During its first two seasons, “The White Lotus” opened a window on some truly spectacular locations around the world, sharing with viewers incredible natural scenery, luxurious resorts and exotic culture.
Now, for Season 3, which premieres on HBO on Feb. 16, the bar has been raised to show off Thailand.
Thailand is a great location, says John Rees, owner of J5 Travel, a luxury boutique travel agency.
“It’s a different culture but it’s easy to be there; the people always have a smile on their face; and most of them speak English. A lot of people love Thai food. It’s one of the best value countries in the world, for luxury especially,” Rees tells TODAY.com.
Here's what to know about the filming locations for Season 3 and beyond.
Where in Thailand was ‘The White Lotus’ filmed?
As in previous seasons, “White Lotus” stuck closely to filming in Four Seasons properties.
The main filming location for Season 3 is the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, with secondary locations including Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort and Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort.
The series also filmed in the cities of Phuket and Bangkok, per the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Where were the previous seasons filmed?
Season 1
Location: Hawaii
Main hotel: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Destination details: The first season was shot in 2020, during the height of COVID-19 precautions, meaning the cast was quarantined at the hotel during the entire shoot, as the cast recalled in interviews. That meant most of the story was told within or directly around the hotel — including offices, restaurants, lobby, spa, pools and bars. The hotel rooms were designed to reflect the characters’ stories and given Hawaiian names like The Pineapple, Hibiscus and Tradewinds Suites.
Season 2
Location: Sicily, Italy
Main hotel: Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina
Destination details: This Four Seasons hotel is a former 14th-century Sicilian convent, per its website. It now has 108 rooms, a spa, courtyards and gardens, along with dining in a restaurant and alongside the pool. It’s also famous for an outdoor infinity pool, which received a lot of coverage during the season.
What is the ‘White Lotus’ effect?
While the stories on “White Lotus” are full of misdeeds and murder, that hasn’t taken the shine off making the properties bucket-list destinations for fans — who have poured into Hawaii and Italy after each season.
Four Seasons Resort Maui’s general manager Ben Shank told The Guardian, in 2021, the hotel had experienced a surge in interest following 'The White Lotus."
“It’s taken on a life of its own. You couldn’t imagine the amount of calls we’ve gotten,” Shank said.
Rees says the "'White Lotus effect" is "a real thing."
“But a lot of times when people get the price quote they balk a bit. These are fantastic destinations," he says.
