A White Lotus actor’s information to Thailand

Bangkok-born actor Dom Hetrakul performs a resort spa therapist in The White Lotus season three. Listed here are his high ideas for visiting Phuket, Koh Samui and Bangkok.

Since its tourism growth within the mid-Twentieth Century, Thailand has turn into synonymous with paradisical landscapes and top-notch hospitality. Lately, nevertheless, the Southeast Asian nation has risen past its popularity as a non secular and journey haven, partially as a result of acclaimed movie productions and influential names drawing consideration to its distinctive tradition.

Immediately, the nation’s cultural affect has reached almost each business, from style to sports activities to leisure. For a first-rate instance, look no additional than the extremely anticipated third instalment of HBO’s sequence The White Lotus, which premiered 16 February 2025. Following profitable stopovers in Hawaii and Italy, season three options Thailand as its newest lush backdrop for intrigue and social satire. The islands of Koh Samui and Phuket are the principle filming areas (with a smattering of scenes shot in Bangkok), whereas an ensemble of Thai actors together with Blackpink’s Lisa Manobal, Patravadi Mejudhon, Tayme Thapthimthong and actor, mannequin and businessman Dom Hetrakul be a part of the star-studded solid.

“The sequence is a really deep and darkish comedy so it should be enjoyable on the subject of Thailand, which has a distinct background in comparison with Hawaii and Sicily,” says Hetrakul, who performs Pornchai, the beatific resort spa therapist on the Thai department of the fictional White Lotus resort. “We have now robust values and beliefs influenced by our non secular background, however we’re nonetheless dynamic in a method. That may be one thing very distinctive whenever you get near the Thai neighborhood [and why] everyone seems to be taking a look at Thailand as one of the well-known locations for tourism.”

Hetrakul, who was born in Bangkok and calls the town house, balances his profession in leisure with a job within the bike buying and selling enterprise. However his packed schedule has by no means stopped him from travelling and discovering inspiration in his house nation: “Aside from appearing, sports activities and bikes take me all over the place. To search out inspiration it’s essential get out of your consolation zone, that [means] extra locations and folks to fulfill.” 

Listed here are Hetrakul’s favorite locations in Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui.  

Dwelling to the 4 Seasons Resort Koh Samui the place a lot of the season’s resort scenes have been filmed, Koh Samui is maybe the final word White Lotus set-jetting vacation spot. Certainly, a great deal of the season’s drama and privileged behaviour unfolds on the palm-laden island, positioned within the Gulf of Thailand.

Most guests arrive in Koh Samui through the Samui Worldwide Airport, however ferries and different technique of transportation can be found from Surat Thani Province. “You may take a cruise about 45 minutes from the mainland,” Hetrakul says.

Whereas its rugged shoreline, majestic mountain ranges and lengthy, sandy seashores make it a travel-worthy getaway, the island’s wellness choices have stimulated tourism lately; one thing keenly famous in season three, with the shock return of fan-favourite spa supervisor Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) from The White Lotus season one, whose story arc entails studying Thai wellness strategies from Hetrakul’s Pornchai so she will enhance her observe in Maui.

Koh Samui’s luxurious spas, distant resorts and holistic well being centres present wellness and non secular therapies and retreats for meditation, Ayurvedic therapies and massages, however Hetrakul suggests immersing your self in yoga. “In Koh Samui, they’ve numerous completely different coaching experiences like Thai boxing and yoga,” he says. “However [I’d recommend] yoga by the seashore each morning with yogis from all over the world… That is a really wholesome neighborhood.” 

Handle: Ko Samui District, Surat Thani, Thailand

Thai individuals’s love for meals runs deep so no journey to Thailand is full with out indulging within the nation’s culinary delicacies. “Over right here, we eat all day, all night time – daytime, workplace hours – we simply order meals and eat on a regular basis,” Hetrakul says. “Eating places should open all day.”

Whilst you’ll have to look at the upcoming episodes to see the precise dishes and eating places featured in The White Lotus season three, Koh Samui is filled with scrumptious meals choices from Western-style eating places (Hetrakul likes Summer time by Coco Tam, The Shack and Gusto Italiano) to native eateries like Hetrakul’s favorite island hang-out, Jun Hom. The unassuming beachside spot is recognised for its seafood and selfmade conventional dishes like pineapple fried rice, silver sillago fish and yum tua pu(wing bean salad). “The whole lot is from the native fisherman’s market,” Hetrakul says, citing the Fisherman’s Village Night time Market, one other go-to spot for foodies in Koh Samui – and rumoured to be the setting for a few of season three’s Songkran Pageant shenanigans. “These fragrant herbs, spicy chillies and coconut milk on all types of fish, crabs, and prawns – you title it – Jun Hom makes [it].”

Whether or not at unique high-voltage golf equipment or vibrant festivals by the ocean, Thailand’s much-revered celebration scene lives as much as the hype. Previews of season three supply glimpses on the White Lotus’ tackle Thai nightlife; neon lights, fireworks and dance performances boost the intricate plot entanglements within the trailer.

Hetrakul’s high Thai celebration hotspot is Ko Pha Ngan island, about 38km from Koh Samui – eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed Phangan Mantra Inn positioned close to Ko Pha Ngan’s Haad Rin Seaside within the trailer’s celebration scenes. “[Koh Pha Ngan] is legendary for the Full Moon Occasion,” says Hetrakul, referring to the month-to-month festival-style seashore events that take over Haad Rin Seaside each full Moon night time or the day after. Locals and guests have fun by gathering round phases lined up throughout the shore for performances of assorted musical genres.

For these cautious of huge crowds – the events entice hundreds of attendants – Hetrakul has an insider tip. “Now, individuals are attempting to host extra events, they name them the Half Moon Events,” he says. “Full Moon is extra uncovered to the general public, so that you count on the crowds, however Half Moon [celebrations] are much less packed.”

