Two Bunch Palms — Hotel in Desert Hot Springs

UPDATE: I returned to TBP in January 2023. This time I brought my BF to celebrate his birthday. As always, the pools were lovely but I have to change my ratings from 5 stars to 4 stars. There have been even more changes since my last visit... They now require reservations to use 85% of the tubs. The 5 or 6 original tubs do not require reservations but all others do. The first available time for a concrete tub was at least a 5 hours wait on both of the days we were there. On my previous visits we were allowed to arrive early and enjoy the tubs prior to checking in. This time, if we wanted to come more than 2 hours prior to check-in time, there would be a $100 charge. Check-in isn't until 4pm. There is now a "wellness charge" added to spa services and restaurant purchases. They tell you that this money is used to provide healthcare for the TBP employees. While I applaud the offering of healthcare, why not just provide it without letting your guests know? It feels like they are just using this as an excuse for an additional charge. We specifically booked a couples massage, but we're placed in separate treatment rooms. We both asked about it prior to our appointments but we're just told "no, that wasn't how it was booked". During my previous visit, we received a complimentary beverage after a spa service. That was not the case this time. Our room appeared pretty "well worn". I have included photos of the bathroom floor and the door to our room to help show what I mean. The room we stayed in definitely did not justify the pricetag of over $300/night. I feel like a few simple repairs could make a big difference. I think mattresses are new, which I didn't find to be very comfortable (memory foam).

Came to Two Bunches in early January 2022 for a three night getaway with a girlfriend and had the most amazing time. This was my second time visiting Two Bunches and I will definitely be back. My first trip was in 2019 and several things have changed since then (both good and not so good), but I'll list the improvements first. They added a lot more pools (guessing somewhere around 12-15). We always had our own pool (It wasn't too crowded during our stay). The old spa is gone and they now have freestanding treatment rooms at the top of the property (near the wine bar). These rooms are much nicer and a lot more private. During our trip they weren't charging the daily fee (I think it is $25 pp) and they aren't allowing people to purchase day passes in order to limit the number of guests.

The not so good: There are several changes to the rooms. The first time we stayed our room had a large private (fenced) backyard/patio. The fences have been removed and the privacy is gone. Also, they updated the decor in the rooms and I'm not crazy about the new look (I posted pics of the new light fixtures and what I can only assume is a beanbag chair). I'm not sure if anyone would actually sit on this or find it comfortable. Also, they removed the coffee makers from the rooms. They do offer free coffee/tea in the restaurant for several hours in the morning but it's something I definitely miss. They are finding ways to cut costs and/or charge more. The spa prices have definitely increased (I paid almost $200 for a facial). Also, you no longer get a free water bottle at check-in (but you can buy one for $15).

Along with the good and not-so good changes, many things have remained the same and they are the reasons why I will continue to come back. The staff is amazing. They are so polite and helpful. Hands down the best hotel/resort staff I have ever encountered. The restaurant is great The overall atmosphere and hot springs are so relaxing. Honestly, I don't consider myself to be a hot tub person (I hate being too hot/overheating), but the water...

