Two Bunch Palms from “The Bachelor”

This past weekend, I was finally able to visit a place that has been on my To-Stalk list for eons!  I first learned about Two Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs, which was featured in a Season 1 episode of The Bachelor, about a decade ago, but, because the exclusive wellness resort was only accessible to hotel guests and spa-goers at the time, was never able to see it in person.  Though the Grim Cheaper and I were tempted to book a stay there many times over the years, neither of us is especially holistic by nature and were afraid the place wouldn’t exactly be our cup of tea, so we resisted.  Then, this Sunday afternoon, we happened to find ourselves in Desert Hot Springs.  I had read that the hotel had changed hands in 2012 and, figuring the new owners might have changed its accessibility policy, we decided to stop by.  I was absolutely floored when the guard at the front informed us that Two Bunch Palm’s onsite restaurant, Essense, was now indeed open to the public.  So we headed right on past the gate and were dazzled by what we encountered.  The resort is nothing short of idyllic.

Two Bunch Palms is so named thanks to a United States Camel Corps team who was surveying the area in 1907 and came across two palm groves (one of which is pictured below).  The group originally dubbed the site “Two Bunches of Palms,” but by the time the survey was published had simplified it to “Two Bunch Palms.”

Rumors abound that gangster Al Capone happened upon the isolated site in the ‘20s and, figuring the remote, hilltop location would offer the ultimate in privacy as well as make it easy for his goons to spot approaching cars, set up shop there.  Legend states that he constructed several bungalows and a casino, connected by underground tunnels and surrounded by a large wall, on the pristine grounds.  Though the tales are largely unsubstantiated, one of Two Bunch Palm’s villas is dubbed the Al Capone Suite and it apparently contains a desk marked with the initials “A.C.,” a mirror marred by a bullet hole, and a lookout tower that has since been turned into a tanning deck.  His supposed former casino now houses Essense restaurant.

In 1940, the property was turned into a hotel known as The Desert Spa.  It became Two Bunch Palms in 1969 after being purchased by a new owner and then was sold once again in 1978, at which time the site underwent an extensive renovation.   From there, it did not take long for the resort to become the stomping ground of the Hollywood elite, with such stars as Mel Gibson, Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Kelsey Grammer, Daryl Hannah, Robin Williams, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Bruce Springsteen, Julia Roberts, Madonna, Neil Diamond, Lisa Rinna, Justin Chambers, and Bette Midler all spending time there.

Despite consistently being ranked among the best spas in the world and winning countless accolades and awards, in 2010 Two Bunch Palms was placed under receivership when its then owner defaulted on a $38.8-million loan, causing the resort’s future to be uncertain.  It was eventually rescued in 2012 by a group of Los Angeles-based movie producers, who immediately got started on a much-needed renovation to the site.

Today, Two Bunch Palms boasts 70 rooms and bungalows, a grotto with two mineral pools, a lap pool, a gym, large expanses of lawn, walking trails, a pond with koi, ducks and turtles, a 3,000-square-foot yoga dome, a 3.5-acre solar field (which generates 100% of the power needed to run the resort), and an award-winning spa that offers countless treatments and wellness programs.

Though the quiet exclusivity of the property and its lush 77-acre grounds, which are dotted with tamarisk trees and fan palms, are definite draws, Two Bunch Palm’s main attraction is its mineral baths.  Situated on top of a 600-year-old mineral spring, the restorative waters that flow throughout the property are chock-full of lithium and other healing elements, yet low on sulfur so no dreaded odor permeates the air.

Essense, the hotel’s farm-to-table restaurant, is also pretty darn fabulous.

Not only was the eatery’s decor sleek, modern and inviting, but the food was nothing short of spectacular and the prices surprisingly reasonable.

The Grim Cheaper and I wholeheartedly fell in love with Two Bunch Palms on sight and are already planning on spending our upcoming anniversary there.

The adults-only hotel is serene, idyllic and tranquil.  Loud voices and use of cell phones in common areas is frowned upon, which creates an environment of peace and relaxation.  It truly is a place to get away from it all.

Being there almost feels like being in Hawaii, despite the fact that there is no ocean nearby.

Thanks to its countless picturesque vistas, it is not very hard to see how the place ended up being featured on The Bachelor.

Two Bunch Palms appeared in the reality series’ second episode, which aired in 2002.  In the episode, Bachelor Alex Michel took five women, including future Bachelorette Trista Rehn, on a group  date to the resort.

While there, the group headed to the Clay Cabana for mud baths.

Two Bunch Palms was also featured as the idyllic desert spa where Hollywood executive Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) took his new paramour, June Gudmundsdottir (Greta Scacchi), in the 1992 dramedy The Player.

In the movie, while dining outside near the grotto, June asks Griffin, “Do places like this really exist?”  To which he responds, “Only in the movies.”  It is a fitting bit of conversation, as the resort truly does feel like a fantasy land.

Like Alex Michel and his Bachelor contestants, Griffin and June also partook of the mud baths while at Two Bunch Palms.

Due to the unseemly heat, Two Bunch Palms formerly shut its doors each year during the entire month of August.  It was then that The Player filmed on the premises, which I cannot even imagine being that August temperatures typically run upwards of 115 degrees!  How the cast and crew didn’t melt is beyond me!

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Two Bunch Palms is located at 67425 Two Bunch Palms Trail in Desert Hot Springs.  You can visit the resort’s official website here.  The onsite restaurant, Essence is open to the public, but keep in mind that the hotel is an adults-only property so only guests 18 years and older will be admitted.

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