Top Thai hotels with ‘The White Lotus’ vibes that aren’t the Four Seasons

By now, many people know that the hit HBO series, “The White Lotus,” filmed its third season in Thailand, and the stunning Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui served as the main Thai outpost for the show. While Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts remains the primary brand that acts as the stand-in for the fictional luxury hotel chain, some other high-end hotel brands make an appearance on the show, too — and other nearby properties have similarly luxe vibes.

The cast and crew filmed parts of the series at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas — a luxe resort by the Thai brand Anantara Hotels & Resorts on the island of Phuket. They filmed other scenes at Rosewood Phuket, which will surely make jaws drop to the sand with its classic luxury and serene Emerald Bay location.

Thailand has many other properties that are “The White Lotus”-worthy, including Banyan Tree Phuket — which wows guests with its attention to local experiences and Thai cooking. There is also Amanpuri, which excels in Thai wellness offerings, and Kamalaya Koh Samui, with its holistic approach to health and wellness treatments.

Related: The 14 best hotels in Phuket, Thailand

Below, find a rundown on why each of these hotels can be a perfect place for your next dream vacation (sans the nail-biting murder mystery, of course).

Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas

Anantara is the flagship luxury brand for Thai conglomerate Minor Hotels. While it might not be the main backdrop like the Four Seasons on Koh Samui, it’s easy to see why Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas still gets some time on screen on “The White Lotus.”

The third season of the show is slated to explore themes of death, Eastern religion and spirituality, and its hair-raising opening scene (among other appearances) was filmed at the property. Don’t get spooked by that when you book a stay: The resort, which is just a 20-minute drive from Phuket International Airport (HKT), actually offers spacious pool villas, delectable dining and attentive service.

Still, there are plenty of Thai elements here that have made the property the perfect setting for some scenes of “The White Lotus.” Use the resort’s bikes to pedal through its lush tropical gardens and cross torch-lined wooden bridges over lily pad-filled lagoons. Then, enjoy some of Phuket’s best sunset views from the resort’s perch along Mai Khao Beach. You’ll also find a Buddhist shrine near the Anantara Spa — the perfect opportunity for “The White Lotus” guests to explore religion and spirituality (or their own ennui) before dipping in for a 120-minute Anantara Signature Massage.

Of course, the villas are luxe retreats with walk-in closets and dressing rooms, private plunge pools, teak decks and spacious bedrooms with arched, basket weave ceilings. You can step out from the bathroom into a jetted tub for a little added romance or enjoy an outdoor shower following a day at the beach or infinity pool. Cabanas off your private deck make for a great place to lounge with a glass of wine and a book at the end of the day — and those who upgrade to a Sala Villa will also have a private pavilion overlooking the lagoon.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Dining options at Anantara range from the sprawling breakfast buffet to Thai and Indian fare at La Sala, the hotel’s main restaurant that overlooks the lagoon. Sea Fire Salt, a more Mediterranean-influenced restaurant, is closer to the beach and perfect for catching a sunset while enjoying grilled seafood. Tree House, the resort’s omakase restaurant, is perched in the trees just behind La Sala.

The pool deck and beachfront lawn are ideal for sunbathing, starting the day with sunrise yoga or just taking a leisurely dip in the infinity pool. Sun loungers flank the pool deck, and you’ll even find a few stationed in the shallow end. And, just like you’d expect at any White Lotus property, pool attendants are on hand to deliver cocktails and snacks from the resort’s poolside bar.

Rates at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas start around $600 per night but often cost closer to $700 per night during the peak winter season.

Banyan Tree Phuket

Banyan Tree Phuket is one of the best-known and most established luxury resorts on the island of Phuket. The resort — which sits on a former tin mine, just a 30-minute drive south of the Phuket airport — is ideal for guests looking to enjoy curated local experiences and amenities. Travelers can also enjoy a few Western elements as part of the broader Laguna Golf community where the Banyan Tree resides.

