Dream Scene IN EACH OF ITS THREE SEASONS, HBO MAX’S HIT ANTHOLOGY SERIES THE WHITE LOTUS TRANSPORTS VIEWERS TO FAR-FLUNG FANTASY ESCAPES SOAKED IN SUN AND SCANDAL. SIP CHAMPAGNE A LA PARKER POSEY AT THE REAL-LIFE RESORTS WHERE THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY UNFOLDED, FROM THE PALM-FRINGED SHORES OF KOH SAMUI TO THE CRAGGY COVES OF SICILY

BY AMANDA McCOY IMAGES COURTESY OF HBO AND FOUR SEASONS HOTELS AND RESORTS

FOUR SEASONS RESORT KOH SAMUI
Season 3

A full two years and some change crept by between seasons two and three, but when the opening scenes of the third installment of The White Lotus revealed the lush, densely forested shores of Koh Samui in southern Thailand, the wait felt decidedly worth it. A fresh cast of deliciously flawed characters joined returning staples Natasha Rothwell (Belinda) and Jon Gries (Greg) in this dazzling hillside resort on the northwestern corner of the island, spread over 40 acres of former coconut plantation. Hundreds of coconut palms still hum in the breeze, their hilltops the only obstruction in the sweeping panorama of the Gulf of Siam. The Bill Bensley designed stone monkey statues all 140 of them featured prominently throughout the show keep watch over the resort, from the restaurant to the main pooldeck.

There are 71 total rooms on the property, including 60 villas and 11 private residences. Suggesting the term “entry level” is practically farce, as every villa stretches at least 1,000 square feet and boasts a sprawling sea-facing terrace and private infinity pool. The residences reach up to 16,000 square feet and offer kitchenettes, al fresco dining pavilions, and shady gazebos, plus a personal residential assistant to tend to every wish and whim. Décor spans dark mahogany floors, handmade rosewood furniture, and local artwork. Some even feature a few of the famed monkey sculptures.

While the dinner scenes were predominately filmed at the Rosewood Phuket (another five-star beauty just west of mainland), the resort’s signature open-air restaurant, Koh Thai Kitchen, was regularly featured in the morning downloads over breakfast. Buried in the palm-fringed hilltop, the restaurant highlights Southern Thai flavors in stunning renditions of slow-cooked curry and wild-caught seafood. Breakfast is spectacular, starting with freshly squeezed juices or house flavored water followed by homemade pastries and special ties like coconut French toast, egg shakshuka, or assorted dim sum with black vinegar dressing. After a day spent scuba diving, sailing, or simply floating above the sea in a guest-exclusive overwater hammock, venture back to the restaurant at dinnertime for spicy Tom Yum soup, blue crab curry, or nua pad prik, a juicy pan-seared Australian tenderloin with black pepper sauce.

Rooms begin around $1,300 per night. fourseasons.com/kohsamui

SAN DOMENICO PALACE, TAORMINA
Season 2

The two-toned striped umbrellas shielding sunbathers by the cliffside infinity pool, the gilded cocktail bar where Mia (Beatrice Grannò) finally gets her moment behind the piano, the swanky Italianate suites overlooking the Ionian Sea, the sun-dappled breakfast terrace where Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and gang sip Negronis between forced pleasantries much of the second season’s most delicious backdrop candy is this Sicily stunner. The property has a long and storied history that dates all the way back to the 14th century, when it served as a Dominican monastery for hundreds of years before it was reborn as a luxury hotel and key stop along the European Grand Tour in the 1890s. In 2021, following a massive renovation initiative, the property reopened under the Four Seasons umbrella.

Perched high on a hillside on the eastern shores of Sicily overlooking the Bay of Taormina and the Ionian Sea, San Domenico Palace is one of Italy’s showpiece resorts, a 111-room retreat

steeped in history. It’s long been a magnet for the world’s elite, from Oscar Wilde and Audrey Hepburn to Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren (and Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid, of course). Strolling the property, every turn unfolds like a treasure chest: think hand-painted frescoes, commanding stone columns sheathed in verdant scenes of green, and picturesque gardens scented with night-blooming jasmine. Rooms are plush and peaceful, filled with custom furnishings made exclusively for the property by Poliform Contract. Large windows open to bask in the Mediterranean breeze, while full marble bathrooms feature deep soaking tubs overlooking the Italian coast.

Dining on the property is a grand affair. Options span several genres, from the Michelin-starred Principe Cerami to the elegant open-air seafood house, Anciovi. Be sure to make time for a proper after-dinner pour at Bar & Chiostro, the indoor-outdoor cocktail lounge that set the scene for numerous season two rendezvous.

Prices begin around $1,250 per night. fourseasons.com/taormina

FOUR SEASONS RESORT MAUI AT WAILEA
Season 1

This one writes the blueprint for Aloha excellence: stunning sunsets over golden beaches, sumptuous suites with sweeping vistas of the raging Pacific, palm-fringed pools with freeform edges and waterfalls, and an A-list guestlist of celebrities, savants, and C-suiters sipping Mai Tais from hollowed pineapples. It’s a mega resort by any standard metric (spanning 15 acres on the southern edge of Maui’s revered Wailea Beach and 383 total accommodations), but it still feels intimate, featuring the largest luxury guestrooms on the island and stellar one-on-one service. The top-ticket reservations even offer a dedicated personal assistant for the duration of the stay a fitting extra for a tech CEO on holiday with her husband and daughter, perhaps?

The resort takes advantage of its tropical climate by maintaining an open-air feel in most of the common spaces, including the lobby lounge, which hosts live music throughout the day along with a hula show at night. Views of the Pacific are served at every turn, though refreshing dips are also on tap in the form of three pools: the grand ocean-facing Fountain pool with a suit of brand new cabanas, kid-friendly Waterfall pool, and the adults-only Serenity pool, where Tanya poignantly and hilariously opens up to Belinda about her mother’s ashes. The amenities here are next level, from the advanced underwater audio system to the poolside “spa tapas” including massages and collagen masks.

The rooms are uncharacteristically spacious, beginning at 600 square feet and stretching all the way up to 7,200 square feet for the Lokelani Suite, a three-bed room manor with a sprawling entertainment terrace and private garden. (Sadly, superfans, there’s no infamous Pineapple Suite.) Five-star finishes include temperature-regulated beds topped with Frette linens, sparkling marble bathrooms with deep soaking tubs, and museum-quality Hawaiian artworks. The experiences menu is long and diverse, ranging from exhilarating sailing, snorkeling, and surfing adventures to helicopter tours, sunrise biking expeditions, and laid-back loungefests in an ocean-view cabana. Show fanatics can also embark on The White Lotus Behind-the-Scenes tour led by former Maui County Film Commissioner Tracy Bennett.

Four Seasons Maui 2016

Rates begin around $2,600 per night. fourseasons.com/maui