Hicksville Trailer Palace & Artist Retreat

I stayed here a few months ago with a friend in the Sideshow car and it. was. amazing.
Morgan and the other staff were super helpful. I kept reading negative reviews about them before booking so I made an extra effort to read all the info and rules they listed ahead of time and then sent again a few days before I was going to head out there. They have firm policies but they’re super clear about dos and donts so there were no surprises once we got out there. Honestly all the negative reviews seem to come from the people who didn’t seem to read the information that is sent to them. Sucks for them. Can’t wait to go back!

Hicksville Trailer Palace is probably my favorite place on the planet. This oasis in the desert is the stuff dreams are made of. The jukebox is out of this world!!!

Solid fun, great time and service…

Hicksville is freaking awesome!
Down a long desert road full of themed trailers and great amenities.
The community inspires you to talk to other guests, cook together, sit around a bonfire, and shoot bb guns. Another guest taught me how!
I spent most of my time in the saltwater pool, and watching old vhs horror movies when I stayed in the Lux.
Hicksville is not for everyone. Do your research. Don’t complain just because you are clueless.
Follow the rules, have fun, play some ping pong and drink some PBR.
I can’t wait for our next trip in Spring!

Hipster Hellhole or Trailer «Tripster» Trash?
Either way you look at it, it’s not a very good experience if you are an ADULT looking for a romantic getaway.
Staff: The staff are bipolar — half are Jekyll, the others Hyde which is very inconsistent.
Experience:
When we arrived, we were accosted for not knowing where the parking was (in the dark).
On our first night, at 10: 00 p.m., we had a girl from San Fran knock on our trailer. She was coming off an acid trip and having a panic attack after losing her friends. The cops came to search for the ‘tripsters’ (hipsters on drugs) wandering in the desert in the middle of the night. Annoying.
Music was loud all day and night, even after «quiet» hours. Very hard to sleep.
We were stuck in this tiny trailer for 3 days, catching colds and playing scrabble due to the weather, so don’t go in winter (Required) or don’t go at all (Recommend).
Amenities:
I love camping, car camping, and roughing it, but this place is tied together on a frayed string.
Examples:
Garden hoses used for plumbing (the water in our sink clogged daily and when we reported it were told lackadaisically, «Yeah, it’s always been a problem»)
Freezing cold water except for the shower (Luke warm) and hot tub… It’s freezing cold and in 20 degree desert winter and crazy wind (The «Hand that Rocks the Trailer»?), it’s not enjoyable to do much of anything, especially dishes.
It’s not well kept up: The blankets had dirt and cigarette burns in them and had NOT been washed.
There was fancy glassware but no dishes or silverware, dishtowels, etc. inside the trailer itself.
There is only one bathroom which is very inconvenient for the number of trailers and visitors.
Good luck finding soap or hand sanitizer on the premises.
By the way, there is no «Art» anywhere, and the only artists I could find were drunk 20-​somethings holding PBRs and hovering over the small fire, arguing over who needs to buy the next bundle of wood.
Cost: It’s about $ 130+/night and due to the staff, experience, and lack of amenities, for the price, it’s a waste of money.

Stayed in Project Z this weekend to celebrate my zombie loving boyfriend’s bday and it did not disappoint! I have to say, all the negative talk about the place, especially the staff and Morgan is most likely false– unless you’re a douchenozzle that doesn’t follow the rules or cleans up after themselves I’m guessing. We had an amazing time! Zack, Christine and Sara were phenomenal and super chill to talk to with great stories to tell! There was only one issue we had and it was promptly dealt with-​customer service is on point (and that’s coming from a person that used to work at the Bellagio)!
As for the vibe, it was cool, different. We are not the hipster or rocker set, but we definitely dug the vibe and the music was great!
I was looking around, trying to understand why people had unpleasant experiences, but I figure if you realize this isn’t a hotel and you are sharing spaces with other people, you’d find you’d love the communal lifestyle and relax!
I’m in love with the place and in love with the people! Definitely coming back!
Side note: I would like to thank the staff for helping my parents out on their anniversary stay in June. My dad had to be rushed out in an ambulance cutting their 5 day trip down to like 5 hours, but the staff and other guests really helped my mom out as I rushed to accompany her in the emergency room. Thank you for helping them and they will definitely be coming back as well!

