Where Was The White Lotus Filmed?

The Short Answer

Each season shot on location at the properties it portrays. Season 1 used the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, season 2 the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, and season 3 several resorts on Koh Samui and Phuket plus sites in Bangkok. Supporting scenes were filmed in Noto and Cefalu in Sicily, and around the Mu Ko Ang Thong marine park in Thailand.

The White Lotus has run on HBO since 2021, and one of its signature tricks is that the resorts are real. Every season plants itself at an actual luxury property and shoots there for months, which means fans can sleep, swim, and drink exactly where the characters did.

That has consequences for travellers. The hotels sell out and raise rates after each premiere, but most locations remain bookable, and several towns and beaches used for outside scenes are free to wander. This guide covers every confirmed filming site across the three seasons, in order, with practical notes on access.

Every Location At A Glance

Location	Where	What was filmed	Access
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea	Wailea, United States	Main resort interiors, exteriors, pools, beach, villas for entire season	Ticketed
San Domenico Palace, Taormina	Taormina, Italy	Main resort, pool, views, interiors for season 2	Ticketed
Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui	Ang Thong, Thailand	Main resort villas, pool, beach, common areas, restaurants for most of season 3	Ticketed
Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort	Bophut, Thailand	Lobby, security station, driveway, jewelry store, parking lot scenes	Ticketed
Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort	Chaweng, Thailand	Singing Bird Lounge bar scenes	Ticketed
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas	Mai Khao, Thailand	Spa, wellness sanctuary, Belinda's room scenes	Ticketed
Noto	Noto, Italy	Town streets and palazzo scenes, episode 3	Free to see
Cefalù	Cefalù, Italy	Beach club and beach scenes	Free to see
Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park	Koh Samui area, Thailand	Boat arrival ocean vistas scenes	Free to see
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok	Bangkok, Thailand	Hotel lobby and bar scenes in Bangkok episodes	Ticketed

Filming Locations Map

10 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

This Wailea resort played the fictional White Lotus Maui for the entire first season: interiors, pools, the beach, and villas all appear on screen. Production formed a strict COVID bubble here for months in fall 2020, shooting across the property. Today it functions as a normal luxury resort, with stays starting around $1000 per night. Day visitors cannot simply roam the grounds, so a room booking or resort reservation is the practical way in.

Season 2's Sicilian resort is a converted 15th-century Dominican monastery turned Four Seasons hotel, perched above Taormina. The pool, terraces, views, and interiors feature throughout the season. Access comes through a hotel stay or a meal at one of its restaurants, and demand jumped noticeably after the show aired. Taormina itself is openly walkable, so even non-guests can enjoy the town that frames the resort.

Located at Ang Thong on Koh Samui, this resort served as the main season 3 property. Villas, the pool, the beach, common areas, and restaurants all appear on screen for most of the season. It operates as a luxury resort, and booking a stay is the way to experience it. Fans planning a trip should book early, since it is the primary draw for show-inspired visits to the island.

This Bophut property stood in for parts of the fictional resort's working areas in season 3: the lobby, security station, driveway, jewelry store, and parking lot scenes were filmed here. It sits near Fisherman's Village, making it one of the easier filming sites to combine with regular sightseeing on Koh Samui. The resort is open to guests, and stays or dining get you inside.

In Chaweng, this Anantara resort supplied the Singing Bird Lounge bar scenes in season 3. Like its sister property, it is open to the public for stays and dining, so a drink at the bar is a realistic low-commitment visit. Chaweng is one of Koh Samui's busiest beach towns, which puts the location within easy reach of most island itineraries.

Season 3 also traveled off Koh Samui. At Mai Khao in northern Phuket, this villas resort provided the spa, the wellness sanctuary, and Belinda's room scenes. It is a luxury property reached by booking a stay, and Mai Khao is quieter than Phuket's southern beach strips. It demonstrates how production split one fictional resort across multiple real hotels on two islands.

This historic Baroque town in southeastern Sicily stood in for episode 3 of season 2, with town streets and palazzo scenes filmed among its architecture. Noto's Baroque buildings featured prominently in that episode. Unlike the resorts, the streets are public and free to visit, making it one of the few White Lotus locations anyone can explore without a reservation or hotel booking.

