Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, USA
White Lotus (2021)
For this wonderfully dark-black satire, director Mike White returned to the Hawaiian holidays of his childhood, taking over the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea during Covid lockdown. Here they had free rein of this tropical paradise, taking in 380 guest rooms, three pools, three restaurants (including Wolfgang Puck’s Spago), three golf courses, spa and art museum. Rest assured the suites were kitsched up for the show and the real staff are a great, great deal more professional.
Address: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr, Kihei, HI 96753, United States
Website: fourseasons.com/maui
Soma, Byron Bay, Australia
Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)
This star-studded Amazon Prime show took us to beautiful Tranquillum House, under the control of Nicole Kidman’s mysterious Masha. The real-life setting is Soma, a top-end Vedic spa in Ewingsdale, New South Wales, at the heart of Australia’s wellness-centred ‘Goop-ville’. Set in 22 acres of rainforest by Byron Bay, its glass-dominated building features bare wood and plenty of light, an outdoor pool and a forest-bound geodesic yoga dome, and no experimental Russian gurus.
Website: Soma, 221 Kennedys Lane, Ewingsdale NSW 2481, Australia
Website: somabyron.com.au
The Cherry Tree Inn B&B, Illinois, USA
Groundhog Day (1993)
This isn’t Punxsutawney, Philadelphia, but The Cherry Tree Inn where grumpy weatherman Phil Connors has his extended stay is very much the same. Book The Magnolia Suite for the full Groundhog experience before wandering the locations around the picturebook town of Woodstock, Illinois. The house annual Groundhog Day Events run 25 January to 8 February 2022, including tours, trivia quiz and dinner.
Address: The Cherry Tree Inn B&B, 344 Freemont Street, Woodstock, Illinois 60098
Website: cherrytreeinnbnb.com
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Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway
Ex Machina (2014)
For the home of reclusive billionaire Nathan Bateman, this film borrowed the Juvet Landscape Hotel just outside the village of Valldal on Norway’s north-west coast. Set in a deep forest, it’s separated into nine timber pods with floor-to-ceiling windows and private views for full natural immersion. There’s also a spa and a converted barn dining room serving locally sourced food, ideal for a tech-free holiday.
Address: Juvet Landscape Hotel, Alstad 24, 6210 Valldal, Norway
Website: juvet.com
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Sahara Palace Marrakech Hotel, Morocco
Sex and the City 2 (2010)
We’re told Samantha takes her girls on a business trip to Abu Dhabi but really we’re in Morocco. The foursome are put up in the Royal Suite of the lavish Sahara Palace Marrakech Hotel Marrakesh in the Palmeraie, with great views of the Atlas Mountains. If that doesn’t suit, there’s also another of the city’s grand hotels, the Amanjena, seen when Carrie dines with old flame Aidan.
Address: Sahara Palace Marrakech Hotel, 12440 Annakhil, Palmeraie، Marrakesh
Website: sahara-palace-marrakech.marrakeshhotelsmorocco.com
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The Crown Inn, Amersham, UK
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
To relive Charles and Carrie’s first night at The Lucky Boatman, head for Amersham. The Tudor exterior is the King’s Arms, but once inside it’s the Crown Inn, where Room 101, since refurbed by designer Ilse Crawford, is the one. While there, you can enjoy the pan-Indian cuisine of Michelin-star-grabbing chef Atul Kochhar at the Hawkyns restaurant.
Address: The Crown Inn, 16 High Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 0DH
Website: thecrownamersham.com
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The Headland Hotel, Newquay, UK
The Witches (1990)
While the 2020 remake headed to the American South, the 1990 version stayed in Roald Dahl’s homeland, shooting its coven conference in the UK’s surfing capital. The Headland Hotel in Newquay, overlooking Fistral Beach from its clifftop perch, is a classic Victorian build from the early years of tourism, now offering an ultra-smart version of the bucket-and-spade holiday, with spa and seafood dining.
