T
he White Lotus is back, and this season it's trading in the beaches of Hawaii and Sicily for the tropical luxury of Thailand. The show's characters are still entangled in their web of privilege and dysfunction, but the real star of the season is its stunning backdrop - the five-star Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui.

    Perched on the island's northwestern coast, the resort is a 40-acre sanctuary set on a former coconut plantation, preserving nearly 900 trees that sway above its hillside villas. The KOH Thai Kitchen restaurant serves Southern Thai cuisine for breakfast and dinner, while the resort's traditional Thai architecture and signature monkey statues add to its charm.

    The resort has been transformed into the latest fictional White Lotus hotel, but its real-life luxury is anything but scripted. Following in the footsteps of previous seasons, which were filmed at Four Seasons properties in Hawaii and Italy, Koh Samui delivers cinematic scenery, from infinity pools overlooking the Gulf of Siam to water hammocks floating above the shoreline.

    The resort's 71 villas - including 11 sprawling private residences - serve as the setting for much of the show's high-stakes drama. Among the guests checking in this season is the Ratliff family, played by Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey. Like their fictional counterparts, many of the cast members stayed at the hotel during filming, describing it as both idyllic and intense.

    While Four Seasons Koh Samui serves as the main filming location, the show also features other luxury properties across Thailand. The picturesque Koh Thai Kitchen was used for breakfast and lunch scenes, while evening dinners were filmed at Rosewood Phuket's Ta Khai restaurant. Other standout locations include Anantara Mai Khao Phuket and the Singing Bird Lounge at the Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort.

    The show's creator, Mike White, chose Thailand as the setting for this season due to its enchanting locales and favorable production conditions. However, experiencing this slice of paradise comes at a premium - stays at the Four Seasons Koh Samui start at approximately $1,363 per night for a one-bedroom villa in May, with four-bedroom residence villas reaching up to $7,866 per night.

    Since the season premiere on Feb. 16, the resort has experienced a notable uptick in inquiries and bookings, dubbed "The White Lotus effect." This phenomenon mirrors trends from previous seasons, where featured locations saw substantial boosts in popularity.