Spin and Margie's Desert Hideaway

Our experience and Spin And Margie's Desert Hideaway was mixed. The property was nice, and just what we want in a desert getaway -- quiet, somewhat secluded, with enough space to feel private and enjoy a few days in Joshua Tree. That said, there were several things about our visit that were pretty frustrating and disapointing. The majority of the issues really boiled down to attention to detail and thinking through the guest experience. Maybe our experience was normal, or maybe it's just normal in the slow season (our trip was in late January and we were the only folks on the property for two of the nights). On the plus side, these issues should be easy for management to address with a little care and elbow grease; they're not inherent to the property itself. Our frustration started on our arrival at the property. There is no welcome desk, or staff of any kind, present at check-in -- which I don't mind at all. However, the parking area is essentially unlit and unmarked. For a first-time visitor, arriving after dark, figuring out where the main building is located, figuring out where to park, and finding your way to your room, is more challenging than you'd think. Adding a small map of the property, with the parking and route to rooms clearly marked, would have been really helpful -- and, I'm so glad I brought flashlights, as finding our room with just the light from my phone would have been even more of a pain. When we found our door, retrieved the key, and stepped inside, we were greeted to a similarly pitch-black, and freezing-cold room. All of the lights in the room were left unplugged, so the first step was to navigate with flashlights to the desk lamps, find the cords, and figure out where to plug them in. Perhaps in the off-season the lamps are left unplugged to save on electricity. One simple solve for this would be to have housekeeping visit the room when a guest is scheduled to visit, and plug in all the lamps. Even better, for guests scheduled to arrive late, would be leaving a single light on, since the rooms are otherwise so dark. The next frustration was the heat. Upon arrival, the vent in the ceiling was left open, so the room was about 40ºf when we arrived. There was a thermostat on the wall clearly labeled HEAT running to a gas heater. After about 10 minutes trying to light the pilot light, I realized that the gas line was completely disconnected -- the room is meant to be heated with a more newly installed electric air conditioner. Figuring out how to turn on that heater was, itself, more difficult than you'd think. Simple solves for these issues would be: have housekeeping close the ceeling vent and turn the heater to, say, 55º f on nights where guests are to arrive; changing the label on the old heater from "heat" to "disabled," and writing very clear directions on how to turn on the new heater for those cold nights in the desert winter. The cleanliness of the room was a mixed bag. We felt the bed linens were c