The public beach and town of Cefalu, on Sicily's northern coast, hosted the beach club and beach scenes in season 2. Everything here is openly accessible, so travellers can walk the same stretch of sand with no ticket required. Cefalu is a popular seaside town in its own right, easily combined with a Sicily itinerary that includes Palermo or other coastal stops.

The dramatic ocean vistas and boat arrival scenes in season 3 were filmed around this national marine park in the Koh Samui area of Surat Thani province. It is protected parkland rather than a resort, and boat tours operate in the area, so visitors can see the island-dotted scenery from the water. This is the most accessible season 3 location for travellers not staying at luxury hotels.

For the Bangkok episodes of season 3, production used this historic luxury hotel on the river for lobby and bar scenes. It remains one of the city's most famous properties, open to guests for stays and dining. Travellers can visit the lobby or book a drink without checking in, which makes it a simple add-on to any Bangkok sightseeing day.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The show is set at fictional White Lotus resorts in Hawaii, Sicily, and Thailand, and filmed at real luxury properties and nearby landmarks in those exact regions. The unusual part is season 3: multiple Anantara properties on Koh Samui and Phuket, plus sites in Bangkok including temples, beaches, and a snake farm, all stood in for what appears on screen as one resort and its surroundings.

The Studio Side

Indoor and controlled scenes for season 3 were handled at Acts Studio in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a working production facility and not open to visitors, so it holds no practical interest for travellers following the show's trail.

Tours That Visit These Locations

For season 2 locations, guided tours operate in Taormina and the surrounding area. These suit travellers who want context on the show plus the town's broader history without researching each stop alone. Two options stand out.

Private Luxury Taormina Experience

Private Taormina White Lotus luxury experience

A five-star private experience priced at $359 per person, built around the season 2 resort town with a luxury angle. Early reviews have been perfect, though only four travelers have rated it so far.

5.0 out of 5 · 4 reviews

From$359Check availability

Private Sicilian Glamour Walk

Taormina: The White Lotus & Sicilian Glamour Private Tour

A private Taormina walking tour at $197.05 that mixes White Lotus filming stops with the town's broader Sicilian glamour. It has not yet accumulated reviews, so travelers are going in early.

From$197Check availability

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you stay at the resorts where The White Lotus was filmed?

Yes. The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, and the Anantara properties on Koh Samui and Phuket are all operating hotels. Maui stays start around $1000 per night, and demand rises after each season airs.

Was the resort in season 3 one hotel?

No. Production split the fictional property across multiple real resorts: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui carried most villas, pools, and beach scenes, while three Anantara properties on Koh Samui and Phuket supplied the lobby, bar, spa, and wellness scenes.

Can you visit White Lotus locations without paying for a luxury hotel?

Yes. Noto and Cefalu in Sicily are public and free, Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park is reachable by boat tour, and the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok allows dining and lobby visits without a room.

Where was season 2 filmed besides the main resort?

Most of season 2 filmed at the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, a former 15th-century monastery. Episode 3's town and palazzo scenes were shot in Noto, and the beach club scenes in Cefalu.

Are there guided tours of the filming locations?

For season 2, private tours run in Taormina covering White Lotus stops alongside the town's history and sights. See the options above. Seasons 1 and 3 filmed at private resorts, so visits there are typically self-arranged through hotel bookings.

Is the San Domenico Palace open to non-guests?

Access comes through a stay or dining at the hotel's restaurants. Taormina itself is freely walkable, so non-guests can still enjoy the town that surrounds the season 2 resort.

Season 3's split across Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok means Thailand offers the most varied location hunt, while Sicily delivers the easiest mix of free public sites and a bookable grand hotel. Maui remains the most straightforward: one resort, one island, one booking. Wherever the itinerary points, reserve hotel access early, since these properties now attract fans as well as ordinary guests.

Sources

The Short Answer

Every Location At A Glance

Filming Locations Map

Location By Location

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

San Domenico Palace, Taormina

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort

Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort

Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas

Noto

Cefalu

Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok