🪷 Why the next season of The White Lotus should take place in Mallorca
Can you guys forward this to series creator Mike White? Thanks.
HBO series The White Lotus is an undeniable pop culture phenomenon. Since its premiere in 2021, this satire has become an endless source of memes and catchphrases while launching a debate about oblivious wealth and privilege.
With guests that are mostly intolerable and borderline irredeemable, each season drops them into a lavish resort, then begins peeling back the layers of entitlement and dysfunction until a satisfying climax in which everyone is miserable (and at least one person is dead). It’s feel-good television!
As the show’s third season nears its end, location scouting for season four is already underway—and it looks like The White Lotus may be heading back to Europe. Given that the series is set in beach destinations and that HBO and Max have a strategic marketing partnership with Four Seasons properties, there are only a handful of luxury resorts in the Mediterranean that could realistically serve as the backdrop for the show’s fourth installment.
Mallorca right now feels like a top contender.
Why Mallorca? As a proud native, I can give you a million reasons but right now I’ve decided to go with five.
1. The beaches and cliffs surrounding the hotel (duh)
This is an obvious one. The Four Seasons Formentor, in northern Mallorca, is the perfect luxury resort for a drama-filled vacation. It’s tucked away in a small peninsula at the northern tip of the island and completely isolated from civilization (which makes it the perfect place for murder relaxing). The real-life hotel has also been flirting with the idea.
Only a few days ago it was turned into a White Lotus resort for an exclusive marketing event that even featured a surprise appearance by season three actor Jason Isaacs (aka Lucius Malfoy Tim Ratliff), saying “what happens in Mallorca, stays in Mallorca”.
But that’s just the beginning.
The surrounding area is filled with beautiful, quiet beaches and pine trees that look like something out of, well, The White Lotus. The rocky beach in front of the resort is just a few steps away. The sand is soft and white, the water is crystal-clear and you can see the occasional yachts anchored offshore, with people aboard (probably some crypto bros) drinking rosé and being oblivious to the imminent collapse of the World Order.
Then, behind the hotel, there are the ridiculous cliffs of Formentor (see video above). Note: the towering limestone monsters are pretty to look at, but never try driving your car all the way to the top unless you want to have a full-blown panic attack when you realize that one wrong move means you’re plummeting to a very certain death. (It happened to me once, and I dramatically ordered my sister to jump out of the car because I thought we were going down.) This road would be a good location for a mid-season character near-death experience. Just saying.
But anyway, if you don’t care about dying and decide to trek to the top, there’s a reward at the very end: the Formentor Lighthouse, which stands there, solitary, like something out of a Stephen King novel. Maybe a great spot for a heart-stopping Hitchcockian finale. (Yes, I know, the show is technically a black comedy, and I’m mixing King/Hitchcock metaphors, but I’m just spitballin’ here.)
2. It’s a paradise of crass nightlife and sexcapades
Sure. When people say “Balearic Islands” and “nightclubs” in a sentence, Ibiza usually gets all the attention. But that doesn’t mean that Mallorca’s nightlife is boring. Vulgar? Yes. But never boring.
Sex is practically its own character in The White Lotus. And it’s hardly ever about romance. Mostly it’s about lust, power and manipulation. There’s cheating, there’s backstabbing, there’s jealousy, and there are even weird (and incestuous) power dynamics. Love? No. This isn’t Dawson’s Creek. (For you Gen Zers, that’s an ancient show from the late 20th century.)
In short, there’s lots of hooking up going on. If previous seasons serve as guidance, the series’ fourth installment will probably include a couple of youths who decide to one night escape the tranquil evenings of Formentor to give way to a night of frenzy and sexual exploration. And while Thailand had the (exotic enough) Full Moon Party, Mallorca can offer, ahem… Magaluf.
Wait! Before you scoff at me, let me explain.
If you don’t know Magaluf, it’s what you would get if Vicky Pollard and Cancun during spring break had a child (see video above). Located a few minutes to the west of Palma, it’s the ultimate British party playground for sunburnt Eurotrash, known for its shit quality budget-friendly booze, zero shame and wild nightlife. And when we say “wild”, we mean shots-in-exchange-for-blowjobs wild. Which is why the English call it Shagaluf.
The beaches there look deceptively mid (yes, I know Gen Z slang too), but once the sun sets, trust me, all hell breaks loose. Stag parties, shady bars and clubs blasting loud EDM on the streets, foam parties and VIP booths that are anything but. It perfectly contrasts Formentor’s quiet luxury—and could be great for storytelling.
Class divide on full display aside, the Balearic government has been trying to make Magaluf move away from its “drink ‘till you drop” reputation but it’s been hit and miss. They even cut the zone for “tourism of excesses” by 90% last year only to revert it a short time later after businesses complained.
Tanya McQuoid would have loved it, may she rest in power.
3. Demons, a centerpiece of Mallorcan folklore, are a great metaphor for evil, moral decay… and death
Besides making rich people look terrible, The White Lotus is great at incorporating elements of local legend and folklore that hint at the downfall of its insufferable guests. In Season 2 (which takes place in Sicily) there are multiple subtle references to the Testa di Moro legend, a story about an affair gone wrong that was a great metaphor for Will Sharpe’s character’s feelings of obsession and betrayal. Snakes in Season 3, which takes place in Thailand, also have a deeper meaning.
In the show, the hotel isn’t just there to remind us of the holidays we can’t afford. It’s a conduit that taps into a dark tradition of each location and uses it as an omen. It’s a wink to the audience that says: “These people have a great life. For now.”
Fortunately for the show’s producers, Mallorca has its own ancient and visually appealing folklore: the dimoni (that’s Catalan for “demon”).
