I stayed at a real-life 'White Lotus' hotel for a weekend. It was nothing like I expected.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
'The White Lotus' star reveals why her storyline can be triggering
'The White Lotus' star Michelle Monaghan talks to Ralphie Aversa about how the female friendship story line is so relatable and toxic.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. − "Welcome to the White Lotus."
That's what the employee behind the front desk told me as I checked in. I wasn't really pulling up to a White Lotus, the fictional resort and setting of the hit HBO show of the same name − not exactly. But I was about to stay in the closest thing to it. In honor of the Season 3 finale, which dropped on Max Sunday, HBO took over the Four Seasons Westlake Village in Southern California, decking it out as if it were an actual White Lotus hotel from the show.
I'm an avid fan of the series and a wellness enthusiast, so I couldn't pass up an opportunity for a two-night stay. As I headed to my room, I wondered what my experience would bring. Would I discover deep truths about myself, as many characters do? Would someone whisk me onto their yacht − a place where, if "The White Lotus" has taught me anything, nothing good ever seems to happen? Would I accidentally get caught in a murder-revenge plot? (Thankfully, no.)
More importantly, I wanted a glimpse into a world that's been on the rise for some time but is now getting spotlighted in a major way, thanks to "The White Lotus": wellness travel. The most recent season of the show centered on a White Lotus resort specifically geared toward wellness − and it's a trend that Henley Vazquez, the CEO and co-founder of the travel agency Fora Travel, says more and more tourists are craving in real life, too.
"Something we've seen firsthand is a shift in how people are viewing their vacation time," she says. "People are using their precious vacation days to cure burnout, rest, detox and come home feeling refreshed."
Would my White Lotus experience deliver on these things? I was about to find out.
'The White Lotus' and why wellness travel is having a moment right now
"The White Lotus" films at Four Seasons properties around the world − with Season 1 in Hawaii, Season 2 in Sicily and Season 3 in Thailand.
Westlake Village isn't exactly a far-off destination for me. (It's about an hour away from where I live in Los Angeles, pending traffic.) But it is home to a Four Seasons property catering to wellness. A concierge told me during my stay that this particular Four Seasons is known for its wellness offerings, making it a destination for celebrities and high-profile people in Los Angeles looking for a luxurious staycation.
Vazquez says wellness travel has been on the rise in recent years, with interest in these types of vacations usually peaking around January. The trend could be due to more people prioritizing health and wellbeing following the COVID-19 pandemic, but the effect "The White Lotus" has had on travel is also undeniable.
Aimee Lou Wood on 'White Lotus' finale: 'There's a lot in that episode that makes me sob'
In the five months after Season 2 dropped, Vazquez says, Fora saw an average 44% month-over-month increase in bookings to Sicily. The fallout from Season 3, she says, has been similar: From February to March, travel to Thailand has outpaced all other travel growth on Fora.
"With this newest season set in Thailand, the show isn't just entertaining the audience," Vazquez says. "It's convincing them to book their next trip."
In Season 3, characters come to the Thailand resort for yoga, massages and medical screenings offering personalized health data. I got to do all these things during my stay. Other attendees at the Four Seasons Westlake Village also got into the spirit of the show.
'White Lotus' finale recap: Rick's tragic blunder, one blender and a $5M payout
"Happy White Lotus!" I heard one woman exclaim at dinner to a group sitting at a table on a balcony overlooking a waterfall. "We have zero worries here." Looking out at the California sunset from a nearby table, I found it hard to argue with her.
The most impactful wellness activity, however, ended up being one that didn't involve much luxury at all − and it played a critical part in Season 3.
It was a meditation class.
I checked into a real-life White Lotus for wellness. Here's what I learned
On Monday morning, a meditation instructor walked us through some of the core tenets of Buddhism and told us our meditation for the day would focus on the principle of "metta," or "loving-kindness." As we sat cross-legged on cushions in the dark, she asked us to call to mind various people from our lives and to wish health, happiness and safety upon them.
She told us to picture someone we love, someone we feel neutral toward and ourselves. She also told us to picture someone we find challenging or difficult to love − and to wish blessings upon them, too.
"The White Lotus" may be known for cynicism and biting satire, but I found this meditation sincere and moving. It wasn't just me either. One woman told me it helped center her so she could fully take in the rest of the retreat's offerings. Another guest said tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of all the love she had for her mother.
