Rancho Panoramo

Pets — Please keep pets off beds and furniture. No pets are allowed in the theater. Help keep our neighbors clean — please pick up all dog waste.

No Smoking — No smoking inside the property. There is an ashtray on the outside table — feel free to kick it there.

Quiet Time — Sound travels remarkably well through the desert. Kindly respect our neighbors — keep quiet hours outside after 10:00pm and until 8:00am.

Fire Safety — Lighting fires is only allowed in the hot tub stove and inside the pizza oven. Please read the written guidelines before any burning. Always exercise extreme caution, especially in windy conditions.

The Listening Room — Please do not touch the walls or ceiling — acoustic fabric, extremely delicate. No food or drinks on the rug. No sleeping in the theater. The room is for film and music only.

Have Fun — This place is fun — relax and let us help guide you. If you need anything during your stay, don't hesitate to reach out.

Park in front of the house or on the side of the theater building. There is a Level 2 EV charger available for use during your stay.

To join the network simply tap your phone to the Wi-Fi icon on the keychain, or use the credentials below.

Your passcode will be the last 4 digits of your reservation phone number.

When you enter the front doorway you will find a digital lockbox. Enter your 4-digit code into the keypad on the lockbox. Open the box by pulling the face down.

Inside you'll find a keychain. The FOB card opens both the front door and the theater building — simply hover near the keypad on the door. The standard key opens the kitchen door if needed.

Filtered water comes from the tap to the left of the kitchen faucet. Do not leave unattended — it is far too easy to forget and flood the kitchen. Trust us, we've done it a thousand times.

The dish soap dispenser is to the right of the kitchen faucet. Dishwasher pods are stored under the sink.

The cycle labels on the dishwasher have worn off over time — refer to the diagram below. Normal is the right choice for most loads.

Kitchen bins are in the cabinet right of the sink — push the door to pop it open. If full, use the large bins outside along Baseline Rd. Bags are under the sink.

Grey bin = garbage  ·  Blue bin = recycling. Please replace lids so animals don't get in.

To help you start your day, the house is stocked with freshly ground Mellow Ethiopian beans from our local roastery, Joshua Tree Coffee. You'll find the coffee, filters, a scale, and everything else you need tucked away in the middle drawer directly below the coffee station.

The Fellow Aiden coffee machine is a precision brewer designed to replicate a premium pour-over. It can handle anything from a single cup to a full batch.

You can use it exactly like a standard coffee machine, or follow the guided brew instructions below to get the absolute best cup possible.

The Listening Room at Rancho Panoramo was designed to be a sanctuary for sound. What began as a simple desire for a dedicated place to play music has evolved into something much more profound. For me, sitting in the sweet spot and truly listening to a record here has become a form of meditation — it is like church. The transformative quality of experiencing sound in a properly treated space is deeply moving, and the entire purpose of this building is to share that exact experience with our guests.

But it is also a place for connection. We have spent countless memorable nights in this room watching films and getting lost in concert footage together. This space was built to honor both the solitary, deep listener and the shared joy of a family movie night with equal reverence.

We actually built two entirely separate systems inside the exact same space. While they share the room and the main front speakers, they are driven by different "brains" depending on the experience you are looking for.

The iPad mounted on the wall to the left of the entry door controls absolutely everything — you never need to touch the actual audio equipment. No password — tap the front button to wake the screen.

Selecting an activity automatically configures the projector, receiver, curtains, and lights for that use case. You never need to think about inputs, power sequences, or settings.

Always open the grill lid before lighting. Turn the burner knob, and the grill should light automatically. If it doesn't catch, double-check that the propane valve is fully open.

The propane tank is located in the cabinet directly underneath the grill.

A two-drawer refrigerator is built into the counter to the left of the grill. We keep it turned off between stays to conserve energy. Just let us know if you'd like it running during your visit, and we'll gladly switch it on for you.

Cooking a meal in the wood-fired oven is one of the best things about this property. Whether you're turning out pizzas, roasting meats, or baking cast-iron sides — it takes a little planning, but the payoff of cooking over a live fire makes it worth it.

Method & Timing
We recommend the "Fire and Forget" method. Build the fire once, light it, and let the oven do the heavy lifting. Budget about 2 hours from first lighting to first pizza — most of that time is completely hands-off.

Gather Your Tools
Everything you need is in the cabinet to the right of the oven:

Prep Your Kindling
Use the firewood splitter next to the wood pile — place a log in the center opening and strike with the 4lb mallet until it splits. Keep splitting down to thin pieces.