawks that lives in Whale Rock – or wait for them to take their afternoon flight over the house.

At sunset, you’ll definitely want to dip into the salt water hot tub, and then hop over to the firepit to dry off and start cocktail hour. With Pappy’s, Red Dog and La Copine (reviewed by the NYTimes as a “dining room run with joy and exuberance”) all within 20 minutes, we like to do dinner out at least one night (or as take away). And cook in the rest of the time.

At day’s end, we look for the moonrise over the eastern boulders. And, if it’s Milky Way season (March-September), the rarer delight of basking under that pale, luminous band of fire and light called the Milky Way. Like Joshua Tree National Park – a designated International Dark Sky Park – Sol is blessed with deeply dark nights that allow the Milky Way to shine boldly right over the house. We've sometimes said it almost feels as if the cosmos have come for a conversation. And who’s to say it hasn't?

Inside of Sol to Soul, we have created an elegant and serene sanctuary, combining carefully selected furniture with curated artwork and details by local artists.

All rooms, with the exception of the bathrooms, have floor-to-ceiling sliders with magical views of the sky and boulders, and decks to transition you from inside out into the wild. The bathrooms have floor-to-ceiling windows with views (and curtains for privacy).

The bedrooms feature king-sized beds with pure Dunlop Latex mattresses and pillow tops (all natural from trees, no chemicals or metal coils); organic cotton and linen bedding; floor-to-ceiling sliders so that you may sleep with a view of the moon and stars – or black-out curtains if you prefer.

Tucked into the shelter of a giant boulder, there is a deck with a top-of-the-line Hot Springs salt water hot tub, outdoor shower and cozy seating area with some of the most amazing views at Sol to Soul.

There are sun loungers on the master bedroom deck.

On the main deck there is an outdoor living room with a Lumacast firepit, opposite a grill and teak-dining table for dining under the stars.

The house is equipped with a Wolf range, subzero refrigerator, state-of-the-art radiant heating and A/C system; Wifi; fire sprinkler system; smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The property is equipped with a Level 2 EV charger and SAE J1772 connector in the driveway. A Tesla adaptor is available on site.

During your stay you may see lizards, cotton tail rabbits, jack rabbits, coyote, hawks, snakes, bob cats, crows, quail and all kinds of other desert birds.

Whatever you are moved to do or not do, let go of or allow to come in while you are here, we wish you a beautiful, blessed, joyful, magical, transformative and memorable stay at Sol to Soul. We welcome you to dream, play, burn, be and love.