Now, demons traditionally symbolize temptation, chaos and the eternal battle between good and evil. But these little guys are less intense. Yes, they are red, fire-spitting monsters that carry sticks, but their end goal is being naughty, not evil. They are like an ancient version of Loki, the god of mischief, and Mallorca is full of them.
This Atlas of Mallorcan Demons (you’re welcome, Mike White) explains:
The creatures known as “dimonis” rose up from hell many centuries ago and took on the tasks that humans didn’t dare to do. However, tired of working all day, they began to emerge from the darkest corners [of the island] and eventually became the most anticipated beasts of Mallorca’s festive calendar.
Every town on the island has its own demon, and they come in many colors and outfits. For example, the ones from wine region Binissalem wear grape-stomping attire. Even I had one growing up in Mallorca! It was a demon puppet that used to hang from the wall and terrorized kept me company every night.
The dimonis converge every January for the festivities of Saint Antoni and Saint Sebastian (patron saint of Palma). And yes, I understand that January is hardly ideal for a summer vacation but we shouldn’t let facts get in the way of great TV.
The Correfoc (see video above) is a fire run with demons, fireworks and lots of music that works as the perfect setting for some very dramatic shots. Now imagine Victoria Ratliff (Parker Posey) getting caught in the middle of the correfoc and surrounded by goat horns silhouetted against a sky filled with spinning sparklers while she clutches her handbag and asks for her Lorazepam.
“Piper, noooooo!”
4. Overtourism, or how the island is (literally) collapsing under the weight of its own popularity
This is one of the main reasons (if not the main reason) as to why Season 4 of The White Lotus should take place in Mallorca. Trust me, the irony is not lost on me. I am very much aware that each of the locations featured on the show has seen a massive increase in tourism after each season. It’s happening right now with Thailand.
The last thing Mallorca needs right now is more tourists. For three years in a row now, the island has seen record-breaking visitor numbers and it’s reaching a breaking point. It saw 15.3 million international tourists arrive in 2024 (over a 6% increase from the previous year) and 2025 is expected to be even better worse. In fact, United Airlines has announced it’s increasing its direct flights between Palma and New York by more than 50%.
Things are bad. Infrastructure is being pushed to its limits and beaches have become theme parks for sunburned influencers willing to wait in line for three hours just so they can post about it on Instagram.
The housing crisis keeps worsening, with Mallorcan renters being forced to move to the peninsula (the local media calls it an “exile”) in hope of lower prices. Affordable housing is so scarce that even the Four Seasons Formentor has been forced to rent an entire apartment building so its seasonal staff—often migrants—can have a place to live while they work there.
Antitourism protests have been sweeping the island, with locals trying to make visitors understand how dire the situation is. Earlier this month, the Balearic government unveiled a new sustainable tourism strategy, that seeks to “reduce dependence on traditional tourist markets, specifically Germany and the UK” and pivot towards higher-end tourism (the Telegraph wonders if this is anti-British snobishness). Even the local English-language newspaper recently published an open letter by “concerned residents” urging foreigners not to visit the island.
Such an ecosystem, teetering on collapse, would be an interesting backdrop in which privilege and cluelessness meet boiling-point desperation. It’s also a good way to bring attention to a very serious issue in Spain that many people abroad fail to understand.
Think of the tension! Whoever plays next season’s douchebag (every season has one) is definitely getting squirted with a water gun. Or shot with a real gun. Whatever works.
5. From The Crown to Nicole Kidman, Mallorca knows how to host a hit
In the past decade, the island has slowly become a go-to location for major international productions thanks to its diverse landscape and proven track record as a film-friendly, technically equipped production hub.
Did you know that The Crown was shot in Mallorca? That’s right. All those scenes featuring Lady Di and Prince Charles supposedly taking place in Italy? That’s Mallorca. Her scenes with Al-Fayed in Saint Tropez? Also Mallorca. Lioness, The Night Manager (sidenote: watch this one), White Lines, The Mallorca Files… all those cool shows have been shot on the island.
There’s a growing number of production companies in Mallorca and the local crews have extensive experience in international filmmaking. Location scouting? Check. Set design? Check. Stunt coordination, post-production services and an infrastructure to support large-scale shoots? Check, check, check. And don’t even get me started on the whole “300 days of sunshine per year”.
I’m pretty sure the Mallorca Film Commission is already on top of this, but Spain also offers tax incentives for international productions and this could be a deciding factor for the team behind the HBO hit (it sounds like Season 3 was originally going to take place in Japan but got moved to Thailand because of this).
As you can see, Spain is serious about becoming the Hollywood of Europe. This would push us over the finish line.
Bonus reason: This oil painting by 18th-century Mallorcan artist Jaume Nadal i Ferragut
Thinking of the multiple plot points that Mallorca offers for a show like this has been a fun exercise. After all, the biggest island in the Balearic archipelago is a kingdom of contrasts that sometimes even us Spaniards struggle to comprehend.
While Spain is the Florida of Europe and retirees from the UK, Germany and Sweden all love to move here, things in Mallorca hit differently, especially in the last few years.
The tension and quiet despair are palpable. Frustrated Mallorcans who have seen their cost of living skyrocket. Old-money Europeans who’ve been summering (or living) there for years and now have to deal with the loud, new-money influencers who just discovered its beaches. Overworked, seasonal workers from Latin America who come for the summer months and struggle to find a place to live.
Mix all of this social tension with its unique scenery, rich local folklore and sharp class divides, and you’ve got the obvious choice for Season Four.
Mallorca checks every box for a perfect White Lotus setting.
Do you magic, Mike White.