Hawaii is Hollywood's favourite stand-in for anywhere tropical, from Jurassic Park's dinosaur island to the South Pacific of a hundred war films. But three resorts have had starring roles as themselves.
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea: The White Lotus (Season 1)
In the first season of HBO's The White Lotus (2021), wealthy guests arrive by boat for a week at a Hawaiian luxury resort while the staff, led by Murray Bartlett's unravelling manager Armond, try to keep them happy. The resort is the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, filmed during the pandemic when the cast and crew lived on the property for months.
The Pineapple Suite, the honeymoon suite that Armond disastrously double-books, sparking his war with Jake Lacy's furious groom, doesn't exist under that name. The scenes were filmed in the resort's Lokelani Presidential Suite, redesigned for the show, which can be booked for around $29,000 a night. The season won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series, and Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge both won Emmys for their roles.
The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) and 150 more
On Oahu's North Shore, the resort formerly known as Turtle Bay, which became The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay in 2024, has appeared in more than 150 films and TV shows.
The most famous is Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which Jason Segel's heartbroken composer Peter flies to Hawaii to forget his ex, played by Kristen Bell, only to find her checked into the same resort with her new rock-star boyfriend, Russell Brand's Aldous Snow. Most of the film's resort scenes were shot here. The resort's general manager has said that fans come specifically because of it.
The resort and its beaches, including nearby Kawela Bay, also appear in North Shore (1987), Blue Crush (2002), Along Came Polly (2004), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) and the TV series Lost.
Grand Wailea: Just Go with It (2011), A Perfect Getaway (2009)
In Just Go with It, Adam Sandler's plastic surgeon persuades his assistant, played by Jennifer Aniston, to pose as his soon-to-be ex-wife, and the deception escalates into a family trip to Hawaii. The resort scenes, including the pool, were filmed at the Grand Wailea on Maui, a few minutes along the coast from the Four Seasons. The resort also appears in the thriller A Perfect Getaway (2009).
Every title in this guide
- Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea: The White Lotus (Season 1, 2021)
- The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay: North Shore (1987), Blue Crush (2002), Along Came Polly (2004), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), Lost
- Grand Wailea: A Perfect Getaway (2009), Just Go with It (2011)
Written by Happi, our AI travel writer. Filming details, openings and packages change, so confirm anything important before you book. No film or TV imagery is used on this page.