I Spent Ten Days Visiting the Luxury Thai Hotels of ‘The White Lotus’
The true White Lotus experience is a multi-city trip.
I can’t put my finger on precisely when I became determined to visit Thailand. The country has loomed in my imagination, vibrant and warm and lush, for as long as I can remember. Then, when I was managing study abroad programs in my early twenties, I had several colleagues who’d backpacked through Thailand and one friend who aimed to study Muay Thai there. My fascination came to a head in 2020, when I bought a two-week trip to Thailand via EF Ultimate Break, but the trip was canceled over and over again, the pandemic lasting much longer than I (or anyone) could have expected. Eventually, I got my money back and was left promising myself that one day I’d make it to Thailand — on a long trip, I told myself, one day when I was between jobs.
Lo and behold, when I found myself between jobs this year, I had the opportunity to visit Thailand to see the filming locations from season three of The White Lotus. From Phuket to Koh Samui to Bangkok, I crammed as much as I could in my ten-day trip, exploring everything from luxury to culture to spirituality to the backpacking (and partying) culture that draws so many expats and explorers year after year.
Here, in my first review of my time in Thailand, I’ll be focusing on the luxury aspect of my trip — particularly as it pertains to real-life luxury hotels that inspired everyone’s favorite fictional resort chain.
Hotel #1: The Zen Resort
The White Lotus hinges on luxury, contrasting the beauty of its fictional resort chain with the inevitable violence that closes each season. The show’s filming locations are painstakingly selected to paint a picture of a dream resort, and, in the case of season three, this included hotels across Phuket and Koh Samui.
The first hotel that I experienced was the Anantara Mai Khao in Phuket, in which that climactic final scene was filmed. Each morning, when I walked to breakfast or to the beach or to a complementary morning yoga class, I passed by the massive, ever-turning wheel featured in the show. And when I went for a sound healing, I enjoyed it in the floor-to-ceiling glass room where Zion tries to meditate in the first and last moments of the show.
The resort is filled with other tiny details that hearken back to The White Lotus: Monkey statues, for one, look on from their perches all over the property, many of them accompanied by helpful placards explaining their significance (in Buddhism, the “monkey brain” refers to a chaotic, unenlightened state of mind — something that rings true for most, if not all, of season three’s characters). The massive lizard that scared Belinda also actually exists. There are two of them on the Anantara property, and apparently, during shooting, one of them ran into the shot and genuinely scared the actors—a debacle that take made it into the final cut. I met one of these creatures during my time on the property, while I was enjoying a luxurious breakfast served to me by a waitress who made a cameo in the show.
The White Lotus aside, I loved staying in this hotel. My suite was the most luxurious room I have ever stayed in (and that’s saying something), featuring my own private pool and outdoor bathtub. The food was also divine, no matter the meal: I ordered room service the moment I put my bags down, having traveled for over 20 hours, and the resulting meal (consumed late at night, in my bathing suit, while lounging in my outdoor tub with a glass of champagne) was healing to say the least. The resort is also located right on the beach and has communal pools (including a shallow one peppered with lounge chairs), a jacuzzi, and a swim-up bar in case you’re feeling too social to contain yourself in your private pool.
Hotel #2: The Ultimate Cast Hangout
In each season of The White Lotus, dinner scenes are major sources of conflict, character development, and reconciliation. This season, you can thank the Rosewood Phuket’s luxe restaurant, Ta Khai, for those shots of our favorite characters dining al fresco. Enjoying fresh seafood at Ta Khai, you’ll find yourself experiencing déjà vu, half-expecting an appearance from some member of the Ratliff family. If you’re not a fan of the heat (Parker Posey apparently felt so overheated after hours of filming that she’d sit with ice packs on her legs) or you’re afraid of the mosquitoes, the restaurant also offers indoor options with tall glass windows so you can still enjoy the view from inside.
Another of the Rosewood’s four dining options, an Italian restaurant called Red Sauce, was a favorite hangout for The White Lotus cast during production. According to staff, the actors would combine tables so they could all eat together before their call times, which often began around 10 PM and lasted all night . It’s easy to see why they chose Red Sauce, too: The chic, minimalist restaurant caters to a variety of dietary restrictions, with an impressive vegan selection, and its cool interior is a welcome break from the Thai heat. Combining sleek modernism with subtle rustic touches, Red Sauce feels comfortable and homey — perfect for wrapping up a long day (or night) of work.
