Thailand provides the stunning backdrop to Season 3 of The White Lotus. The Emmy award-winning show is set in a fictitious luxury resort, but real-life hotels in Thailand were used to portray The White Lotus. Although much of the filming took place on the tropical island of Ko Samui, scenes were also shot at hotels in Bangkok and Phuket.
(Image: Thailand Film Office)
Unlike the characters in the show, you don’t have to be rich to stay in these resorts. Luxury hotels in Thailand provide excellent value. Even if your budget doesn’t quite stretch as far as a White Lotus-stye hotel, you can still eat at the same restaurants, drink at the same bars, and get pampered at the same spas as the actors did in the hit series.
Bangkok
Mandarin Oriental
This historic hotel appears towards the end of the series when some of the characters visit Bangkok. Located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, the elegant hotel is home to the Bamboo Bar. Renowned as Bangkok’s first jazz venue, the bar featured in The White Lotus and is a wonderful venue to spend a sophisticated evening sipping cocktails and listening to live music.
Hotel website
Ko Samui
(Photo: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui Facebook page)
Am Samui Resort Taling Ngam
Am Samui Resort Taling Ngam is one of the more affordable hotels listed here. Although the hotel’s interiors weren’t seen on the show, the beach outside was used for a BBQ and fire show scene.
Hotel website
Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort
Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort gets plenty of screen time with the lobby, security station, driveway, and jewellery store all used in various scenes.
Hotel website
Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort
Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort is the location for the delightful Singing Bird Lounge, which doubled as the White Lotus bar in the series.
Hotel website
(Photo: Anantara Lawana Facebook page)
Cape Fahn
Although Cape Fahn and the tiny island it is located on are only featured briefly, this quiet hotel is ideal for anyone looking for a private sanctuary.
Hotel website
Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui
The five-star Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui was the primary setting for the fictional White Lotus Resort & Spa. Scenes were filmed in its luxurious pool villas, restaurants, outdoor landscapes, and fitness areas.
Hotel website
Samujana Villas
If you want to stay where the characters Greg and Chloe lived, you have a choice of two locations. Two different villas were used as their house in the hills. Samujana Villas is the setting used on Ko Samui, while the second location, Villa Amaravida, is in Phuket.
Villa website
Phuket
(Photo: Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas Facebook page)
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas was the stand-in for many scenes featuring the visiting spa manager, Belinda. Most of the wellness sanctuary scenes were filmed in and around Anantara’s sumptuous spa rooms.
Hotel website
Cape Panwa
The episode where Victoria Ratliff dreams about a white house on the beach was filmed at the elegant Panwa House in Phuket. In real life, the Sino-Portuguese mansion is a restaurant and part of the Cape Panwa Hotel.
Hotel website
Rosewood Phuket
Showcasing traditional Thai architecture and cuisine, Ta Khai Restaurant at the Rosewood Phuket was used for many of the dinner scenes.
Hotel website
Villa Amaravida
Along with Samujana Villas on Ko Samui, Villa Amaravida in Phuket was the second location used for Greg and Chloe’s hillside house.
(Image: Thailand Film Office)
