You Can Stay at the Resort Where The Bachelorette Was Filmed in 2020

Usually, asking questions about where The Bachelorette is filmed produces a long list of exotic locations, far-flung cities, and epic adventure spots. For the 2020 season starring Clare Crawley (and possibly Tayshia Adams), though, the coronavirus pandemic forced production to regroup and film pretty much the entire season at one location. Filming started in early summer, and that location has since been revealed as La Quinta Resort & Club, located in Palm Springs, CA.

The news first broke in July when Crawley was spotted during filming and a production insider confirmed the location to People. "The resort is essentially a protective bubble," the insider said. "Nobody is coming and going. The cast and crew arrived before filming began and spent a few days getting used to all the necessary protocols." When looking at the resort's site in August, it was even more obvious that something was happening there, as reservations were completely blocked off until Sept. 3, or around the time filming ended (reservations are now open). Testing was a top priority, of course, since the show literally hinges on close contact and physical and emotional intimacy. In some ways, it acted as a bit of a testing ground for how some TV and movie productions have resumed filming this fall and will continue into the winter: if protocols like frequent testing, production isolation, and a physical "bubble" can work well enough to allow for the kind of proximity and interaction seen on The Bachelorette, those same protocols could work well enough to allow some semblance of normalcy (i.e. kissing or fight scenes) on other shows.

La Quinta worked particularly well for a production like The Bachelorette because it's got all the physical characteristics that a production like this needs. According to the resort's website, it's spread out over 1,400 acres of land, which gave the production team a huge amount of space to spread out and keep people isolated. Plus, it's got a lot of the amenities that The Bachelorette typically features: golf courses, a whopping 41 pools, private villas, spa services, a fitness center, big outdoor spaces, unique restaurants, and more. Aside from the exotic locales, it's pretty much a Bachelor season in a bubble — which is probably exactly what the production team was looking for.

As it turns out, The Bachelorette's filming isn't the first time Hollywood has come to the resort! The resort history notes that big-screen stars like Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Shirley Temple, and Ginger Rogers all spent time at the resort back in its early decades, and on top of that, it even played host to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his family on several occasions. The resort's layout would certainly have appealed to stars looking for luxury and privacy: unlike a regular hotel with all adjoining rooms, La Quinta is set up as a series of individual suites, villas, and casitas, most of which have access to private patios, yards, and/or pools.

The biggest suites, however, are up to 2,000 square feet, with plenty of room for entertaining or outdoor gatherings — rose ceremonies, even? It's definitely going to be a unique season of The Bachelorette, but with the way their chosen location is set up, it doesn't have to be as pared down as we might have initially expected.