Finished watching The White Lotus season 3 and are now looking to book your own Thailand holiday? Check into Four Seasons Koh Samui, the real-life resort where the show was shot. This is what you can expect.
It feels right to begin with the necessary ripping off of a bandaid: Jennifer Coolidge does not return for The White Lotus Season 3. Given the show's signature twists and turns, some fans might have held onto a sliver of hope in a series where a character can be zipped into a body bag, yet Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid is, by all accounts, gone for good. As are star-crossed Chelsea and Rick. But what remains – for us all to enjoy – is the resort where The White Lotus season 3 was filmed: Four Seasons Koh Samui in Thailand.
For the uninitiated, The White Lotus is HBO’s wildly popular anthology series created by Mike White. Initially conceived as a pandemic-era production that could be filmed in a controlled, self-contained environment, the show has evolved into a searing social satire wrapped in sun-soaked mystery. With each season, White unpacks the neuroses, entitlements, and moral blind spots of the hyper-privileged, all against the backdrop of a lavish, nature-bound resort that becomes as much a character as any of its guests.
Much like its revolving door of morally dubious vacationers, the show thrives on a distinct sense of place that has found an exclusive home at Four Seasons properties: Season 1 of The White Lotus unfolded at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, while the second season took viewers to the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily – sparking a wave of tourism that saw fans flocking to the hotel to sip Aperol spritzes on the same terrace where Coolidge’s Tanya delivered her now-iconic Monica Vitti impression.
The greatest design stories from AD Middle East, delivered to your inbox
Where was The White Lotus Season 3 Filmed?
Season 3 takes us to yet another fictional White Lotus resort, this time in Thailand. Filming took place across Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok – embracing the post-pandemic freedom to roam. The real-life resort where The White Lotus Season 3 was filmed is the Four Seasons Koh Samui, which welcomes guests to a 43-acre retreat with one road in and one road out – aptly remote and aptly contained – with 60 teak villas, each boasting private pools and sweeping ocean views. Crafted by Bensley Design Studios, the resort features 70 rooms, including 11 private residences
Given The White Lotus’s track record of driving destination tourism, the Thai tourism board was quick to get on board, working with HBO to support production. “The kingdom’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,” said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in a statement. But a setting as opulent as the Four Seasons Koh Samui isn’t just a backdrop for tourism – it’s a stage, primed for indulgence, intrigue, and the inevitable unravelling of season three’s guests. According to reports, White picked the Four Seasons Koh Samui in part because he could feel “the eyes of the jungle” constantly watching from between the fronds – a fitting choice for a season likely to explore themes of surveillance, unseen forces, and paranoia lurking beneath paradise.
How Much Does It Cost To Stay at the White Lotus Season 3 Hotel in Thailand?
Pool villas range from $2,000 per night for a one-bedroom option to $12,900 per night for the four-bedroom Residence Villa, which comes with two swimming pools: the main infinity pool, plus a smaller pool adjoining the main bedroom.
Eat, Sleep, Repeat Like The White Lotus Season 3 Characters
First, there’s the dining. The resort has four distinctive options, each with its own atmosphere, each one begging for a clandestine rendezvous. Pla Pla, the beachfront seafood restaurant, has the potential to drown out whispered betrayals in waves. Then there’s CoCoRum Bar, a watering hole with oversized settees and ample shade for unexpected alliances. This is where real-life bar manager Thom Geerts will be debuting three White Lotus-themed cocktails on February 16 (the show’s air date) – try the Coconut Paradise, a dangerously drinkable mix of vodka, soda, and toasted coconut-pandan cordial. Nestled in secluded corners, each of these spaces reinforces the resort’s air of quiet dominion – an apt reflection of its most privileged guests who, in The White Lotus at least, naively assume the role of omniscient overseers. For those, there’s the option of an elevated experience – the KOH Thai Kitchen & Bar, which is perched high above the trees and promises an intoxicating blend of flower-sweetened breezes and nocturnal nature sounds.
Beyond dining, the Secret Garden Spa offers a more holistic approach to indulgence. Impressively, although unsurprisingly for a setting so verdant, the garden planted along the pathway leading to the spa villas provides ingredients for the resort’s herbal compresses and massage oils. This is where Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda – a returning cast member from season one – is rumoured to possibly realise her long-awaited wellness empire, after Tanya’s failed promise of a joint business venture in Maui went up in smoke.
Which Original Cast Member Returns to the White Lotus Season 3 and Who Is New?
The trailer, which dropped last month, sets the stage for power plays, splits and secrets. It all begins with the resort’s new manager (Christian Friedel) welcoming guests with a grand promise: by the end of their stay, they will be “entirely different people.” From there, the trailer offers glimpses of the ensemble cast navigating their luxurious, but increasingly ominous, surroundings. Longtime friends played by Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, and Michelle Monaghan toast to “a week of new memories,” though cracks quickly start to form.
Walton Goggins appears as an uptight guest travelling with his much younger girlfriend (Aimee Lou Wood), who is wide-eyed at the extravagance, no doubt assuming the role of the inevitably more down-to-earth viewers at home. Familiar face Belinda is back, now in Thailand on a wellness exchange program. But the illusion of serenity doesn’t last. Tensions rise as paradise starts to show its cracks—the trailer teases a robbery at the resort, with security guard Tayme Thaphimthong forced into action. As Monaghan’s character cheekily reminds her friends, “What happens in Thailand, stays in Thailand.” But, in true White Lotus fashion, it’s clear that not everyone will leave untouched.
Two names in the new cast of The White Lotus have fans agog: Lisa from Blackpink (Lalisa Manobal) plays Mook, a member of the resort staff, who will likely greet guests at the hilltop lobby before ushering them to their rooms and inviting them to enjoy the hotel’s infinity pool. Nepo baby Patrick Schwarzenegger (Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's 31-year-old son) plays Saxon, the eldest of Victoria Ratliff (played by Parker Posey) and husband Timothy's (Jason Isaacs) three children.
When Was The White Lotus Season 3 Filmed?
Season three of The White Lotus was filmed in February and March of 2024 at the Four Seasons Koh Samui, which served as both the set and a fully operational hotel, creating an immersive experience for the cast and crew, as Vogue reports. The production drew significant attention, with boats lingering offshore to fly unauthorised drones – an issue swiftly handled by security, whilst many cast members took the opportunity to explore beyond the resort, embracing Koh Samui’s culture and landscapes during production.
You would think that an affiliation with a darkly comedic satire of the one per cent could cheapen a luxury brand’s identity, but in the case of the Four Seasons, it has only strengthened its appeal. The hotel’s polished, hyper-aestheticised settings provide the perfect canvas for the show’s exploration of power dynamics, while the partnership itself leans into a knowing irony.
This season marks the first time Four Seasons has formally partnered with The White Lotus, rolling out a three-month campaign of cobranded experiences, including themed cocktails and spa treatments – again, a potentially tacky marketing gimmick, which in this case feels unexpected and clever. And with season three on the horizon, speculation is already swirling about which characters will meet their demise, what social critique White will weave into his latest plot, and which star will deliver the next meme-worthy monologue. Jennifer Coolidge might not grace our screens again, but one thing we can depend on is that the hotel will once again take centre stage—an oasis of beauty, wealth, and barely concealed tension.
Where Can I watch The White Lotus Season 3 in The UAE, KSA and GCC?
Season 3 of The White Lotus premiered on February 16, 2025. Fans of The White Lotus can stream the full season 3 on OSN+ and HBO Max.
The greatest design stories from AD Middle East, delivered to your inbox
