Hasta La Ideas

From a sun-kissed Maldivian beach to Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, we have rounded up 10 luxury hotels that could form the location for another season of HBO’s hit TV show The White Lotus.

Created by filmmaker and actor Mike White, The White Lotus is a black comedy-drama that follows a week in the life of guests and staff at different branches of the fictional White Lotus luxury hotel group.

Set in Thailand, the third and current series of the TV show was mainly shot at Koh Samui’s Four Seasons Resort, while the previous two iterations were filmed at Four Seasons Hotels in Hawaii and Italy respectively.

Each season includes its fair share of drama, but it is arguably the glamorous escapism of the show’s three hotel settings that steals much of the spotlight. As the third season continues to air on HBO, here are 10 hotels from around the world that deserve a starring role in The White Lotus’s next instalment.

Patina Maldives, Fari Islands, by Studio MK27

Located on the Fari Islands archipelago in the Maldives, this holiday resort by Brazilian firm Studio MK27 includes a cluster of water villas that project out to sea and feature their own swimming pools.

Called Patina Maldives, the resort is characterised by a series of low-rise volumes finished in an abundance of wood, rattan and stone.

“Patina is one of the most remote places on Earth and still a place designed for people to meet one another,” said studio founder Marcio Kogan.

Find out more about Patina Maldives ›

White Desert, Antarctica, by Patrick and Robyn Woodhead

Existing seasons of The White Lotus may have been set in exclusively hot environments, but Antarctica‘s appropriately named White Desert glamping pods could provide the perfect wintry, yet luxurious, backdrop for a series of the show set in a colder climate.

The standalone, igloo-like enclosures were fitted with fur-covered chairs and bamboo headboards to recall the “old-world luxury of the early Victorian explorers”, according to the hotel.

Find out more about White Desert ›

Folly Mojave, USA, by Malek Alqadi 

Also a series of standalone structures, Folly Mojave is a group of five monumental hotel suites that stand tall against the atmospheric backdrop of California’s Mojave Desert.

Local architect Malek Alqadi was informed by Petra and other Middle Eastern archaeological sites when designing the structures, which were made from board-formed concrete and include luxurious facilities such as a sauna and cold plunges.

Find out more about Folly Mojave ›

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, Iceland, by Basalt Architects

The Blue Lagoon is Iceland‘s most famous geothermal spa, visited by tourists from all over the world for its distinctively blue geothermal pools containing seawater rich in minerals including sulphur and silica – thought to have healing properties.

Designed by Reykjavík studio Basalt Architects, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon is a 62-suite hotel inserted into the lagoon’s rocky landscape. It was created as a wellness retreat to allow guests to immerse themselves in the lagoon’s natural beauty.

Find out more about The Retreat at Blue Lagoon ›

Casona Sforza, Mexico, by Alberto Kalach

Casona Sforza is a boutique hotel in southern Mexico’s Puerto Escondido, characterised by a series of vaulted arches that overlook a large circular swimming pool.

Mexican architect Alberto Kalach chose sandy-hued bricks to construct the volumes, which were dressed with bespoke bohemian-style furniture pieces including palm-leaf lamps, artisanal glassware and locally crafted cushions.

Find out more about Casona Sforza ›

Al Faya Lodge, UAE, by Anarchitect

A pair of buildings that once housed a clinic and a grocery shop was transformed into Al Faya Lodge – a hotel and saltwater spa in the Sharjah desert by Dubai and London studio Anarchitect.

The spa features a rectilinear open-air swimming pool with views of the surrounding red sands and craggy peaks of Mount Alvaah. Each room at the lodge was also designed with its own star-gazing skylight.

Find out more about Al Faya Lodge ›

The Lodge, Mallorca, by Pilar García-Nieto

The Lodge is a 500-year-old farmhouse turned hotel near Mallorca‘s Serra de Tramuntana mountain range.

Interior designer Pilar García-Nieto transformed the 16th-century building into a luxury hotel surrounded by centenarian almond and olive trees, lavender fields and 20 kilometres of hiking trails.

Original design details were preserved throughout the estate, including the farm’s original tafona – a stone mill used for making olive oil – which now stands in the reception area in front of a wall of fridges filled with local wine.

Find out more about The Lodge ›

The Tiing, Indonesia, by Nic Brundson

Australian architect Nic Brunsdon cast concrete against bamboo to create the rugged walls of The Tiing, a luxury resort on the north coast of Bali.

The geometric guestrooms were designed as funnels to direct views towards the lush jungle backdrop in one direction and the ocean in the other.

“The materiality of this project aims to work within the local context, construction techniques, resources and climate – a rugged regionalism,” explained Brunsdon.

Find out more about The Tiing ›

Saint Hotel, Santorini, by Kapsimalis Architects

Located on the island of Santorini, the Saint Hotel features guestrooms in white-painted caves.

Greek studio Kapsimalis Architects transformed a cluster of former homes, barns and cellars into the hotel, which steps down a cliff overlooking the shimmering Aegean sea. Each level has unobstructed views of the island’s volcanic bay.

Find out more about Saint Hotel ›

The Clifftops, UK, by Morrow + Lorraine

Should White ever choose to send his future characters to the UK, The Clifftops luxury lodges could provide a suitably English backdrop.

Located on Dorset’s UNESCO-protected Jurassic Coast, the hotel was designed by London studio Morrow + Lorraine with buttress-style walls that taper in height between the sea-facing suites complete with private terraces.

Find out more about The Clifftops ›

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