The White Lotus in Thailand
The behaviour of the characters on Mike White’s cult series are thankfully far from reality, but the surroundings, resorts and spa experiences at its Thai locations live up to the hype.
In the opening scenes of series three of The White Lotus (TWL), gun shots ring out across the lotus lagoon, panicking guests and staff.
One character, Zion, thinks his mother may have been hurt and jumps into the water.
It’s a dramatic scene, but it seems a little ridiculous when you’re standing at the lagoon. In real life the location couldn’t be more serene. As I make my way over the timber bridge leading from the resort’s private villas to the restaurant, the only sound I can hear is the gentle splash of a monitor lizard slipping into the water.
When you’re in such a beautiful and tranquil place, you really have to use your imagination to conjure up the events of the show. Writer and director Mike White created a place where in-fighting, entitlement, obnoxiousness and greed were the norm. In reality, the only other travellers I encounter have the zen expression of the truly relaxed.
TWL is set in a fictional resort on Koh Samui but the Anantara Mai Khao in Phuket – the home of the infamous lotus lagoon – stepped in for some of the key locations. The rest of the scenes were filmed on the island at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, the Anantara Bophut, the Anantara Lawana, the Bophut fisherman’s village, various beaches, the airport and a luxurious private home.
Behind the scenes in Phuket
Mai Khao is located at the quiet, northern end of Phuket and was designed with people in mind who love the idea of a luxury holiday where you never have to leave the resort. My Thai-inspired private villa (just like the one where the TWL character Belinda stayed) has a private pool with sun lounges and a cabana. From my bedroom, I can open the sliding doors and step straight down into the water. At the villa’s garden walls, shutters reveal deep pink lotus in full bloom on the lagoon. It’s so private, I’d have to really make some noise to get the occupants of a neighbouring villa’s attention.
Luckily, I don’t have to. A call to reception, and a few minutes later, a driver in a buggy arrives to take me to cocktails at the resort’s intimate new drinking spot, Bua Bar. Decked out in colours of moody green with suede and leather furnishings, the monkey lamp on the bar is the only reminder of the TV show.
The bar is beautiful – as glamorous as any I’ve visited in Bangkok, with a list of Thai-inspired cocktails that could have been conjured from a magician’s box of tricks, arriving in clouds of dry ice or aflame. One of many dining and drinking options at the resort, there are Thai or Indian tiffin menus at La Sala, international cuisine at Sea Fire Salt by the beach, pool bars, a Japanese restaurant, or poolside bars and more. You won’t go hungry or be bored by the options.
I can’t imagine wanting to do more than wander the exquisite tropical gardens, swim, eat, or maybe have a spa treatment or two. However, there’s an impressive gym, tennis courts, separate spaces for teens and younger kids, and even a vegetable garden and cute rabbits to admire.
Although the hotel is full, it’s quiet – I rarely pass someone on the winding paths that lead to the villas. If the environment alone isn’t enough to reduce stress, the spa offers indulgent treatments in airy pavilions in the lagoon.
On Koh Samui
The driveway into the Anantara Bophut resort is a key set location for TWL. When I watched the show, I imagined it was in a nature setting, but it’s actually just off a busy road. Luckily the traffic disappears as soon as you enter the resort and calm takes over.
The Anantara is U-shaped with rooms overlooking a tranquil lotus pond or the beach. The pool overlooks the sand and is the hub of the hotel. Most guests were out by the pool or on the beach (a few steps from the pool) lounging on chairs.
From here it’s a short walk to the village, which has a backpacker vibe with bars, stores with clothing and jewellery, and food stalls several evenings a week. There’s an outdoor food market, muay Thai schools and, yes, a snake farm, not too far away.
Although the resort is an oasis of calm, with beautiful tropical landscaping, luxurious and quiet rooms, a tranquil spa zone and staff ready to attend to any desire, it’s good to have the option to explore. You can go shopping and experience street life while combining the best of both worlds, especially if you’re travelling with one of those rare people not into spa treatments or sunbathing by the pool.
A bar in the treetops
Anantara Lawana is a 15-minute drive from Bophut. Overlooking Chaweng Beach, its Singing Bird Lounge, with a beautifully curved bar and thatched-roof booths, was a key location in episode one of TWL and it’s easy to understand why. It’s the quintessential tropical bar, and the perfect place for a sunset drink with a view.
Now that all the locations in the series are allowed to acknowledge their connection with the show, the resort has created a signature TWL menu, including new creations named after the series and characters Mook and Gaitok. While the bartenders prepared our drinks, we learned the delicate art of lotus flower folding, involving careful arrangement of the petals to take the flower from wild to refined. Not in the show, but a few steps from the bar is Treetops, an outdoor restaurant with just eight private rooms hidden in the trees high above the ocean.
Around Koh Samui
Koh Samui is not all about beaches, the island is rich in nature and Thai culture. I visited the big Buddha (Wat Phra Yai) temple and climbed the many stairs to the top to admire the Buddha and enjoy views across the water.
The Wat Plai Laem complex offers a chance to admire intricate temple paintings and you can feed the fish.
If Koh Samui and Phuket experience the same demand Sicily and Hawaii did after their exposure on TWL, Koh Samui is set to become a new set-jetting destination. But TWL fans are unlikely to find much drama here. With so much beauty and relaxation on offer, the petty jealousies and murderous intent of TWL characters don’t stand a chance.