One of the most successful showcases in recent years, the state-of-the-art black comedy-drama The White Lotus has been on everyone’s mind since the release of the first season in 2021.
Fans are eagerly awaiting the final season of the caustic series that generates malicious enthusiasm by mocking rich, entitled Western travelers, and although the third season probably won’t air until 2025 (delayed from 2024 due to decisions by the cast and writers) . Strikes), new information about filming locations will whet fans’ appetites for the laughable drama that will actually follow.
Season one of the Emmy-winning series examined wealth and colonialism in Hawaii, while season two in Sicily positioned money and sex as its primary themes. Rumours have long been circulating that White Lotus three will be filmed in Asia, with director Mike White hinting at the end of season two that the next one will focus on “death and Eastern religion and spirituality”.
The series was originally intended to be filmed in Japan, but in March 2023 it was reported that Thailand had been chosen. This is partly due to millions of dollars in filming incentives, Japanese producer Georgina Pope said at the 2023 Tokyo Film Festival, which means $4. 4. million reduction in a $35 million project.
The resolution was recently revealed through the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which revealed that filming for new episodes of the black comedy will begin in Bangkok, Phuket and Ko Samui starting this month. “We are revered for having enchanting Thailand as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of ‘The White Lotus,'” TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said in a press release.
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket offers, among amenities, a wellness spa center and various dining services (Credit: Anantara)
The impact of the program in each destination has been phenomenal. The first season, which filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii, led to a 425% year-over-year increase in internet traffic for the property. Season two saw a surge of interest in Sicily, with the Italian island and its former hotel, the town of Taormina, seeing an increase in inquiries and bookings. The Palace of San Domenico, situated on the edge of the Four Seasons cliff, where much of the season’s tangled history is located, has been fully booked for months.
Dubbed the “white lotus effect,” this phenomenon of viewers flocking to the filming locations of their favorite TV shows and videos will actually apply to Season 3 and set tourism trends in Thailand in the months and years to come.
While Thailand has now been officially shown to be the filming location, the precise location of The White Lotus, the show’s fictional chain of exclusive resorts that serves as the best backdrop for the whims of its privileged visitors, remains speculation.
The first two seasons were filmed exclusively at the Four Seasons resorts and the third season was expected to be founded in one of the luxury hotel chain’s Thai properties. While it hasn’t been officially shown for contractual reasons, Bloomberg reported that Tree of the Season will be partially filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui (all of the article’s resources spoke on condition of anonymity).
Interestingly, according to Bloomberg, episodes of the series will also be filmed in Phuket, at the Anantara Mai Khao Phuket villas, as well as at an as-yet-unnamed hotel in Bangkok. This is the first time the exhibition will take place in properties. BBC Travel has contacted Anantara and Four Seasons for confirmation; Anantara declined to comment on the claims, while a spokesperson for Four Seasons Resorts Thailand responded, “While we have been following seasons one and two of The White Lotus with enthusiasm, we do not have data for percentages on season three filming positions. “
The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is not an unexpected choice: the five-star hotel’s personal beach, its giant infinity pool and the diversity of villas with personal pools located in the tropical landscape will surely suit affluent and luxurious travelers. The sunsets and beautiful beaches will be the best backdrop for any drama that unfolds.
Anantara is a more attractive selection. This luxury hospitality logo opened its first hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand in 2001 and now has more than 43 hotels and hotels in 24 countries across Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. While Anantara is hugely popular in Asia, the logo is less well known in the US and UK; the white lotus effect means they will most likely replace it soon.
Antantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas is a recommended place for the show. This luxury beachfront hotel offers a beachfront infinity pool, a spa center, and several dining options, plus Japanese omakase cuisine at the Treehouse, built around an ancient fig tree. White lotus spirit massages, hand reflexology, and rose quartz facial gua sha are offered, as well as Himalayan sound baths and sunset yoga. It’s understated luxury at its most productive and we can’t wait to see what Smith would do with the set if it were. He fired there.
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket is a luxury beachfront hotel in Thailand (Anantara)
The hotel itself is secluded and proper, with villas arranged around a water-lily-lined lagoon next to Phuket’s longest beach. As you walk along the bamboo-shaded paths and into the tropical gardens designed by Bill Bensley, the paths open up to sublime doors, which are luxurious villas with their own pools, outdoor showers, bathrooms incorporated into the pool itself, and private wine cellars. In the toilets there is a giant terrazzo bathtub that seats two.
If you can’t afford the price of Anantara, just across the street from Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas is its sister brand, Avani Mai Khao Phuket, which offers a variety of more comfortable rooms and suites.
Designed in the style of a southern Thai village, the jewel in the crown is the Jim Thomson Villa, a 389-square-meter behemoth just steps from the beach that is animated through the legend of Jim Thompson, the forerunner of the Thai silk industry.
As for the yet-to-be-named Bangkok hotel, Bloomberg reports that this will be “a more authentically Thai-looking property [than the Four Seasons], as yet unidentified”.
Wherever and whichever hotel it is, one thing’s for sure: Thailand is going to see The White Lotus effect for itself very soon. With filming starting this month, travellers looking to experience these islands and luxury resorts before the hordes descend will need to book as soon as they can.
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