Ironically, this experience also showed me real wellness isn't something you can buy. Sure, a stay at a fancy hotel is nice. But you don't need to travel around the world to feel gratitude. You don't need a bunch of medical tests to discover all the love you have in your life. As one character puts it in the unforgettable Season 3 finale: "Stop worrying about the love you didn't get. Think about the love you have." If more characters heeded her words, the season would probably have ended differently.
Overall, my stay left me feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. But it also gave me a deeper appreciation for the things in life money can't buy. It's a "White Lotus" lesson that probably wouldn't land with Victoria Ratcliff, but it wasn't lost on me.
The reporter on this story received access to these services from the Four Seasons. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Caribbean islands that give you a passport if you buy a home
Scroll through homes for sale in the Eastern Caribbean and it is no longer just bewitching beaches and a laid-back lifestyle being touted to woo buyers. More and more property listings are offering a passport too – and political and social volatility in the US is said to be fuelling an upsurge in interest. Five of the region's island nations – Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia – offer such citizenship by investment (CBI) from as little as $200,000 (£145,000). Buy a home, and you also get a passport that grants the holder visa-free access to up to 150 countries including Europe's Schengen area, and for all but Dominica, to the UK too. For the wealthy, the islands' absence of taxes such as capital gains and inheritance, and in some cases on income too, is another major draw. And all five of the region's schemes allow buyers to retain their existing citizenship. In Antigua, estate agents are struggling to keep up with demand, says Nadia Dyson, owner of Luxury Locations. "Up to 70% of all buyers right now are wanting citizenship, and the vast majority are from the US," she tells the BBC. "We don't talk politics with them, but the unstable political landscape [in the US] is definitely a factor. "This time last year, it was all lifestyle buyers and a few CBI. Now they're all saying 'I want a house with citizenship'. We've never sold so many before." Despite Antigua's programme having no residency requirement, some purchasers are looking to relocate full-time, Ms Dyson says, adding: "A few have relocated already." US citizens account for the bulk of CBI applications in the Caribbean over the past year, according to investment migration experts Henley & Partners. Ukraine, Turkey, Nigeria and China are among the other most frequent countries of origin of applicants, says the UK firm which has offices around the world. It adds that overall applications for Caribbean CBI programmes have increased by 12% since the fourth quarter of 2024. Everything from gun violence to antisemitism is putting Americans on tenterhooks, according to the consultancy's Dominic Volek. "Around 10-15% actually relocate. For most it's an insurance policy against whatever they're concerned about. Having a second citizenship is a good back-up plan," he explains. Mr Volek says the ease-of-travel advantages the Caribbean passports provide appeals to businesspeople, and may also present a security benefit. "Some US clients prefer to travel on a more politically-benign passport." Prior to the Covid pandemic, the US was not even on Henley's "radar", Mr Volek continues. Movement restrictions proved "quite a shock" for affluent people used to travelling freely on private jets, prompting the first surge in stateside CBI applications. Interest ratcheted up again after the 2020 and 2024 US elections. "There are Democrats that don't like Trump but also Republicans that don't like Democrats," Mr Volek says. "In the last two years we've gone from having zero offices in the US to eight across all major cities, with another two to three opening in the coming months." Was China the reason Guyana faced higher Trump tariff? Raisins or not? Pudding debate splits island nation Letting off steam: How Dominica's volcanoes will boost its green energy Robert Taylor, from Halifax in Canada, bought a property in Antigua where he plans to retire later this year. He invested $200,000 just before the real estate threshold was raised to $300,000 last summer. Not only does being a citizen avoid restrictions on length of stay, it also gives him the freedom to take advantage of business opportunities, he explains. "I chose Antigua because it has beautiful water, I find the people very, very friendly and it also means great weather for the later part of my life." Still, such programmes are not without controversy. When passport sales were first mooted in 2012 by the then Antiguan government as a way of propping up the ailing economy, some considered the ethics a little iffy. Protesters took to the streets in condemnation, recalls former Speaker of the House Gisele Isaac. "There was a sense of nationalism; people felt we were selling our identity, so to speak, to people who knew nothing about us," she says. Leaders of some other Caribbean nations that do not offer CBIs have also been quick to criticise, including St Vincent and the Grenadines' Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. He has previously said citizenship should not be "a commodity for sale". Among the international community, there are fears that lax oversight may help criminals get through their borders. The European Union has threatened to withdraw its coveted visa-free access for Caribbean CBI countries, while the US has previously raised concerns over the potential for such schemes to be used as a vehicle for tax evasion and financial crime. A European Commission spokesperson tells the BBC that it is "monitoring" the five Caribbean schemes, and has been in talks with their respective authorities since 2022. She says an ongoing assessment is seeking to substantiate if citizenship by investment constitutes "an abuse of the visa-free regime those countries enjoy vis-à-vis the EU and whether it is likely to lead to security risks for the EU". The Commission has acknowledged reforms carried out by the islands, which it says will have an impact on its evaluation. For their part, the five Caribbean nations have reacted angrily to claims that they are not doing enough to scrutinise applicants. Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has described his country's CBI programme as "sound and transparent", adding authorities had worked hard to ensure its integrity. The government says passport sales have raised more than $1bn since the initiative's inception in 1993, paying for vital infrastructure including a state-of-the-art hospital. In St Lucia, Prime Minister Philip J Pierre says the island adheres to the highest standards of security to ensure its CBI does not inadvertently aid illicit activities. The need to appease the world's superpowers with raising revenue is a delicate balancing act for small Caribbean nations with meagre resources, dependent on the whims of tourism. CBI programmes were labelled a lifeline at a regional industry summit in April, with funds used for everything from cleaning up after natural disasters to shoring up national pension schemes. Antigua's Prime Minister Gaston Browne said money raised had brought his country back from the brink of bankruptcy over the past decade. Aside from buying property, other routes to Caribbean citizenship through investment typically include a one-off donation to a national development fund or similar. They range from $200,000 in Dominica for a single applicant, to $250,000 for a main applicant and up to three qualifying dependents in Dominica and St Kitts. In Antigua, investors also have the option of donating $260,000 to the University of the West Indies. In the face of international pressure, the islands have committed to new measures to bolster oversight, including establishing a regional regulator to set standards, monitor operations and ensure compliance. Additionally, six principles agreed with the US include enhanced due diligence, regular audits, mandatory interviews with all applicants, and the removal of a loophole that previously enabled an applicant denied by one country to apply in another. These days, passport sales account for 10-30% of the islands' GDP. Andre Huie, a journalist in St Kitts, says his country's CBI scheme is "generally well supported" as a result. "The public understand the value of it to the economy, and appreciate what the government has been able to do with the money."
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Sydney Sweeney frolics with mystery man as American Eagle drops provocative new ad
Sydney Sweeney turned heads once again, but this time it wasn't for a pair of American Eagle jeans. Sweeney, 27, showed some skin while enjoying an afternoon on the water Friday with friends and family, including a new mystery man, months after ending her engagement to fiancé Jonathan Davino. The "White Lotus" star slipped into a black swimsuit and life vest while riding a Jet Ski on a lake after American Eagle dropped a provocative new ad starring Sweeney. Sweeney looked at ease as she walked across a dock wearing a simple black one-piece. Her dark blonde hair was worn naturally wavy, and she stayed safe with a life vest strapped across her chest. The pair jumped on the back of a Jet Ski together, with Sweeney taking the lead on an adventure through the waves. Sydney and her mystery man pulled over for a quick pit stop to climb and rope swing off a cliff before jetting back to a lake house. Earlier this year, Sweeney confirmed she was once again single after calling off her engagement to Davino after three years of dating. "I'm learning a lot about myself, spending more time with my friends. And I'm loving it," she told The Times. Thrill-seeking aside, the "White Lotus" star's recent collaboration with American Eagle for its fall clothing campaign, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," has sparked a mix of reactions on social media. While some have described the campaign as "tone-deaf" due to alleged racial undertones, others have praised the actress for killing "woke" advertising. In a promo video posted to the brand's Instagram, the 27-year-old "Euphoria" star walked toward an AE billboard featuring her and the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes." Sweeney crossed out "Genes" and replaced it with "Jeans" before walking away. According to Salon, the term "great genes" was historically used to "celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness." While some fans called out the "entirely tone-deaf" approach and compared the ad to "nazi propaganda," others came to Sweeney's defense. "It doesn't hurt ANYONE. That's the point. It's literally an advertisement for jeans. Not for nazism," one person wrote. "Woke advertising is dead. Sydney Sweeney killed it," one user wrote on X. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sweeney will appear on various 3D billboards across the United States, including at the Sphere in Las Vegas. There will also be a Snapchat lens for which Sweeney will speak directly with users in addition to AI-enabled "try-on technology so customers too can have great jeans." Additionally, 100% of the net proceeds from Sweeney's "Sydney Jean," which is embroidered with a butterfly to represent domestic violence awareness, will be donated to Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit that provides free and confidential text-based mental health support and crisis intervention. Representatives for Sweeney and American Eagle did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Why Does Sally From Adam Sandler's ‘Happy Gilmore 2' Look So Familiar?