Pool villas are the standard at Banyan Tree Phuket, but since when has any main character been known for limiting themselves? The resort also offers Double Pool Villas in a more secluded stretch of the property that has easy access to high-end Tre, a European restaurant overlooking a lagoon; this makes it a quieter spot to grab breakfast over the busier Watercourt restaurant closer to the main lobby.

If you’re unwilling to splurge on the Double Pool Villa, fear not. Entry-level pool villas are still incredibly spacious, with seating areas, walk-in closets, kitchenettes, private patios and plunge pool decks. Housekeeping is twice daily, and you can borrow bikes near the lobby to ride around the sprawling property.

The Banyan Tree team gets high marks for weaving in curated experiences for those who want to get more local exposure. Take part in a raw cooking class in the resort’s kitchen studio. Or, enjoy a meditative walk through a labyrinth to start your day on a contemplative note before visiting local markets and rubber plantations. The Banyan Tree team is happy to arrange all sorts of activities at a moment’s notice.

Don’t miss out on a spa treatment at the Banyan Tree Spa Phuket because this property is where all spa team members who work for Banyan Tree come to train before returning to the hotel or resort where they work. Treatment rooms are secluded, stand-alone villas in a quieter stretch of the resort — ideal for letting all the stress subdue over the span of a massage.

Entry-level rates at Banyan Tree Phuket start at $340 per night in off-peak months before rising to around $500 per night in peak winter travel months.

Rosewood Phuket

Odds are that by the end of a stay at Rosewood Phuket, you’ll find yourself already seeking ways to return (if not extend your current visit). That’s because the Rosewood’s idyllic setting (think: verdant vegetation and breathtaking blue water galore) draws you in the moment you step foot on the property.

Rosewood Phuket’s atmospheric restaurant, Ta Khai, steals the show in many of the restaurant scenes in “The White Lotus.” And that’s no surprise: The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance to the Rosewood Phuket is an early signal that seclusion and exclusivity reign supreme here.

The resort has a breezy lobby with lily pad-filled fountains; guests walk over a boardwalk into a more intimate check-in area overlooking Emerald Bay. Once you have details sorted out, a friendly staff member will whisk you in a buggy down a tree-lined, hilly path to your accommodations in the main resort area.

Pavillions, villas and houses — all with their own private pools — are the accommodation options here. Depending on which you choose, you may find luxe details like outdoor bathtubs, fully equipped kitchens, and terraces with garden or bay views. All feature tasteful, luxurious and muted decor (a lot of earth tones accented by dark wood and backlit bookcases). Amenities include cocktail kits in the minibar and electronically controlled blackout shades for when you’re ready for some uninterrupted slumber.

As for the pool area, it offers a mix of wading spots for children and deeper stretches to get in a few laps. Walk across the pool on a boardwalk, and you’ll reach a sandy stretch of Emerald Bay. You can rent paddleboards and kayaks to explore the bay, or you can kick back with a book on a sun lounger — there are plenty to choose from on the sand or back closer to the pool.

But perhaps the resort’s best attribute is its service. The staff is highly attentive — and not just by way of the twice-daily full housekeeping. You won’t walk too far before a buggy driver will inevitably stop to ask if you need a lift; the team by the pool is quick to offer an extra umbrella for sun protection or a fresh fruit popsicle to enjoy.

Off-peak rates at Rosewood Phuket start at $810 per night before rising to $1,123 per night during peak travel months over the winter.

Kamalaya Koh Samui

The first episode of the third season of “The White Lotus” has already made it clear: While the hotel group’s outposts in Sicily and Hawaii were all about indulgences and excess, its Thai resort puts health and well-being at the forefront. Of course, the real-life White Lotus in Thailand (the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui) does have a dreamy spa. However, you’ll want to seek out Kamalaya Koh Samui — one of the country’s most beloved wellness retreats — if you’re serious about getting your health back on track.

