White Lotus or Four Seasons? Season 3 Reveals a Deeper Story!
Feb. 16, 2025 in Travel & Destinations by Julian Everett
When we mention “The White Lotus,” do we really mean Four Seasons? In the third season of the series, things aren’t as straightforward as they seem!
“The White Lotus” is rapidly becoming a powerful driver of tourism in the locations it features, with forecasts predicting a 20% increase in vacation bookings in Thailand. As a result, viewers will scrutinize every idyllic corner on screen as a model to emulate and a call to action. For hotels, this is a golden opportunity to make a statement—and to raise their prices. Inevitably, by the day the first episode of Season 3 airs, all these hotels will have awakened to fame. That is why I am publishing the complete list today. “Complete” in the sense that, when it comes to places transformed into the White Lotus, the list is enormous, including Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental, which you can check out here. If you’re a fan of the series and plan to follow in its heroes’ footsteps, it’s better not to wait until prices soar to the sky—start exploring your options now.
With the exception of a scene shot in the Ta Khai restaurant at Rosewood Phuket, all the hotel episodes were filmed in properties owned by Minor International. Primarily, this group is associated with the Anantara brand (although its portfolio is much broader), but in Thailand, it also owns the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, where much of the action takes place.
Yet what we see on screen as the White Lotus is, in fact, a compilation of several hotels. The spa where Belinda works—a location that left an impression on us in the first season in Hawaii—is actually situated at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, next to Sirinat National Park. There, in the pool, grow some very attractive lotuses—exactly what the series needed.
At Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort, the creators of the series discovered The Singing Bird Lounge, a bar located at the canopy level of a 120-year-old tree—the only one of its kind on Koh Samui.
Scenes in the hotel lobby, at the security checkpoint, on the driveway, the staff parking area, and within the jewelry store were filmed at Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, located on Bophut Beach. The resort is literally immersed in greenery—its gardens and ponds, featuring unmistakable large lily pads, were designed by the renowned landscape architect Bill Bensley.
Overall, traveling to the Thai landmarks of “The White Lotus” is not a difficult endeavor (as long as rooms are available). With direct flights to Phuket and convenient connections to Koh Samui—a journey of only about 55 minutes thanks to numerous daily flights—the adventure is more accessible than ever.
