Vacation Rental Features The hidden valley at Villa dei Fiori Villa dei Fiori is a romantic escape on 14 acres on the boundary of the Joshua Tree National Park. Pine log pergolas cover the surrounding five terraces with arbors of climbing roses and cascading purple and white wisteria. The villa, built amid the surrounding quartz monzonite boulders, was created by Dale Allan Pelton, a Hollywood based film production designer and architect. On the west side of the villa, the terraces of 150 rose bushes with a border of purple French lavender form a dramatic contrast to the savage landscape of boulders beyond. Romantic European-Style Villa on Boundary of Joshua Tree Park Location: Joshua Tree, Deserts, California, USA (located on contiguous boundary of Joshua Tree National Park) Accommodations: House - 3 Bedrooms + Library - 1 Bath - (Sleeps 8)
Entertainment	TV (No Cable/Satellite) DVD VCR Video Library CD Player Stereo System Music Library Private Hot Tub Private Pool
Outdoor Features	Gas/Electric BBQ Grill Deck/Patio Lanai Gazebo Cave
View/Location	Mountain View
Beds	Two Queen Beds Double Bed Convertible Sofa Bed Cushions/Foam Pads
Kitchen	Full Kitchen Cooking Utensils Provided Refrigerator Microwave
Amenities	Washer Dryer Linens Provided Wood Fireplaces on Terraces
Communications	Telephone Broadband Internet WiFi Highspeed Internet
Other Amenities	36 x 24 foot custom pool nestled between massive boulders next to wilderness. Pool suitable for swimming from late April to October 1st. Large Library. Six terraces, each with an unique ambiance and view.
Suitability	Pet Friendly Handicapped Accessible Wheelchair Accessible Kid Friendly Smoking Not Allowed
Activities (on site and nearby)	Golf Sightseeing Restaurants Swimming Biking Mountain Biking Wildlife Viewing Hiking Rock Climbing Horseback Riding
Other Activities	Swimming in late spring and summer, Wild animals and bird Watching, Cave and wilderness exploring. Astronomy, Star Gazing

The seclusion of Villa dei Fiori in the magical air of Joshua Tree, is an ideal retreat from the madness and routine
of our pressured lives, perfect for sharing with family and friends or for the discovery of a new romance
or the rediscovery of an old love almost forgotten.

The swimming pool is a 24 ft. x 36 ft. ellipse set back into the giant boulders close to the cave. The 'gemstone'
surface below the water line, is formed of millions of glistening black pebbles, intermixed with an intense
blue. When the wind is still, the darkness of the water’s surface, transforms
the pool into a dark mirror, mysteriously reflecting the boulders.

View of Villa dei Fiori’s hidden valley looking toward Coyote Dry Lake

By walking through the boulders behind the villa, you will discover the hidden valley on the estate. From there
you may pass around the giant outcroppings and hike directly into the multi-hued canyons of Joshua Tree
National Park. Hiking through the boulders you will spy cactus wrens and ravens, owls and hawks,
roadrunners and quail.

Rosanne: "We just walked through the gorge behind the house, from your gorgeous hidden valley
into Joshua Tree National Park. You don't have to get into a car and drive somewhere.
You just walk straight into the park. The feeling of privacy is wonderful."

Renee: "The little white roses mixed with the red climbers and the Longissima Alba white wisteria
were wonderful. What a romantic
feeling this place has. There is a love lingering there."

Villa dei Fiori is a romantic escape created by Dale Allan Pelton a
Hollywood-based film production designer and writer. Dale designed sets and
decors for films such as Hollowman for Sony Studios and Battlestar Galactica
for Universal. After three years of work, he is still in the process of writing
a novel, Céline on Fire.

Villa dei Fiori, built among the boulders of Joshua Tree National Park in the
mountains north of Palm Springs, California, is situated in a savage
landscape immediately adjacent to the national park.”

The living room opens onto terraces on the West and the North. The floor of
pale marble, reflecting the afternoon light, is perfect for ballroom dancing.
The tapestry, by a Parisian artist, Michèle Quence, its quilt like structure
painted with oils on silk. The never repeating, intricate abstract
designs conceal the forms of desert animals, lizards and birds.

