Hotel of the week: Mojave Sands, Joshua Tree, Calif.

“True to the D.I.Y. culture of the high desert,” owner Blake Simpson mostly pieced together this five-room retreat himself, said Brooke Hodge in The New York Times. Simpson, a former furniture designer for Marc Jacobs, bought the 1950s motel in 2002, then added open-air spaces and bohemian decor to complement the mystical desert surroundings. Word has since spread “among the L.A. creative set”; filmmakers and celebrity chefs now routinely check in to enjoy the private patios and such idiosyncratic touches as the vintage record player in every room. mojavesands.com; doubles from $200

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