Cool for a *very* specific crowd. I booked a stay here with my very cool daughter not realizing it would just be basically a white 20s-​ish hipster party venue. It should’ve been obvious I guess but, yeah. My bad. I would implore the management here to NOT allow children to stay. We kept to ourselves and tried to stay out of the way but I just felt like we were freaking everyone out. Not how I want to feel after paying $ 100/​night to «sleep» in a trailer.
Super cool 80s video games and awesome ping pong table however.

My boyfriend and I stayed here recently for his birthday, and we fell in love. We heard of this place from friends, and it did NOT disappoint at all. We can’t wait to keep coming here as much as possible to relax.
All I can say is, the vibe is wonderful. Do come here with an attitude to make friends, since it makes the experience all the better. It’s definitely a place where you will mingle with others, although there’s plenty of activities to keep you busy. But, that’s the best advice I have for people coming to visit. If you want a place where you don’t interact with anyone, I can’t say this is the best place for you. For what it is, Hicksville naturally attracts really cool people, and being open to socialize makes the experience better for everyone.
Speaking of cool people, the staff was great and so friendly! Such a relaxed rock n’ roll vibe. We had zero problems with our stay, but of course we read the rules and are respectful of the grounds. This place is a work of art, treat it that way!
I’m so happy Hicksville exists

If I could give zero stars I would. My fiancé and I have been here 3 times. The first wast about two years ago, and was a blast. Whoever was running it at that time was very laid back.
It seemed to be the place to go for an unconventional stay (light to no rules kind of place within reason).
Our last stay was for our friends bachelor/​bachelorette party. We rented out almost every trailer for the night. We brought awesome pool floats for anyone to use and the staff told us that we had to take them out of the pool because we made other guest feel unwelcome.
Later I noticed they use previous photos on their Instagram of the same floats to promote their establishment. The morning of check out they start pushing us to pack up and leave starting at 10:30am when checkout is at 12:00. Also they tend to bash anyone they can on Unilocal/​Instagram calling people «morons».
To wrap it up this place sucks.

I almost don’t want to review this because it has already become so popular that you now have to book months in advance!
LOVED my stay here.
I stayed in the Pioneer the first night, which was perfect. It had a rustic feel and even smelled a little like campfire on the inside. Had its own little porch and a wolf statue right outside.
The second night I stayed in the Integratron themed trailer and I loved that one even more. The star machine was awesome, and my friend and I stayed up late into the night listening to music and acting like teenagers at a sleepover.
I totally want to get a group of people together to rent the entire place out soon, because it would be super fun to have the run of the whole place. That said; the other people there were super cool and the vibe was so relaxing. It was a little too windy/​cold for the pool while we were there, but we definitely spent a good amount of time in the hot tub and enjoyed the view of the desert from up there.
Shooting guns and playing mini golf was super fun. The jukebox only played good music. Most of it was old (90s and prior), which was perfect because it added to the laid back vibe. No club music = YES. The group that was there had good taste.
I am homesick for Hicksville!