Gina: “From the doves coming in early morning to the expansive views of the
desert, to the pink tinged boulders and the bright stars at night, we are
filled with gratitude that you would share all of this with us.”

The kitchen is equipped with a large refrigerator, microwave, stove and oven
and the culinary utensils necessary for preparing elaborate cuisine. The
kitchen has double French doors opening onto its own terrace. There
are two moveable dining tables and small marble-topped
bistro tables for dining al fresco even in the winter,
which usually has warm sunshine at midday.

Heather: “This house enlivened our hearts and souls. This was a vacation
I’ll cherish forever. Everything was amazing. The cave, gardens,
pergolas, the absolutely spectacular landscape are memories
I’ll never forget. Magic and love fill the air.”

The ornamental iron bed was found in a resale shop, stripped of four coats
of old paint, new ornate finials welded to the posts, then painted a golden
hue. The duvet is an European import with a tapestry weave.
The water color drawings by Michele Quence of Paris,
are costume designs for The Three Musketeers.

Adrianne and Carlos: “Magic happened here this weekend,
from exquisite hikes and climbs to decadent shared meals
and sweethearts falling more deeply in love.”

If it is civilization one seeks, the restaurants, theatres, golf courses and spas of
Palm Springs are just 40 minutes away. But if it is the wilderness of the vast
Mojave desert you seek, an escape from tourists, campers and civilization, then
you will find it beyond the Amboy Volcano where one enters the East Mojave
Scenic Area with its enormous sand dunes at Kelso, the ghost town, the restored
railroad station and the Mitchell Caverns. The wilderness is a photographer’s
dream, divided into innumerable isolated valleys flanked by many beautiful
mountain ranges, including Cima Dome, Granite Mountains, New York
Mountains, Dead Mountains, Old Woman Mountains, Marl Mountains
and Providence Mountains, and best of all, hardly any people,
only an occasional ranch or forgotten mine, beckoning us to
explore the vast and surreal landscape.

Ariana: “There is nothing like swimming on a hot day in July.
Thank you Dale, for sharing your exotic oasis with me.”

Kerin: “ Sean was fascinated by the Mojave desert tortoise.”

Fred: “The wildlife is extraordinary around your villa. Patrick got off
to a good start on his career of observing endangered species.”

Ariana: “There are so many interesting caverns to explore!
Will you come find me if I get lost?”

The Emnaces: “It was so cozy with a fire in the cave, spending
an evening like our primitive ancestors.”

Ariana: “Do you like my arabesque?
Or were you expecting Esther Williams?”

Andrea and Gary: “Dale, thank you so much for opening up your home so
travelers like us can truly have the experience of living in this enchanting
place. Being in the presence of the vastness of time—the boulders, the
stars—certainly helps with perspective, and has sparked some
wonderful conversations. To have shared this with the love
of my life, my partner, my best friend...is magical and
will stay with us a long, long time.”

The garden at Villa dei Fiori was begun fifteen years ago. The breeze blowing
through the greenery of the pergolas serves as a giant evaporative
cooler, keeping the house cool throughout the summer.

Joshua Tree National Park is not only famous for its forest of Joshua Tree, but for
its beautifully shaped rock formations. Climbers from all over the world
come to scale these splendid formations. Just three miles to the east is
Indian Cove, a favorite spot for climbers. Four miles hiking to the south,
one enters the Wonderland of Rocks. Park rangers conduct tours through
the Desert Queen Gold Mine, and there are lovely drives and nature
tours throughout the park. Within 25 miles to the west there
is the Desert Hot Springs thermal spa and 30 miles to the
east lies the impressive Volcano at Amboy on historic
Route 66, which is now wonderfully deserted.

Cameron: “I had a great time climbing the
towers of boulders behind the house.”

