Two Bunch Palms is a 100-acre getaway for rich and famous Los Angelenos, an oasis of quiet and relaxation in the unlikely town of Desert Hot Springs near the California desert resort mecca, Palm Springs. Desert Hot Springs is a plain vanilla small city made up of mostly unattractive eighties vintage condos with some rough neighborhoods around the edges. Two Bunch Palms is a rock-walled 24-hour security fortress surrounding 44 bungalows, most with private backyards and patios. Each bungalow rents from $200 to $800 a day. The amenities offered include romantic dinners, herbal steambaths, salt herbal treatments, deep massages, facials, and mud baths. And you just might run into a movie star. Two Bunch Palms is a popular retreat for Hollywood royalty.
Big Al’s Place
With all its casual luxurious trappings and charm, the average visitor would never know that Two Bunch Palms was built in the 1920s as a west coast hideout for infamous Chicago gangster Al Capone back when he was on J. Edgar Hoover’s “Most Wanted” list. But, if one looks hard enough traces of the original “Scarface” are still evident, especially in and around Bungalow 14, the gangster’s actual residence. There’s a bullet hole in a mirror that legend says was the end result of an assassination attempt on Capone. And the initials “A.C.” are carved into a desk. On the bungalow’s roof is a former sentry tower. Although they’re not open for guests, there’s supposed to be a hidden network of escape tunnels under the bungalow.
In Capone’s former gambling casino, elegant, tasty, and healthy low-fat dinners are now served for guests.
In 1931, the gangster’s residence here ended when he was sent to Alcatraz for tax evasion.
Before Capone
In 1907, the U.S. Army Camel Corps found two clusters of palm trees out in the desert, surveyed the section of land, and called it “Two Bunches of Palms.” Before the arrival of the U.S. Army Camel Corps, the Cahuilla Indian tribe partook of the area’s rock grotto and hot natural mineral springs.
A Side Note:
In 1977, the Department of Energy funded a scientific study of Two Bunch Palms’ artesian well and determined that the waters were “extraordinarily pure” containing minerals so unique that no water anywhere could match its quality. In 2004, Desert Hot Springs’ water, in general, was voted best municipal water in the country.
Accommodations and Amenities
Admittance by prior reservation only
Two night minimum stay required on weekends
Reservations must be made for dinner and spa treatments at least one week prior to arrival
No children
No pets
Premium rates may apply on holidays and during peak season
RESOURCES:
http://www.twobunchpalms.com/PR/duesenberg.pdf
http://www.twobunchpalms.com/al_capone.php
http://www.twobunchpalms.com/pure_water.php
http://www.twobunchpalms.com/grotto.php
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/hotels_motels/hotelinfo/91096.html
“Winter in the Sun”, Bernard Weinraub, New York Times, URL: (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res;=9F0CE6D9143EF932A05753C1A965958260)
