The first episode of season three of HBO’s hit anthology miniseries The White Lotus airs on February 16, and Afar has learned many of the filming locations across Thailand (we were provided screeners for the first six episodes of the series—but no plot spoilers here, just destination details, we promise).
Fans of the show had speculated since early 2023 that the third season would be set in Thailand. When production began last spring, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and HBO confirmed the rumors, revealing some of the specific shoot locations in the capital city of Bangkok and on the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui.
Given that the last two seasons were filmed at Four Seasons hotels, many expected this season to be filmed at a Four Seasons as well—and they were right. A lot of season three was indeed filmed at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, a gorgeous property set among the green hills of the island of Koh Samui. Accommodations at this ultra-luxurious resort range from villas with their own private pools to multibedroom sprawling residences where families and groups can spread out. Many scenes of the White Lotus Thailand resort pool, restaurant, and room scenes were filmed here.
But Four Seasons Koh Samui isn’t the only resort used to portray the infamous White Lotus Thailand. Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort, Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, and Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, a collection of luxury villas on the island of Phuket, were each used as stand-ins for various parts of the White Lotus Thailand resort. Anantara Hotels & Resorts is a venerated Thai luxury hotel brand, with 15 hotels and resorts in Thailand and dozens more around the world. Its parent company, Minor Hotels, was founded in Thailand and operates more than 560 hotels, resorts, and residences globally.
The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand is among the filming locations.
Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
The White Lotus Thailand resort’s signature Thai-style lobby, security station, tree-lined resort entrance, employee parking lot, and jewelry store—where a key early scene takes place—were all filmed at Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, designed by Bill Bensley. Meanwhile, several of the resort’s bar and restaurant scenes were filmed at Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort’s distinctive Singing Bird Lounge.
Wellness is a major theme this season, and the White Lotus Thailand resort’s spa plays a starring role. The spa scenes were filmed at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas’ spa, which has several open-air spa suites overlooking a picturesque lagoon. It’s also where visiting spa manager Belinda (played by the returning Natasha Rothwell) has her room.
Two characters live in a home on the island near the White Lotus. That home appears to have been filmed at one of the villas at Samujana, a collection of luxury villas in Koh Samui, which is available for rent on One Fine Stay (the house’s description mentions that the show filmed there).
The season also features various characters going on several excursions from the White Lotus, allowing viewers to get a better feel for Thailand and its culture. One set of characters goes to what is supposed to be a nearby Buddhist temple and meditation center, and these scenes were filmed at Wat Phu Khao Thong, a colorful Buddhist temple in Koh Samui with an iconic dragon staircase. There’s a pivotal (and upsetting) scene filmed at the Samui Snake Farm, which appears to be filmed on location there. One evening on the show, several characters go to a Muay Thai boxing match, which was filmed at Bangla Boxing Stadium in Phuket.
A memorable Full Moon episode features several characters partying in various places. These were filmed at Fisherman’s Village, a historic area of Bophut in Koh Samui, Café del Mar Phuket on Phuket, and Haad Rin Beach on Koh Phangan. Some characters take a yacht to a neighboring island to go to a drunken Full Moon party there.
A few of the characters go to Bangkok in later episodes. Viewers will see the temples Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen and Thai Wat Pho featured, as well as the Chao Phraya River. Hotel scenes appear to be filmed at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, showcasing the hotel’s recognizable lobby, a room, and the hotel’s Bamboo Bar, which retains the same name in the show and can be seen on the wall in one scene.
The Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen temple in Bangkok makes a cameo in season three of the ‘White Lotus.’
cowardlion/Shutterstock
Created by Mike White, who also serves as executive producer and director, The White Lotus is a satire-cum-dramedy set in the fictional and luxurious White Lotus resort in popular tourist destinations. There, dysfunctional guests and hotel staff reveal new sides of themselves, all the while skewering insensitive tourists. Season one, which debuted in 2021, was set in Hawai‘i and filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, while the second season, released at the end of 2022, was set in Sicily, this time filming at San Domenico Palace, Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel.
Those locations and the hotels themselves saw a massive boom in visitors during those seasons and since they aired, and the show is one of the drivers of the so-called set-jetting trend, in which travelers go to filming locations of their favorite shows or movies (see also The Crown, Ted Lasso, Outlander, and Lord of the Rings). It’s reasonable to expect that Thailand—already a popular tourism destination—will be no different.
In fact, travel agency Fora has already seen major increases in bookings since HBO announced season three would take place in Thailand. Between July and October 2024, Thailand bookings on Fora grew 34 percent month over month. In January 2025, Thailand bookings were up 312 percent year over year on Fora, and from February to March 2025, Thailand trips are already outpacing overall travel growth on Fora.
Thai Tourism recently unveiled a special The White Lotus landing page, helping interested travelers understand where to visit and what to experience to mimic scenes from the series.
“We are honored to have amazing Thailand featured as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of The White Lotus,” TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said in a statement. Thailand’s “exotic natural beauty, rich historical sites, and diverse landscapes are the perfect settings to share our fascinating culture, fantastic cuisine, top-notch wellness and luxury offerings, and most importantly our people and Thai hospitality. Thailand has long been considered one of the world’s favorite filming locations.”
The series is known for unveiling new casts each season, and the one character who was in both seasons one and two will not be returning for the third season; fans mourned the demise of Tanya, played by Jennifer Coolidge, at the end of the second season. It has been announced that the third installment will star Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, Carrie Coon, and returning cast member Natasha Rothwell, as well as several Thai actors, including Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong.
The White Lotus season three is premiering on HBO and streaming on Max February 16, 2025.
This story was originally published in February 2024 and was updated on February 14, 2025, to include current information.
