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How hit TV show The White Lotus showcases the cultural delights and hidden gems of Bangkok Noi

Welcome to Bangkok Noi, home to city’s latest ‘it-temple’, Wat Suwannaram, and its magnificent murals, as featured in The White Lotus

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Siri Sala, a location for HBO TV series The White Lotus, is located on the Bangkok riverfront where guests can arrive by boat on their private pier. Photo: courtesy Siri Sala

Published: 7:00pm, 20 Apr 2025

Thailand is revelling in its moment as the setting of The White Lotus season three, a biting satire about the well-heeled guests and staff at the eponymous, fictional luxury hotel, mainly shot at a roster of resorts on the islands of Koh Samui and Phuket. But one aspect drawing praise from locals is the series’ inclusion of a montage of beautiful temple murals in the opening credits and locations that don’t usually make it into travel itineraries, let alone HBO productions.

Take Bangkok Noi, a sleepy neighbourhood defined by canals and one of the few places in the Thai capital that retain wooden stilt houses and the remnants of a water-based society.

When Rick and Frank (Walton Goggins and Sam Rockwell) arrive on the banks of Bangkok Noi in a long-tail boat, revenge is afoot. The scene takes place in a resplendent Thai villa on Bangkok Noi khlong (canal), notable for its lotus-lined walkway and traditional Thai home aesthetics.

A long-tail boat carrying Walton Goggins (Rick) and Sam Rockwell (Frank) arrives at Siri Sala, which doubles as the Bangkok home of The White Lotus resort’s owners, in episode seven. Photo: HBO

Off screen, the property is known as Siri Sala, a reconstructed villa open to parties of 12 guests per stay.

“I think about it a lot when people ask me if I met any big stars during the shoot,” says Irma Go, founder of Siri Sala. “Who I consider to be the biggest star is the Bangkok Noi community. I know it sounds cheesy but, when my husband and I built Siri Sala, we fell in love with this community. Every time we had guests, we’d always take them on a boat trip down these canals.

“We were so pleased that Thailand was not just a dummy place holder [in the series] and Bangkok Noi was represented not only through the canals, but through the culture, artwork and history that belong here, down to the music and way people talk.”

Across the khlong, guests have views of Wat Suwannaram, a royal temple erected during the Ayutthaya period (1351-1767) and thus predating the founding of Bangkok. Until the late 1800s, the temple served as a crematorium for members of the royal family and top-ranking officials.