Address: The Headland Hotel, Fistral Beach, Headland Rd, Newquay TR7 1EW
Website: headlandhotel.co.uk
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Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Malaysia
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
This globetrotting romcom was packed full of high-end hotels, from the legendary Raffles to the Four Seasons in Langkawi, but the real eyecatcher comes in the final reel with a visit to the Marina Bay Sands, the three-towered Vegas-style resort in Singapore. Here the rooftop bar Cé La Vi, complete with sky-high infinity pool, gives the movie the ending it deserves.
Address: Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Jalan Tanjung Rhu, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
Website: marinabaysands.com
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Mountain Lake Lodge, Virginia, USA
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Kellerman’s, where Baby met Johnny in this deathless Eighties swooner, was supposedly in the Catskills, but filming took place way down south in the Blue Ridge Mountains, at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia. Here you’ll find fresh air, cabin life and big views, as well as several DD-themed weekends annually from April to September.
Address: Mountain Lake Lodge, 115 Hotel Cir, Pembroke, Virginia, 24136
Website: mtnlakelodge.com
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Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai, UAE
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
As well as climbing the Burj Khalifa, Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and the gang take in another Dubai landmark, the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. Disguised as an Indian billionaire’s home, the ultra-luxury hotel sits on a private stretch of the Jumeirah Palm, with nine restaurants, spa with snow room and Turkish bath, 24-hour butler service in the Royal Residences, and a waterpark on tap.
Address: Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Crescent Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Website: jumeirah.com
TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy Stock PhotoPark Hyatt Tokyo, Japan
Lost In Translation (2003)
Taking over the top 14 storeys out of 52 in the middle of Shinjuku, this Nineties build remains exemplarily modern. The rooms are as sleek and minimalist as you’d expect, but the star attraction is the top-floor New York Bar and Grill, where we see Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) meet over a Suntory. Sofia Coppola’s awkward classic gives this hotel a melancholy romance that’s well worth the bill – and the view is pretty spectacular to boot.
Address: Park Hyatt Tokyo, 3-7-1-2 Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-1055
Telephone: +81 3 5322 1234
Website: tokyo.park.hyatt.com-
Ravla Khempur, Udaipur, India
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
While the cast was impressive, the real star of this feel-good Britcom was architectural. The Ravla Khempur was built for a local squire in the 17th century, then converted into a hotel. The place itself was downgraded for the movie and it’s had a refurb since, so expect a rather grander version of the network of courtyards and verandas you’ll be wanting. There’s also a pronounced equestrian theme, with a paddock and stables attached if you’d rather go on horseback than follow Dame Judi onto the back of Bill Nighy’s motorbike.
Address: Ravla Khempur, Khempur, Mavli, Rajasthan 313203
Telephone: +91 2955 37154
Website: ravlakhempur.com -
Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo
Hotel Degli Orafi, Florence, Italy
A Room With A View (1985)
It seems too good to be true that you can stay in the very room appropriated by Lucy Honeychurch (Helen Bonham Carter) in Merchant-Ivory’s sparkling hymn to the beauty of Florence and Italy – but here it is, Room 414. The view onto the Ponte Vecchio is still rub-your-eyes spectacular, but a few things have changed. While it was never the Pensione Bertolini of the book, at the time of filming this was still the Quisisana e Ponte Vecchio, more clearly a 13th-century building. It’s since been given a vaguely disappointing modernisation, but still: why complain?
Address: Hotel Degli Orafi, Lungarno degli Archibusieri 4, Firenze
Telephone: +39 055 26622
Website: hoteldegliorafi.it -
Hotel Gabrielli, Venice, Italy
Don’t Look Now (1973)
While Nicolas Roeg’s vision of Venice isn’t exactly joyful, the ‘Europa Hotel’ where grieving couple Laura (Julie Christie) and John (Donald Sutherland) stay is one place that comes out well. Little wonder when you see they used the Gabrielli, a 14th-century palace overlooking the Lagoon just around the corner from St Mark’s Square. For the full experience, you’ll need also to visit the Bauer, on Campo San Moisé, where they filmed the interiors – including that famous love scene.
Address: Hotel Gabrielli, Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello, 4110
Telephone: +39 041 5231583
Website: hotelgabrielli.it -
Les Rives de Notre Dame, Paris, France
A Bout de Souffle (1960)
Jean-Luc Godard’s gallicised gangster pic spends a lot of its time following the absurdly charismatic Jean-Paul Belmondo around the streets of Paris. For much of the film, though, he’s holed up here, smoking in bed with Jean Seberg as she tries to work out whether she’s being used. The building, then called Hôtel de Suede, sits pretty much opposite Nôtre-Dame, so you don’t have to be on the run to stay there.