If there’s a Zombie apocalypse I’m bee-​lining it for Hicksville Palace.
Located at the corner of Middle of Nowhere and Dirt Road Blvd. is a redneck oasis, filled with airstream trailers, cement ponds, a rooftop hot tub, and a mini-​golf course. Hicksville is truly one of those rare gems that can be read about, but should be experienced first hand. I heard about this place through a friend and decided to look it up. I was going to be in Palm Springs for an upcoming weekend trip and figured this would make for an excellent side trip.
I rented The Pee Wee, which was a set piece from the movie, «Big Top Pee Wee» and this thing was awesome. Fully equipped with a sink, mini-​fridge, a queen sized bed, and multiple windows for catching a cool desert breeze. My only complaint about this trailer was about the A/​C and the bed. We did have to turn it on at one point in the night and it was super loud, and the bed was just a tad on the short side for me, but beyond that everything else about this was great.
The grounds here are very unique and filled with great activities, like archery, a BB Gun range, mini-​golf course, in-​ground pool, two fire pit areas, and a rooftop hot tub with a full 360 view of the desert. There’s also a jukebox that’s free and has tons of great music for either annoying your guests or heightening their experience. The hot tub most definitely my favorite.
There are showers and bathrooms on-​site. There’s two of each, with one shower out in the open and a classic looking outdoor toilet. I did use the outdoor shower and it was so freeing just being nude and cleaning my body while looking out over the campgrounds and desert. TMI?
You’ll want to bring your own food and drinks, because they only offer a few vending machine items like chips and soda, but they do have a large grill, microwave, and full sized fridge for any perishables items you bring. Basically think of this as camping when it comes to the food. The easier it is, the more fun you’ll have.
There are really a million cool things I could list in this review, but you’re better off just booking a room and staying the night.
PRO TIP: Don’t GEO tag any pictures or check-​in on social media. Keep this gem, a gem. Also, fully read the confirmation email you get, it comes with directions to the location. The address on Unilocal or anywhere else will get you nowhere.
Happy Glamping!

You’re not stupid. You’ve read the other Unilocal reviews. The aesthetic is nice. If the aesthetic is all you’re looking for, then carry on. My review isn’t based upon the grounds. My review based upon service, of which the very foundation of Unilocal was developed to expose.
It’s no secret. The Hicksville Trailer Palace’s owner, Morgan, is notorious for not giving a sh*t about service. Why would he? I mean, even at a steady 50% occupancy, he paid the entire investment off in a year in a half. He’s making money hand over fist and, literally, could not care any less that you did or didn’t enjoy the property.
You may have a good experience. You may not. Let’s say you don’t, and then draft a well-​written unfavorable review on Unilocal to help like-​minded consumers make a decision. You’ll, most likely, receive a prompt response that slides in a slanderous statement, and a ban for life. All the while, the «no refunds ever» policy continues driving a fearless leader the revenue necessary to continue a hard focus on his «bustling» DJ career in DTLA. This establishment runs on the same well-​oiled «business practices» of the Republican National Convention.
My experience was terrible, but I won’t get into the one-​sided «he said, she said» of Unilocal disagreements. You’ll probably get your fill of that in the elaborate, overly-​defensive owner rebuttal to this Unilocal posting.
Good luck, and Godspeed if you make the trek to fund this «private property» piggy bank. I wish you the best of luck, friends. Odds are, I won’t be joining you as this review will surely result in a lifetime ban as they are thrown out on Unilocal like cars on Oprah.
*EDIT* — and there is the update from a fearless leader.
You don’t have to apologize to me for anything, Morgan. I’d prefer you contacted Kat directly and handled the matter. From what I recall, you weren’t around and your false judgement of being a liar (based upon your innkeeper’s word) is invalid upon that fact. We were out of the room by noon, and were completely off the grounds by 1:03PM and we were charged (and paid) our late-​check out fee. That case is solved.
I assure you that we weren’t out to get one over on you. We just wanted to hang out with our friend on his birthday until the next wave of enlightened tenants arrived at 2:00. I don’t believe that action warranted the (in-​the-​face and arms out) «What are you gonna do» scream from your sweet innkeeper when I suggested she should go inside, to cool down, so that I could talk to the innkeeper that wasn’t screaming at the group with animosity, and was actually acting like an adult. (I’m SURE that they told you about how he had to restrain her from rushing in a threatening manner toward me.)
It’s no secret (by way of social media activity) that you don’t take renter’s concerns as seriously as your revenue stream, and innkeeper «well-​being», so I don’t expect anything from you. You literally owe me nothing.
Anything further than this would be better served offline in the form of a message or call.

