Looking for the best lodging option near Joshua tree? This is our list of handpicked Joshua Tree hotels, suits and rentals.
If you have started researching where to stay near Joshua Tree National Park, you may have already noticed that there are no hotels inside the park itself. The only Joshua Tree lodging option inside the park is campsites, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have a good choice of good Joshua tree hotels nearby should camping not be your thing.
We studied accommodation in the area carefully before going to the park (traveling with two kids to the desert, we over prepared!) and I believe we have identified a good selection of the best places to stay near Joshua Tree National Park and a good list of addresses in the area.
In this post, we try answer the question: where to stay near Joshua Tree national Park and we also share some of our favorite Joshua Tree hotels and lodging opportunities near the park.
What is the best place to stay near Joshua Tree?
Joshua Tree is located in Southeastern California, about 150 miles from Los Angeles and and San Diego International airports.
There are several lodging opportunities in the area and the best place to stay near Joshua Tree depends widely on what you enjoy for your lodging and how long or little you are ready to drive to get into the park.
The best place to stay near Joshua Tree for accessibility and charm is the town of Joshua Tree. This town sits in close proximity to the park entrance and enjoys a small and somewhat hipster and funky community, which is unexpected if you drive in from Palm Springs and its resorts. It is a great place to stay for couples and if you are looking for an alternative, independent type of accommodation.
The most convenient place to stay near the park for facilities is Twentynine Palms, which is a military town with shopping malls and restaurants. This is also where you find some budget friendly, yet often uninspiring, accommodation offerings.
The best place to stay near Joshua Tree if you are looking for luxury and resort style experience is Palm Springs, which is about 1 hour away from the park entrance.
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The best Joshua Tree hotels and suites in Twentynine Palms
This is a selection of the most convenient and best hotels near Joshua Tree and in the Twentynine Palms area.
Campbell House – colonial charm inn best for: a relaxing stay
Campbell house is a beautiful historic desert inn located in Twentynine Palms, offering rooms and cottages in lovely, well preserved grounds. The house is a short drive from the Joshua Tree National Park entrance and offers hot breakfast on site.
The rooms have air conditioning, flat-screen TV and some offer a seating area. This is a wonderful inn and a real find in Twentynine Palms and one of the nest hotels in the Joshua Tree area for for couples or travelers looking for a relaxing, quiet space.
Find availability, process and photos for Campbell House here
Fairfield Inn and suites by Marriott – best for: self catering suites
The Fairfield Inn and suites by Marriott is a full-suite 2 star hotel in Twentynine palms, a short drive away from the Joshua Tree park entrance.
The hotel has clean and well equipped suites with a microwave, refrigerator, in-room coffee, LCD/Flat Panel televisions, a separate living area with sofa-sleeper, and a work desk.
The hotels doesn’t have a on site restaurant but does provide hot breakfasts, has BBQ facilities and mini market. They have an outdoor pool which is a must have in such a hot location, especially if you are visiting in summer (check best time to visit in our itinerary post here). You can find availability and prices here
America’s best value – Joshua Tree motel best for: budget travelers
Like the name suggests, America’s best value inn is good budget friendly accommodation for visitors driving to Joshua Tree National Park. They have clean rooms with free Wi-Fi, microwave and mini-refrigerator, flat panel cable TV, in-room coffee bar and iron and ironing board. Hot breakfast is served on site.
This is a good option for families and they have a Kids Stay Free Policy for kids that are 11 years old and younger when sharing the room with their parents. This is a smoke free property. You can find availability and prices here
Best Western Gardens hotel at Joshua tree NP – good mid range option
The best Western gardens Hotel in Twentynine Palms is a 3 star hotel a short drive away from the National Park entrance (about 10 minutes). The hotel has comfortable rooms (suitable for families too) and has an outdoor pool which is a must have in this area, if visiting in the hottest months. Hot breakfast and free wi-fi are available to guests.
The hotel has a fitness centre and there is launderette facilities on site which makes this a good overnight stop if you are traveling light especially. You can find price and availability here
Best Joshua tree hotels in Palm springs
If you are looking for a resort style, luxury hotel lodging option near Joshua Tree, you may want to consider staying in the nearby city of Palm Springs. Palm spring sis about 40 minutes / 1 hour away from the National Park, depending on the entrance you choose, and is a beautiful area very well served by hotels, resorts and all the amenities of a ton centre.
This is were we stayed during out last trip to Joshua tree and it was a good place to balance a relaxing, resort type of experience with easy access to both southern and Northern entrances to the Joshua Tree Park.
The Willows Historic Inn – 4 star hotel best for: exclusive feel
The Willows historic inn is a gorgeous luxury hotel close to the Palm Spring art museum. It has beautiful rooms decorated in traditional style and soothing colors, a formal breakfast room and lovely green grounds with swimming pool.
The Willows Historic Inn positions itself as an an exclusive space with lots of character (pretty much the opposite of a big chain hotel) and is a fantastic Joshua Tree hotel for a relaxing, upscale stay in the heart of Palm Springs but with easy access to the National Park.
You can find prices and accommodation options here
Arrive Palm springs- 4 star hotel best for: cool factor
Modern, cool hotels in the hart of Palm Springs with a young, dynamic vibe. The hotel has nicely decorated rooms, coffee (and ice cream!) shop on site as well as restaurants the hotel is pet friendly.
The location, bar on site and overall ‘cool’ vibe of the location makes this a great hotel for mixing a trip to Joshua Tree with time enjoying Palm Springs.
You can find info and prices here
Reinassance Indian Wells hotel – Joshua Tree 4 star hotel: best for resort style stay
If you are looking for a large hotel in beautiful grounds, with restaurant onsite and swimming family friendly swimming pool, this may well the hotel for you.
This is where we stayed during our last trip to Joshua tree and we were very satisfied: the grounds are spotless and well kept, the rooms spacious and with excellent air conditioning and the swimming pool great for all ages (they have a kids area with shallow water and sand!).
This is a good all round hotel I can recommend to family and business travelers alike. The views from the resort are exceptional. Find availability and prices here
Alternative lodging near Joshua Tree National Park
If you are looking for alternative styles of accommodation in Joshua Tree, you are in luck. The area has several hip and arsty accommodation options, ranging from air streams to holiday homes. There are some that piqued out attention.
Eclectic Joshua Tree vacation home
Eclectic is a great Joshua Tree accommodation option if you are looking for a holiday home rather than a hotel stay. The home is decorated with clean, design inspired lines: think white and natural colored wood panels, fuss-ball table etc, vinyl layer etc. This vacation home has 3 bedrooms, a kitchen with dining area, and a bathroom with bath. It has flat screen TV, free Wi-fi and parking on site.
You can find info and prices here
Mojave sands
Mojave sands started off as a motel (it dates back to the 50s) but now is a special place with charm and good facilities. The hotel has been dubbed a ‘Eco-chic desert refuge’ and is proud of the special touches in its grounds such as the handmade doors and windows, native landscaping and fenced common grounds with BBQ and reflecting pool.
To match the independent feel of the lace you will not find them on booking engines but you an reach them directly from their site here
Airstream accommodation in Joshua Tree
If you are after the Instagrammable charm of air-stream accommodation, you will love the options available in Joshua Tree! the area is perfect for that type of dreamy, alternative and hip desert look and AirBnb has several interesting options.
You can find the most suitable airstream solutions for you on the Airbnb website and get a 30 Euro discount on your first booking using this link!
I hope you found this article about the best lodging for Joshua tree useful and it helped answer the question: what is the best place to stay near Joshua Tree national Park?
Safe travels!