Draped over a jungle-cloaked hill on the southeastern tip of Koh Samui, Kamalaya has drawn a devoted clientele of big-city burnouts, high-flying executives and other wellness seekers for 20 years now. The wellness programs — which range from five-day to multiweek retreats and include everything from stress and burnout recovery sessions to hormone balancing and sleep enhancement — are as rigorous as they are rewarding. Days here flow in a blissful rhythm of massages, herbal steam baths and sunrise meditations overlooking the resort’s private beach.

The food, of course, is as healthy as it gets, but menus go well beyond the usual ginger shots and tofu scrambles. Expect Thai curries, salads with a rainbow of tropical fruits and greens, and fresh-pressed juices blended with all kinds of micronutrient add-ons (think: spirulina, monk fruit powder, the works). There’s a separate detox menu, designed by resident nutritionists, that caters to every wellness goal, whether it’s an Ayurvedic-inspired reset, a gut health program or intermittent fasting. And while there’s no alcohol on the menu (unless you ask), the herbal elixirs are just as satisfying.

But despite its dedication to health and wellness, Kamalaya never feels clinical. There’s a typically Thai warmth in every detail, from the soothing interiors of the simple, earth-toned hillside suites to the spacious indoor-outdoor villas with private pools designed to encourage rest and reflection in the resort’s serene natural setting.

Entry-level rates at Kamalaya Koh Samui start at $265 per night during the off-peak months, with a minimum stay of three nights required. This rate does not include a wellness program, which starts at around $1,400 for a three-night program and rises to around $5,500 for two weeks.

Amanpuri

Amanpuri is the very first outpost of the illustrious Aman brand, and rumors were swirling around industry circles that it would be featured in the third season of “The White Lotus.” When showrunner Mike White was scouting locations around Thailand back in 2023, he shared Instagram Stories from The Surin Phuket resort just next door; Amanpuri’s three-month closure (for renovations, in retrospect) that followed only added fuel to the fire. The gossip turned out to be false — and maybe that’s for the better; silence and solitude have been some of Amanpuri’s trump cards since it first opened its doors in 1988.

Scattered around an undulating coconut grove on Phuket’s northeastern coast, accommodations range from single-room pavilions to multistory villa estates with private pools and up to nine bedrooms. All are classic Thai: Expect templelike pointy roofs poking out from tropical gardens, interiors bedecked in Buddhist art and gleaming teak, and fresh jasmine and white orchids everywhere you look.

The resort’s hush-hush location means that noteworthy restaurants and the street food scene of Phuket Town require quite a drive, but with a globe-spanning lineup of restaurants on its premises, there’s little reason to leave. Arva, an Aman staple, dishes out easygoing Italian from farm-to-table ingredients. There’s real-deal Thai at Buabok, where dinners come paired with traditional Thai dance performances and the mesmerizing tones of a ranat ek (Thai xylophone) filling the courtyard. Plus, the recently renovated Nama hits the spot with omakase menus featuring seafood flown in straight from Japan. You’ll also want to snag a seat at the terrace toward the end of the day: From this vantage point, the gold-colored sunsets are simply sublime.

As with all Aman resorts, wellness plays a leading role, and the village-size spa on the sloping perimeter of the resort is an oasis of its own. Treatments lean heavily on Thai traditions; they include everything from herbal compress massages with local herbs and coconut oil to classic Thai Nuad Pan Boran massages using stretching techniques practiced by Buddhist monks for more than 2,500 years. Medical-grade specialists offer deep dives through hormone screenings and traditional Chinese medicine consultations while visiting gurus frequently host immersive retreats.

The resort’s real scene-stealer, though, is its (almost) private stretch of Pansea Beach — a swath of powdery white sand lapped by some of the clearest waters around the island. Snag a cabana under the palm trees, order an icy gin and tonic with wild honey soda, and revel in the fact that you’ve made it to one of Phuket’s loveliest corners.

Entry-level rates at Amanpuri start at $1,662 per night in off-peak months before rising to around $2,582 per night in winter during the peak travel months.