The morning shift on Monday, one particular female employee with brown hair, harassed us and threatened us even though we had another night to stay. We stayed in one trailer and were to stay in a different the next day. Had to wait to check into the next trailer which was fine, if we didn’t have to keep hearing that we had to leave after check out and tell her that we have another trailer for another night. This place has poor service and needs an attitude check.
If your looking to stay here, don’t waste your time. The cooking utensils are awful. Most pans had the Teflon showing through, which is hazardous. The photo booth was out of service. The bow and arrows were damaged and were not able to be used properly. The BB guns don’t work. If you looking to go somewhere to enjoy yourself than this might not be the place. Because of the low maintenance on the amenities and the horrible and threatening service, please look at another establishment to stay at, for this one is not worth the drama with the service.
Furthering my response…
The owner clearly doesn’t have any sense of hotel hospitality/​customer service nor does he care that his employees have customer service. When his employee told us it was fine to stay because our group did have a trailer that was big enough to accommodate us, things were understood. Once she spoke to me as a first time telling me to leave with an attitude that’s when I told her not speak to me in the way she was. So again I will state, which clearly is understood by the many other comments by others regarding your customer service, do not expect any respect by the employees or the owner as you can read below in his jab at one of his previous guests.

Cool spot, worst hospitality and customer service I’ve ever experienced in my entire life which completely killed it for me.
The comment below from the owner is actually NOT the reason for my distaste with this place but his lack of concern for having horrible customer service and employees who are very ill tempered and rude is a prime example. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and coming from someone whose career is customer service based, the owner and his staff have no concept of how to speak to customers and try to resolve any concerns or misunderstandings. It is like speaking to children. As a business owner, you should know that it doesn’t matter who Is wrong or right or what the rules are there is a common respect for your customers and a certain way to speak to them. Bottom line.

I stayed at the Tiki Hut palace.
It was what one would expect of a small home in the middle of the dessert. The place was clean, everything that you could need (plates, pans, blankets) are provided. We had a great time and enjoyed the tiki hut.
The only reason i am not giving 5 stars is that the customer service could be better.

This place is rad.
We visited mid-​week so it was not that crowded, and the weather was surprisingly pleasant as well. Hot but not blistering, and it definitely cools off quite a bit at night which makes star gazing in the hot tub that much more gratifying.
The attention to detail is fantastic. We stayed in several trailers over the course of our visit (Fifi, Pee-​wee, Sideshow and the Sweet) and they each have their own peculiar charm and appeal.
The beds are comfortable enough. You have to adjust your expectations because you’re sleeping in a vintage trailer and you can’t exactly retrofit those things with a Westin Heavenly bed. That said, if you are expecting to go glamping then you’ll be pleased as punch with your accommodations. The bed linens were very nice and I liked the pillows too.
Cleanliness was impressive as well as the availability of dishes, cups, flatware, cooking supplies, etc. We opted to bring our own s’mores kit and K-​cups which worked well for our group. The community fridge was plenty big, in the event that your trailer doesn’t have its own mini-​fridge. There is plenty of complimentary ice for beverages, the communal charging station came in handy, and the complimentary post cards were a much appreciated touch of hospitality.
The juke box definitely wasn’t too loud and there was no issue at night. In fact, there were several times during the day that we wished the music could have been a bit louder. All of the games (archery, BB gun range, ping pong, etc) are well maintained as of our visit in May 2015 and their themed mini golf was adorable and fun too.
While I’m sworn to secrecy on the precise location of Hicksville, I can assure you that it’s convenient enough for touristic stops to Joshua Tree National Park, Pioneertown, a meal at Pappy & Harriet’s, and even a sound bath at the Integratron.

Hicksville is one of my happy places. I love everything about it. We’re working on staying at every trailer, slowly but surely. We got married here, and our friends got to fall in love with it too. The staff has always been awesome, we’ve met some great new friends in fellow guests, and the place is magical. Go, stay, you might not want to leave.

This place is heaven on earth. So many things to do. Beautiful views. Awesome pool and hot tub. The music in the jukebox kicks ass. If you are looking to daycation forget Palm Springs and come here. Too awesome to pass up! See you next month hicksville!

