Peaceful Retreat Chateau Merlot – Large Home on 25 acre Estate Reviews, Deals & Photos 2025

Q: Is Peaceful Retreat Chateau Merlot – Large Home on 25 acre Estate pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows pets (limit 2 total).

Q: Where is Peaceful Retreat Chateau Merlot – Large Home on 25 acre Estate located?

Situated in the mountains, this vacation home is 0.5 mi (0.9 km) from Sand to Snow National Monument and 1.8 mi (2.9 km) from Groves Cabin Theatre. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Mojave Desert Land Trust are also within 6 mi (10 km).

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10/10 Excellent

June T.

Apr 18, 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, listing accuracy

Place about 45 minutes from major attractions n hiking trails in Joshua Tree.

Loved Joshua Tree n hiking around the area. House was dated but had everything we needed n very clean. Driveway to place was a little rough but can be done in a car. Loved the quiet nights and clear skies.

Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2021

8/10 Good

Maureen B.

Jan 3, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location, listing accuracy

Spacious retreat in the desert hills., halfway between Palm Springs and Joshua trees.

The house is spacious, a bit dated. Beds are comfortable lots of room. At the end of a 1 mile very bumpy road. Halfway between Palm Springs and Joshua tree. Owners are responsive. And helpful. Directions on how to use the pellet stove and how to lock and unlock Front door would be appreciated.( top of the door was sticking due to rain, and you need to push that to open door ). Lovely view of mountains and surrounding desert for morning coffee.! Thank you for opening up château Merlot to us.

Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2022

4/10 Poor

Ryan R.

Jan 2, 2023

Disliked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location

An OK 1-2 nighter, but too many issues for longer than a weekend stay

Pros: - Well stocked towels and blankets - Beautiful views of mountains and desert - Adequate work space Cons: - On 1st day we shared several issues (marked with *) other than trash nothing else was resolved. While the owner may have wanted to hear about these issues, we weren’t willing to waste our time or energy given the poor initial follow up. - Trash bins took a week to arrive; we were told pick up was once a week and if we had excess that we should take it to a nearby dumpster. Being there for a month the trash was only picked up ONE time.* - Garbage disposal didn’t work* - Many lightbulbs missing or not working* - House unlocked when we arrived* - No check-in information sent ahead of arrival* - No guest book or instructions provided - Mini splits not working; swamp cooler blew in a lot of debris and dust - Hiking trails mentioned in listing were not clear; we found a photo on their listing with another short-term rental company - While animals in the high desert are a given, we did not feel safe for our pets as we saw coyotes actively on the property - Only two stove burners lit properly; others needed to be manually lit; burners and oven is very poor quality - Bed in master was not stable and clearly had issues with legs, it moved every time we got in/out of bed - Rawson is an awful road and should be noted in the listing for anyone that isn’t in a large vehicle - Property was detailed as “quiet and private” but there is a barn right behind it being rented or used as a home; we heard people talking and dogs barking daily - It was clear that someone prior to our stay had thrown a party given trash and debris around the home - Internet was very inconsistent; dropped daily and speeds not fast enough for video calls or uploads — not ideal for working - All shower heads need to be cleaned or replaced - No instructions for pellet stove; bag of pellets had garbage and hair inside - Furnishings and appliances not in good repair — chairs in dining room need repair or replacing; kitchen table and chairs in need of repair - Poorly stocked kitchen — can opener was broken (we replaced); not enough pots and pans (we bought a set); knives not sharp (we bought replacements) - Home felt poorly insulated/sealed - Blinds broken in multiple places throughout - Main door not secure and can easily be pushed open; lock did not work consistently - Outdoor furniture was all very dirty

Stayed 32 nights in Nov 2022

4/10 Poor

Derreck B.

Mar 4, 2023

Disliked: Location, listing accuracy

Really wanted to like it but...

This VRBO has a lot wrong with it. First off, the “road” getting to the house is extremely rough. I know this is not something the owners have control of, however, the listing should have a warning about the rough terrain. It is a 10-ish minute drive, going approx. 5-10mph while veering all over. Not recommended if you rent a sedan/compact car or have even a hint of motion sickness. The condition of the road made us reluctant to leave every day, which put a damper on our whole vacation. Here is a list of other issues: -Upon arrival, we found a note stating that the cleaning person called in so the shower doors weren’t clean which left us wondering what else wasn’t cleaned -The house was cold. No instructions on how to work the pellet stove. No wall heater in the master bedroom -Master bathroom opens to the outside which leaves the bathroom cold & a lot of spiders coming in. This faces someone else's house which is fine if you are an exhibitionist -There is someone living quite close behind the house, so it is not as private as we had thought it would be -The front door has a smart lock but we couldn’t get it to work with the code we were sent or the other two codes posted in the house -The back patio door doesn’t close all the way leaving a gap (& no way to lock it) which is how we got in -The patio door leads to a kitchen door which also does not lock. This leaves the house unlocked at all times -There is a fan in the wall in the master bedroom which leads to outside & does not have a cover. This meant a lot of debris was blown into the bedroom from outside -The master bed frame is unstable and broken -No extra blankets found -Some towels smell musty -Overly large table in living area which takes up a lot of space -Two tv’s in living room, one is not hooked up -Outdoor trash can was completely full upon arrival and was never emptied. -Kitchen is very minimally stocked -Dog poo was found in several locations including in the walkway to the front door -They do have a phone line to call/text with issues, which we did at the end of our vacation. They responded promptly but did not follow through. The short list of things that were good includes: the view is nice and the mattresses themselves were comfortable. Overall, we did not feel the listing accurately describes the condition of the house.

Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2023

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Peaceful Retreat Chateau Merlot – Large Home on 25 acre Estate

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