Joshua Tree's Awesome Mirage: A Gold Hotel In The California Desert

Architect Robert Stone is not shy about pushing the envelope, or in this case, about designing a hotel that does not look or feel like any other hotel in the world.  He's designed and built the Acido Durado out of gold, inside and out.  And he's built it at the end of a dirt road in Joshua Tree, CA, where it appears in its dramatic desert surroundings as a glittering mirage.

Joshua Tree is about 140 miles southeast of Los Angeles, where Stone has his architectural firm.  Stone grew up in the desert and his love for it is obvious in his design and even in his choice of gold that seems to be entwined with its surroundings in a very mystical way. That a gold hotel may not be 'eco-friendly' is not a concern to Stone; he's more concerned with its cultural context - "the real beautiful and messed-up cultural context here where I live (and my beautiful and messed-up friends that lived here)."

Acido Durado: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado swimming pool: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado, kitchen and dining areas: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado, living room and pool: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado suite, bedroom: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado suite, bedroom at night: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado suite, bathroom and lavatory: © Brad Lansill

Acido Durado joins Stone's Rosa Muerta, another exquisite and dramatic vacation house in Joshua Park.  Like Rosa Muerta, Stone undertook all aspects of building the hotel himself, rather than looking for a client to build it, an approach becoming known as DIY architecture.

Rental information for Acido Durado and Rosa Muerta may be obtained from Pretty Vacant Properties.

To see more photos of Acido Durado, visit Robert Stone Design and Arch Daily.  Both sites feature the architect's design rationale in his own words. (images via Arch Daily)