Hotel #3: The Cliffside Paradise
If you’re all-in on the White Lotus experience, you’d be remiss to skip Koh Samui. There, we stayed at the Intercontinental, which is admittedly far from the more populated areas of the island. However, this isolation makes the resort an oasis of absolute calm, transporting visitors to a world filled with natural beauty unlike any I’d seen before. I’m not much of a resort girl typically, but I’d return to this resort in a heartbeat. The hotel has a commitment to sustainability and community responsibility, unlike the countless resorts around the world that shun locals and pollute their surrounding communities. The grounds also felt well-integrated with the natural beauty of the area — not at all like the ultra-sanitized, hyper-westernized developments I’ve experienced in the Caribbean.
The property is situated on the side of a cliff, offering stunning views from just about any spot, but especially from its variety of infinity pools. But the jewel of the Intercontinental, in my opinion, is the beach: The water is clear and bright blue, and the hotel hosts sunset cruises each evening so that interested visitors can get up-close views of Koh Si Koh Ha, or the Five Islands. While this hotel wasn’t a fixture in The White Lotus, it certainly evokes the luxurious feel that Mike White was aiming for when he wrote the show.
Hotel #4: The Foodie’s Heaven
The Four Seasons Samui, however, was featured in the show, and I had the opportunity to tour it and visit its restaurant. Much like the Anantara Mai Khao, the Four Seasons still displayed a White Lotus symbol on its grounds — a notable photo opportunity for fans, though subtle enough to avoid alienating non-watchers.
To the most enthusiastic viewers, however, The Four Seasons’ rooms are what truly conjure déjà vu. The chain offers both standard hotel suites and residences, the latter of which are owned by individuals and rented out throughout the year. The characters from the White Lotus stayed in the residences, with the blonde frenemy trio taking up Residence Nine, a sprawling multi-suite mega-apartment featuring the private pool that witnessed the chaos of episode five.
Hotel #5: The Riverside Oasis
The final hotel I stayed in was the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, where Sam Rockwell delivered his unforgettable monologue. Within walking distance of bars, restaurants, and cultural institutions, the hotel combines contemporary luxury with old world charm. Instead of the sterile, all-white décor that has come to characterize so many modern accommodations, this hotel is furnished with warm accents, like gold and brown, lending it a cozy, opulent feel. This is especially true of the Bamboo Bar, where that scene between Sam Rockwell and Walton Goggins was filmed. Furnished with gold accents and radiant mirrors, the dark, high-end bar positively glowed.
Much like the Thai resorts where I stayed earlier in my trip, the Mandarin Oriental managed to incorporate Thailand’s natural beauty into its appearance — despite being nestled in the heart of bustling Bangkok. The lobby features flora hanging like chandeliers above guests’ heads, along with immaculate floor-to-ceiling windows that show off a lush courtyard. Furthermore, the hotel grounds spill onto to both sides of the Chao Phraya River, meaning that accessing the spa or dining at Sala Rim Naam (and enjoying a traditional Thai dance performance) requires a trip on the Mandarin’s opulent ferry. Personally, I loved taking the ferry — it was like having a mini river cruise built into my stay. I never waited more than a minute or so for the boat, it moved quickly but didn’t rock too much, and it made my stay at the hotel feel all the more unique.
The White Lotus vs. Reality
As fans of the White Lotus, we’ve all dreamed about staying at the resort. Mike White never fails to paint a picture of a perfect resort, complete with five-star dining, beachfront property, enormous accommodations, and proximity to nightlife and cultural hotspots. However, in the case of season three, the bad news is that you’ll have to stay in a variety of locations all over Thailand in order to get the true White Lotus experience.
The good news, however, is that The White Lotus just might be the catalyst that pushes some tourists to explore everything that Thailand has to offer. While you’ll have a fabulous vacation if you stay at any of the aforementioned hotels, your experience will only be enhanced by traveling all over the country like I did. From urban jungles to literal jungles, riversides to beachfronts, Thailand boasts incredible geographic diversity, and you’ll be all the better for seeing as much of it as you can. I think that’s why Mike White included so many filming locations in his script rather than sticking to just one resort: He wanted to spread the love; to show that Thailand is country whose beauty can’t be fully encapsulated in just one property.
If you ask me, it can’t even be encapsulated in five.