Margaret Qualley on the set of "Happy Gilmore 2. Adam Sandler's Netflix hit Happy Gilmore 2 features a massive ensemble cast, including Margaret Qualley. What else has Qualley starred in? Released on Netflix on Friday, Happy Gilmore 2 features the return of Sandler as the hockey stick-wielding golf champ, along with the 1996 original's co-stars Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit and Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin. In Happy Gilmore 2, Happy and Virginia are happily married with five kids until a tragedy plunges the golf champ into the depths of despair. Swearing off the golf game because of the tragedy, Happy decides to give golf another shot after 10 years to earn enough money to support his family and send his daughter, Vienna (Sunny Sandler), to a prestigious ballet school in Paris. When Happy first returns to the links, his first stop is at a local golf course where he reluctantly needs to team up with three other players — Sally (Qualley), Steiner (Eric André) and Fitzy (Martin Herlihy) — who aren't aware at first who their once-great partner is. Eric Andre, Margaret Qualley, Martin Herlihy and Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore 2." The daughter of Paul James Qualley and acclaimed actor Andie MacDowell, Sarah Margaret Qualley was born on Oct. 23, 1994, in Kalispell, Mont. Going by her middle name, Margaret Qualley made her screen debut in the 2013 coming-of-age indie drama Palo Alto opposite Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer and James Franco. After that, Qualley played a supporting role in the 2016 action comedy The Nice Guys opposite Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and starred in the lead role in the 2017 drama Novitiate opposite Melissa Leo. After Novitiate, Qualley appeared in six projects in 2019, including I/O, Native Son, Adam, Strange but True and Seberg, as well as the TV miniseries Fosse/Verdon in 2019. More recently, Qualley has appeared in the films Sanctuary (2022), Poor Things (2023), Drive-Away Dolls (2024) and Kinds of Kindness (2024). Below are more film and TV credits on Qualley's acting resume, which may explain why she looks so familiar in Happy Gilmore 2. 'The Leftovers' (2014-2017) Margaret Qualley stars as Jill Garvey in the HBO supernatural mystery thriller The Leftovers, the daughter of Kevin (Justin Theroux) and Laurie Garvey (Amy Brenneman). Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, The Leftovers follows life after 2% of the Earth's population — about 140 million people — vanish all at once during a mysterious event. Qualley starred in 22 of the series' 28 episodes. Margaret Qualley in "Death Note." 'Death Note' (2019) Margaret Qualley stars as Mia Sutton opposite Nat Wolff as James Light in Death Note, a Netflix supernatural horror thriller that also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Shea Whigham and Willem Dafoe. In Death Note, which is based on Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's manga of the same name, James discovers an ancient notebook that has the power to kill people if their name is written inside of it. Mia is James' girlfriend, who assists her boyfriend as a fellow vigilante whose plans spiral out of control. 'Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood' (2019) Margaret Qualley plays 'Pussycat' in Quentin Taratino's film opus Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood, which is semi-revisionist look at Hollywood in the 1970s. In the film, Pussycat encounters Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a stuntman for Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Hollywood star whose career is on the downslide. Pussycat, as it turns out, is a one of Charles Manson's followers (Damon Herriman). Margaret Qualley and Rylea Nevaeh Whittet in "Maid." 'Maid' (2021) Margaret Qualley stars as Alex Russell in the Netflix miniseries Maid, a single mother who escapes an abusive relationship and struggles to make ends meet as a housekeeper as she seeks a new life for her and her young daughter, Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet). Qualley earned a Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role as Alex. Maid also stars Qualley's real-life mother, Andie MacDowell, who plays Alex's volatile mother, Paula, in the miniseries. Margaret Qualley in "The Substance." 'The Substance' (2024) Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance, the Best Picture Oscar-nominated body horror thriller written and directed by Coralie Fargeat. In the film, Sparkle, a fading Hollywood star, takes a black-market cell-replicating drug that temporarily gives her a 'younger, better version of herself.' Margaret Qualley also stars as the younger version of Elisabeth, who goes by 'Sue.' However, when Elisabeth becomes obsessed with her youthful looks, she ignores the warnings about the side effects of the drug, called 'The Substance,' and suffers horrific consequences as a result. Up next for Qualley is director Ethan Coen's crime comedy Honey Don't, in which she stars opposite Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans. Qualley's latest movie, Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore 2, is new on Netflix.
