Season 1 brought viewers to the White Lotus luxury resort in Hawaii, followed by Season 2 in Italy. Season 3 explores the tropical Thailand island of Ko Samui, starting Feb. 16 (HBO 9 EST/PST, and streaming on Max).

The White Lotus creator Mike White has interesting personal connections to Thailand and reality TV that absolutely influence the hit HBO series.

For the season 3 installment, the show’s creator, writer, and director Mike White chose to turn his focus to spirituality, revealing to Forbes, “I was thinking it’d be cool

HBO’s The White Lotus is back with a new season set in Thailand, featuring the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui.

The latest season is set on the beautiful island of Koh Sumai, which will undoubtedly lead to an influx of tourists. Fiji's Malolo Island offers a similar idyllic tropical getaway—without the crowds.

Intrigue, love and scheming fill HBO's The White Lotus. As the third season heads to Thailand, here’s where to enjoy the backdrops without the drama.

HBO’s highly acclaimed series, The White Lotus is back with a new season. Created by Mike White, Season 3 of the anthology series is set in a resort in Thailand.

Another luxe resort, another batch of troubled travelers. Welcome to “The White Lotus” Season 3, which takes Mike White’s vacation dramedy to the Thai island of Koh Samui. This season is farther from America (the first two seasons took place in Hawaii and Italy) and also bigger,

In the third season premiere, a tonal shift and a parade of losers greet us at the luxury resort's wellness-centric location in Thailand.

The show's executive producer David Bernad tells PEOPLE how four different resorts became the stunning setting for season 3