thailand · December — March
The Four Seasons across the bay. The longtail boat at sunset. Bo Phut for dinner, Chaweng for the night, Lipa Noi for the day at sea. The Thai escape on the route between Hong Kong and the Maldives — and the one White Lotus made impossible to ignore.
Where to begin
The addresses I would send to a friend on the first visit. The full guide is below.
Hillside villa resort · 5★The Four Seasons across the bay — the White Lotus Season 3 location, the 20-day pan-resort itinerary May 2026, and the operating standard the show built on.
Cliff restaurant · Six SensesThe ten-deck cliff restaurant at Six Senses — 270-degree Gulf of Thailand views, table 99 on the outermost terrace.
Private yacht · dayPrivate yacht day-charter to the Ang Thong archipelago — limestone karst islands, hidden lagoons, fifty minutes from Samui.
Cliff villa resort · 5★The Six Senses on the northern headland — sixty-seven villas, the Gulf of Thailand on three sides, Dining on the Rocks on the cliff.
Spa · Six SensesThe Six Senses Spa on the northern headland — jungle treatment pavilions, the brand's reference programme in Asia.
Beachfront resort · 5★The Anantara on Chaweng Beach — relaunched November 2024, MICHELIN Guide One Key, the Sino-Thai design.
Mediterranean · beachfrontThe Mediterranean beachfront kitchen at the Four Seasons — dinner-time Mediterranean, lunch-time Thai, ocean views to Koh Phangan.
Hotels
Book the room.
Pool villa resort · 5★The eighty-eight-villa Banyan Tree on Lamai Bay — Best Spa Resort Thailand 2026, the Banyan Tree Connections wellbeing programme.
Cliff villa resort · 5★The Conrad on Taling Ngam — all-villa, all with private pool, Gulf of Thailand on the western coast for the sunset.