Within the park there are the Los Palms Oasis and the Cottonwood Springs Oasis
approached through desert washes with Sonoran desert vegetation, Mojave
yuccas, jojoba, a multitude of cacti and creosote bushes. Four miles to
the east of the villa, you will discover the 49 Palms Oasis, a rigorous
2.5 mile hike. In terrain much like a moonscape, you will discover
dozens of palms growing around small pools of water, maidenhair
ferns and humming birds during the wet season. As you enter
the oasis, you will suddenly leave behind the dry desert air
and become enveloped in the moist air, an enchanting
experience exceptionally beautiful at twilight
or by the light of a full moon.

Dale originally designed the iron cage for the gorillas in the animal
habitat in Paul Verhoeven’s film Hollowman. Scientists funded
by the Pentagon were attempting to create the invisible man
in a secret laboratory, an abandoned bunker deep below
the capitol city. Climbing roses have been planted and
soon will form a gazebo covered with red, yellow
and violet flowers, a playhouse for children.

D ale Allan Pelton
The creator of Villa dei Fiori is a designer and writer.
He is working on a novel, Céline on Fire, the life
of a young dancer, set in Paris 1955 to 1961.

Cynthia: “We loved every moment of our stay here. You have done
a marvelous job of creating a little oasis of beauty and
serenity. The quiet! The stars! The scent of roses.

Dale, an architectural and film designer and writer has been working on the garden of
of Villa dei Fiori for seventeen years. His ancestors were farmers in Oklahoma, Iowa
and Illinois. His Scottish grandmother came to Oklahoma in a covered wagon from
Iowa. The memories of his childhood—his mother’s half-acre vegetable garden,
the trees his father brought back from the Ozark mountains to plant around their
home, the long hours spent alone in the surrounding prairie and in the woodland
with the little creek, all of those memories along with his travels throughthe
countryside of France and Italy, has served to inspire his garden at Villa dei
Fiori. Up the road from the villa, he is creating a five-acre park
which will not be mature for another ten years.

Barbara and Ayren: “What a perfect getaway to celebrate our anniversary.
We had so much fun exploring and climbing the boulders. It’s amazing what
nature creates. Villa dei Fiori is such a peaceful place. We saw an amazing
sunset that used the boulders as its canvas. We loved listening to nature’s
music at night while sipping wine and looking up at the starlit sky.”

Each of the three bedrooms has double French doors opening to a private terrace
with a view of the giant boulders of quartz-monzonite, which surround the
house on the south side. Between the kitchen terrace and the southeast
terrace stands a giant Joshua Tree, several hundred years of age. The
living and dining rooms have four French doors opening upon two
terraces overlooking the valley below.

Painting by Michèle Viviane Quence of Paris, France.

Yvette and Richard: “We really enjoyed our stay in your wonderful desert
paradise. Your home is so artistic and comfortable. After
a nice bonfire, the children slept in the cave.
It was perfect for our family.”

Cynthia and Jonathan: “We were impressed by the paintings, the book collection
and the family photos. The one of your great grandmother is wonderful.”

Jennifer and Ryan: “You have a truly amazing book collection! You’ve done
a fantastic job of integrating the natural landscape with the
interior and exterior of the house.”

Paola: “The terrace by the pool is like a natural theatre stage. Your lighting of
the boulders at night is masterful. The feeling is ancient, timeless.
I could imagine an opera by Wagner or a tragedy by
Euripides being performed among the ruins.”

The estate consists of twenty acres of boulders and gardens. A hidden valley lies
in their midst with caves populated by owls and bobcats.

The villa is equipped with central heat and evaporative cooling and shielded in the summer from
the desert sun with five pergolas laden with climbing roses, wisteria, pyracanthus and jasmine,
which surround the house on all sides. The doors and windows are trimmed in
natural wood and the walls are finished with hand-rubbed amber and cognac colors.
There are three bedrooms painted raspberry, magenta and saddle brown. Sculpture,
antiques, fine linens and original paintings and drawings by the Parisian artist,
Michele Viviane Quence, await the most discriminating of guests. You will
find a fine library of books on art archeology, architecture, travel,
fashion, exotic places, photography, history, film, theatre,
literature, practically everything imaginable.