As much as I dug this place, I will have to admit that it is a hipster haven — where hipsters go to «rough it» in the desert. Not that it’s a bad thing, but this place is actually very accommodating and nice compared to pitching a tent in the park.
You really don’t have to bring anything, either. This place has everything that you need in the communal (outside) well-​equipped kitchen, laundry room, concessions, coffees, and so on. However, most of it is pay (and it was not accepting our credit cards for some reason, bring cash!) and not exactly cheap. Then again, a place like this isn’t necessarily cheap to run.
Someone stated that the place was run down — NO WAY. It’s actually very well kept, with a super nice staff and the visitors were also super chill and respectful of boundaries.
We rented the Lux trailer, and it was small, but cozy, clean, and very well kept as well. The grounds are kept super orderly and clean. overall, it’s a very nice space.
The hot tub is 5pm — 12am and we found a hard time getting time to go into it. It was always full and it sucks to wait around for someone to exit, because it then makes them feel like they are taking too long.
Overall, we loved the place.
I will say that if you are heading out, please keep in mind that the GPS will send you down some gnarly roads if you are heading towards Landers and the Integratron. It sent us down a dirt road that went through some very gnarly areas, littered with trash like a bomb had exploded. Sofas in the road, glass, shotgun shells everywhere, a fridge or two that you had to drive around and then over a foothill that was made of sharp rocks. If our vehicle did not have a high clearance we would have been screwed. And this was the primary route the GPS gave us.
And then the road Hicksville is located on (won’t say the name), turning right on exit is generally the place to go. However, GPS will ask you to turn left if heading to 247 and that road is also really hard to transverse in a regular car. Sand gets deep and loose, and again you have to go over a little foothill… and the dirt road is LONG.
be careful!

First off, I LOVE this place! And can’t wait to return.
I had heard about this place through word of mouth, and when my husband and I decided we wanted to get away for our anniversary I suggested this place.
We both love kitsch and the desert air of the Joshua Tree area, plus the array of fun things to do that were offered on-​site added to the allure.
With several themed trailer options, we debated for awhile, me wanting the plush feel of the Fi-​Fi, my husband wanting the punk feel of the Lux, but our mutual love of western made the Pioneer the best choice.
After a journey down a dirt road (that was a tad bumpy, be warned), we arrived, and were greeted by a kind woman, who after taking our information took us on a tour, explaining the amenities and rules. And seriously, don’t be a jerk, follow the rules, it makes for a better experience for everyone. If you don’t follow the rules, then you’re just plain selfish.
So what makes Hicksville incredibly awesome? I think a list will do best here:
–Awesome, campy themed vintage travel trailers
–Swimming pool (although small, and closed when we were here, as we came in December)
–Hot tub (open during December)
–Mini golf course, themed to the trailers (an additional $ 10 per person, unlimited play during stay)
–Archery and BB gun range (available during day light hours only)
–Ping Pong table
–Darts
–Photobooth ($ 5 equals 6 photos, digital prints, with Hicksville design)
–Vintage arcade console with multiple games
–Vintage soda machine ($ 2 per beverage)
–BBQ
–Fire pit
–Tipi
–Jukebox (unlimited free play, range of stuff)
–Adorable, unique souvenirs available for purchase in a vending machine
–Spectacular views
There are some «down sides» especially if you’ve never done summer camp or camping in general, which I am guilty of.
Most trailers DO NOT have their own toilet or shower, which means it is shared between the visitors. So I recommend bringing flip-​flops and a robe to go between your trailer and the shower and toilet. Remember your own shampoo, conditioner, soap.
Bring your own food if you wish to cook there, otherwise you’re eating out at the limited options in Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley. If you want to use the fire pit outside or the one inside the tipi, bring your own wood and matches/​lighter.
Despite the communal stuff, and outdoors-​y-​ness of it all, I found Hicksville to be quite clean, and comfortable.
Can’t wait to return!