Handle: Koh Phangan District, Surat Thani, Thailand

About 30km north-west of Koh Samui lies the Mu Ko Ang Thong Nationwide Marine Park, an enclave of 42 islands surrounded by turquoise sea. The archipelago’s clear-water shores welcome The White Lotus friends, serving as a becoming introduction to Thailand’s gorgeous seascapes.

Although tenting areas and bungalows can be found on Ko Wua Talap, the park’s largest island,  Hetrakul recommends planning a day journey to the archipelago to discover luscious tropical forests, azure seashores and rugged landscapes apt for any sort of customer, from these in search of a peaceful, stress-free retreat to journey lovers. “There are white-sand seashores and mountain ranges on the island itself, so you may take pleasure in a seashore tour or mountain climbing, relying on which of these small islands you favor,” says Hetrakul. “[Ang Thong National Park is also] nice for snorkelling, diving, kayaking, canoeing or tenting.” For wildlife lovers, when you’re fortunate sufficient, chances are you’ll even come throughout cadres of cute-looking spectacled leaf monkeys. 

Handle: Koh Samui District, Surat Thani, Thailand

Linked to the mainland through the 600m-long Sarasin Bridge, Phuket is Thailand’s largest island. It is also house to varied areas featured in The White Lotus season three, from the opulent Michelin Information-recommended Ta Khai restaurant, the place characters are seen eating (and whining), to the Anantara Mai Khao Phuket resort, whose lavish spa serves as a backdrop for the interactions between Hetrakul’s Pornchai and Rothwell’s Belinda. 

“Phuket’s [highlights] are the nightlife and the seashore – Patong seashore, the bars and golf equipment,” Hetrakul says. Nonetheless, those that enterprise past will probably be rewarded with splendid pure views and zealously protected greenery.

“About an hour’s drive from Previous Phuket City, within the north of the island, there’s a well-preserved mangrove forest referred to as Baan Tha Chatchai,” the actor says. Right here, community-based ecotourism is king; away from crowds, guests can have interaction in actions akin to kayaking and canoeing alongside shallow and nonetheless waterways. “Deep within the jungle it is very calm, so you do not have to fret an excessive amount of. [For example,] within the western a part of Thailand, the waves are stronger, [but this is] a distinct present.”

Native dishes akin to mee hokkien (chewy egg noodles) or Phuket lobster high off an tour to the world. “They’ve numerous eating places round, some deep within the forest. It is very very conventional – really native – meals,” Hetrakul emphasises. “They’ve seafood, recent greens and fruit. However to be warned, the meals is usually spicy.”

Handle: Inside Phuket Marine Nationwide Park Operation Centre 2, 92/7 Moo 5 Mai Khao, Thalang, Phuket 83110

Thailand’s cultural enchantment does not cease at its beloved spicy meals and notoriously wild festivals. For many years, sports activities, particularly Muay Thai, have pushed the nation’s gentle energy technique; in early February, the Thai authorities launched a year-long marketing campaign titled Grand Tourism and Sports activities Yr 2025, aimed toward leveraging the sports activities calendar to spice up tourism. The nationwide ardour for Muay Thai is mirrored in The White Lotus season three, as varied characters chat concerning the fights and soak up a match at Phuket’s Bangla Boxing Stadium Paton. 

As a sports activities fanatic – he practices Muay Thai – Hetrakul encourages guests to take in Thailand’s sports activities custom and study its origins. “We do a number of [sports but] Muay Thai, beforehand referred to as Thai boxing, has turn into mainstream,” he says. “When you’re a fan of UFC (combined martial arts) fights, most elite athletes are right here for coaching. In the event that they’re speaking concerning the putting, Muay Thai [has] probably the greatest putting strategies.”

Whilst you can witness Thailand’s most well-known fight sport or ebook a category almost anyplace in Thailand – “there are numerous Muay Thai camps round [the country],” Hetrakul says – the actor recommends stopping by the Rajadamnern Stadium in his hometown of Bangkok. Positioned just some blocks from the Wat Benchamabophit temple, Rajadamnern was Thailand’s first venue uniquely devoted to Muay Thai and was chargeable for introducing the sports activities’ official rating system and rule ebook. The stadium can be recognised for its structure and round ring – the one one in all its sort on the planet. 

The venue hosts fight each night time, however Hetrakul advises guests to get tickets for Friday and Saturday when probably the most anticipated clashes are typically scheduled.

Prominently featured in season three’s storyline, Thai wellness and therapeutic practices want no introduction. Nuad Thai, or Thai therapeutic massage, for instance, was inscribed in 2019 on Unesco’s Record of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This guide remedy, aimed toward realigning an individual’s physique and vitality, is one in all Thailand’s hottest and widespread cultural sights; Hetrakul’s Pornchai even performs Nuad Thai on Rothwell’s Belinda when displaying her his “signature therapy.”

The Buddhist temple Wat Pho, credited because the birthplace of Nuad Thai, is Hetrakul’s suggestion to expertise and study Thai therapeutic massage. The advanced, which homes Bangkok’s largest reclining Buddha, was the town’s first public training centre. Inside, the partitions doc centuries of information on Thai therapeutic strategies with a sequence of engraved marble slabs dated to the nineteenth Century. 

As house to the Watpho Thai Conventional Drugs Faculty, at the moment the temple lures guests curious about present process therapeutic massage remedy. “It is a spot [to receive] conventional Thai therapeutic massage,” says Hetrakul. “[But] they’ll [also] certify you with the approval of the Ministry of Well being. You simply want time to use when you’re curious about conventional Thai therapeutic massage.”

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