I went to two palms for a birthday And although the resort was Serene and the pools were magnificent, The overall discontinuity in service And mismanagement of billing left a really bad taste in all of our mouths. ||We booked the wellness for one person in my room and since I didn’t want the 3 mandatory spa treatments and didn’t need $120 in food A day I opted to be the second person in a double occupancy room and choose not to upgrade to the wellness for the second person. ||Well, upon arrival the check in was pretty standard and the staff was kind and bought our bags to our room. The confusion started when we had our first meal which we were told was supposed to be a separate “wellness menu” that half the staff was informed of and the other half had different answers.. such as there was no separate wellness menu and “$120 of food would be comped per day at the end of the trip”. That does not settle well when you don’t know how much you’ve spent that day and they comp half the meals and not the other half but expect you to sign the receipts and pay tip but “they’ll sort the comps out at the end when you check out”. I ended up paying on my own credit card for half the meals because I didn’t want to end up with $2000 in food and spa charges at the end of a week trip when I had an early flight the day I checked out. ||So the food situation was confusing and everything was overpriced including $9 bottle water and $15 bottled juices. ||The lack of signage was frustrating since we were in the very back I got lost at least 4-5 times trying to find the restaurant and reception and spa areas. ||The staff on hand was not well informed although they were nice. ||The food menu was limited and not really enjoyable for the entirety of a week long stay especially with the confusion of where we were on the comps and it being put off until the end. ||At the end during checkout the lady at the front was unable to change any charges (make sure to get an itemized receipt) as we were charged an extra $120 a night for an extra person on the wellness plan, which we did not authorize nor did I receive benefits for) so it just seemed like a disorganized racket. ||One example- I booked a wrap for $265 weeks before the trip and when I arrived for the treatment the price was $305 and they wanted me to sign off on it before sorting the correct price. It was only after several hours and talking to several staff members about the incorrect charge they changed anything. ||There were complaints from several staff members we talked to about the disorganized management and the frustration of them being misinformed. ||In hindsight I would have booked somewhere else because of the hassle. The charges we were over charged still have not been rectified and the management has failed to contact us about the bill several days after checkout. ||Other members of my party reported inaccurate over charges as well and the overall experience was disappointing, we felt taken advantage of and frustrated by the whole experience. ||If you are not concerned at all about getting the prices you think you are getting and don’t mind being over charged and having little fees you didn’t approve slip into your bill, then this place is fine. ||For anyone watching their money and trying to be fiscally responsible, this place is more of a headache...

My highly anticipated visit to Two Bunch with my boyfriend was met with both delight and disappointment at the same time. There’s a lot of conflicting reviews and I now understand why. The delight: The property is captivating and there are so many areas to enjoy. The mineral water pools and tubs and especially the grotto are wonderful and are surrounded by lush trees that give you a real sense of peacefulness. We were there during the off-peak, Sunday-Tuesday in the middle of June, so we had no difficulty finding pools and private tubs to enjoy all to ourselves. They just recently added 14 new tubs and it was great. I had requested a Grove King room in the section closest to the front/main area which ensured we didn’t have to walk very far to enjoy the hot springs and restaurant. We also took part in all the programs offered during our stay which was a fun experience. I got a massage and while I think $200 is quite high for not having any spa amenities included (the massages take place in individual tiny but well-kept bungalows; no actual “spa”), my Relaxation massage was very good. Our server at the restaurant was so friendly and awesome, and almost made up for the overpriced menu and underwhelming food. The disappointment: Aside from the food, the rooms are not remarkable either, to say the least. Pretty bare bones with half functioning A/C unit and bugs everywhere, which I conceded with given we’re in the middle of the desert. (Be forewarned of cockroaches running rampant throughout the property especially at night. Such is nature.) I didn’t like that the cement floored room had no rugs at all (and no slippers provided) so I laid down towels by the bed and in the bathroom. I had to text a number to make my request for additional towels to be brought to our room. After two hours of not hearing anything we assumed it would come to us in the morning and went to bed. Housekeeping decided it was appropriate to show up banging our door and yelling for us at 3:20am. Even if it was an issue of delay with the texting system (so we were told), anyone with common sense would have texted back to confirm if we truly wanted towels brought to us at 3:20am. Sometime in the morning would have been more logical. We thought we were going to sleep so well the second night but wouldn’t you know it, the smoke detector goes off this time, incidentally around 3am again. We learned from an online search that bugs can trip the sensor and make them go off and I’m pretty confident this was the case. We were fighting bugs the whole time we were awake. I got 3 bites to my face and neck while asleep. When I travel in Southeast Asia the villas are always treated with bug bombs between guest stays - they should just make that a practice here. We couldn’t wait to get back home to LA to get a good night’s rest. Oh the irony. I had expected a lot more for over $400/night (weekday off-peak season pricing). I would love to return and enjoy the property when the staff goes through real hospitality training and the rooms get a bit more attention. There were so many little things that could have changed our experience from okay to great and it starts with a more hospitable front desk staff. I hope they figure it out because the grotto...