The White Lotus locations: where to stay, eat, and explore in Thailand

Settle into your sofas (or sun-loungers) because hit HBO drama The White Lotus is back for series three, with director and creator Mike White offering us what he calls a “supersized” version of the show, one that’s “longer, bigger and crazier”. And this time, the backdrop is the beaches, Buddhist temples and bars of Thailand. If you haven’t seen any of it yet, do set aside some time to binge. Watching the 0.01 per cent as they holiday at one of the world’s most luxurious resorts, The White Lotus, is compulsive viewing. And although it’s entirely fictional, White has clearly taken some inspiration from the high-maintenance real-life guests he’s seen on scouting expeditions to Four Seasons resorts (the luxury hotel brand’s resorts have been used as locations for all three seasons).

 

Keen to live the Lotus life, with fewer dead bodies and more bang for your buck? Filming for series three was stretched out over many months, taking in three main parts of the country. Choose one or try them all…

 

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KOH SAMUI for glam hotels and splash-out meals

 

The White Lotus way Koh Samui is a small island in the Gulf of Thailand that’s packed with luxury hotels, one being the Four Seasons Koh Samui (fourseasons.com), a sprawling resort tumbling down the hillside of a former coconut plantation. It’s the most luxurious location yet – with prices starting at £1,000 a night. For that you get a seriously plush villa, each with its own private pool (plus monkey statues perched on the side, naturally), and a breakfast that’s not just the best in Thailand but quite possibly in the world. It’s the long, palm-dotted pool area and beach bar, CoCoRum, that take centre stage in hotel scenes, along with the peachy-sky panoramic sunset views at Koh Thai Kitchen. You don’t have to be a guest to eat there, so do splash out on one of the best meals on the island.

 

The “mere mortal” way Knock off a nought from that price tag for a stay at Tembo Beach Resort (tembo-samui.com), a boutique hotel and beach club with a seafront setting that’s arguably prettier than the Four Seasons. It’s a great spot for a day visit – with cocktails and snacks delivered to your lounger – while simple white-washed rooms with splashes of turquoise feel luxe enough without the need to spend a fortune. And if you’re keen to get up-close to elephants (but without riding them, which isn’t encouraged) try Samui Elephant Haven (samuielephanthaven.org), which takes in rescued pachyderms.

 

BANGKOK for city lights and canal tours

 

The White Lotus way The crew – and hotel teams – have been tight-lipped about exact filming locations, with lots of speculation around the Bangkok scenes. Turns out that White swerved the Four Seasons in favour of another predictably posh hotel, the Mandarin Oriental (mandarinoriental.com), right on the banks of the Chao Phraya river. Elsewhere in the city, we see shots of the giant, 20-storey-high golden Buddha statue of Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen temple, located on an island surrounded by the city’s centuries-old khlongs, or canals.

 

The “mere mortal” way Various long-tail boat tours rattle along the khlongs but they go so fast that you’ll barely catch a glimpse of the Buddha before it’s a dot in the distance. Slow the pace instead with a solar boat tour: you’ll see far more of the city, with a chilled-out captain showing you his top spots. As for your hotel, 137 Pillars (137pillarshotels.com) – with its rooftop infinity pool – is a steal, and surrounded by the cool speakeasy bars of Thonglor.

 

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PHUKET for beaches, bars and local nights out

 

 

The White Lotus way It’s the largest island in Thailand, with epic sunsets to the south and tumbling waves along the west coast. It’s apparently this, along with those sublime, sandy beaches and huge spa that drew White to Anantara Mai Khao (anantara.com) as a filming spot. Vast villas are dotted across the resort, surrounded by lagoons, lily pads and resident monitor lizards living the good life. Muay Thai – the Thai version of kickboxing, and a huge part of the country’s culture – features this season, and Phuket is the spot for it, with dozens of open-air training rings lining the roads.

 

The “mere mortal” way You may be keen to give Muay Thai a go yourself – it’s not as intimidating as it sounds, and is very much the equivalent of heading to the gym for an aerobics class (in fact it’s a common workout for holidaymakers here). But matches are also a big social event, so if you’d prefer to sit back and spectate then listen out for announcements about live fights (they’ll blare out on speakers attached to a roving 4X4). Once there, you can guzzle cheap Chang beers and £1 Pad Thai noodle feasts while watching a couple of martial artists battling it out with standing sweeps and strikes. And if you’re craving a beachy hotel without the eye-watering Anantara price point, then it’s worth heading a little further north to the Phang Nga region, staying at the Aleenta Resort (aleenta.com). You’ll get more for your money, plus a blissfully empty beach (save for a few friendly dogs).

 

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