Address: Les Rives de Notre Dame, 15 Quai Saint Michel, 75005 Paris
Telephone: +33 1 43 54 81 16
Website: rivesdenotredame.com
InterContinental Carlton, France
To Catch a Thief (1955)
Embodying the ever-appealing glamour of the Côte d’Azur, the Carlton’s Art Deco splendour and frontage on La Croisette put it at the heart of this stylish Hitchcock confection. It’s the Carlton’s private beach to which Cary Grant’s cat burglar John Robie swims ashore in his tartan trunks, and here that he picks on Grace Kelly’s heiress Frances as his mark. Still dominating the seafront, the 1913 Carlton has lost none of its allure, despite appearing in the video for Elton John’s 1983 single I’m Still Standing.
Address: InterContinental Carlton, 58 La Croisette, 06414 Cannes
Telephone: +33 (0)4 93 06 40 06
Website: carlton-cannes.com-
Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce, Bruges, Belgium
In Bruges (2008)
On the run from an unspecified disaster, hitmen Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) hide out in this canalside establishment in the heart of this extravagantly lovely city. Formed in the 16th century out of four neighbouring medieval houses, its wallpapers and marble – not to mention the art collection – put it firmly at the luxury end of boutique, a status used to much comic effect by director Martin McDonagh. While it’s no spoiler to say that the trip doesn’t end well for our murderous chums, you should seize any opportunity to visit.
Address: Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce, Wollestraat 41-47, 8000 Brugge
Telephone: +32 50 33 79 26
Website: relaisbourgondischcruyce.be-
Parknasilla Resort & Spa, Sneem, Ireland
The Lobster (2015)
While notable for its scenes of deeply odd animal interaction, Yorgos Lanthimos’ last film before The Favourite was set in the sedate and beautiful surroundings of this hotel overlooking Kenmare Bay in County Kerry. The cast moved in for almost two months in what the director called a ‘summer camp for film actors’, mimicking the 45 days that the film’s guests stay at ‘The Hotel’. Over 120 years old, the real Parknasilla is ideal for outdoorsy types, with lots of walking and boating on the menu. We suggest you treat the local fauna with the greatest respect.
Address: Parknasilla Resort & Spa, Sneem, Co Kerry, Ireland V93 EK71
Telephone: +353 64 667 5600
Website: parknasillaresort.com -
Stoke Park, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, UK
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Already onscreen as venue for the golf match between James Bond and the titular villain in Goldfinger (1964), this was the site of daffy Bridget’s (Renee Zellweger) mini-break with the roguish Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) in this great millennial artifact of a movie. We see them wisecracking on arrival in the Great Hall and romping in the Pennsylvania Suite of the James Wyatt-designed Palladian mansion, and of course messing about on the lake amid the Capability Brown splendour of the grounds.
Address: Stoke Park, Park Road, Stoke Poges SL2 4PG
Telephone: +44 1753 717172
Website: stokepark.comThe Savoy Hotel, London, UK
Stan & Ollie (2018)
Since its foundation by operetta impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte in 1889, this London landmark has had a strong show business association, from scandal-era Oscar Wilde to Bob Dylan filming the pioneering card-throwing video for Subterranean Homesick Blues. It’s also a movie regular, venue for Anna Scott’s press conference in Notting Hill and bar scenes in The Long Good Friday. Most recently, it starred in the story of two regular real-life guests, Laurel and Hardy, though only for exterior scenes; interiors were shot at the equally glamorous but less storied Sheraton Grand in Park Lane.
Address: The Savoy Hotel, The Strand, London WC2
Telephone: +44 20 7836 4343
Website: thesavoylondon.com
Fontainebleau Miami Beach, USA
Scarface (1983)
This 1954 marvel by ‘neo-baroque’ architect Morris Lapidus is another screen diva, hosting Gert Fröbe’s supervillain in Goldfinger in 1964 and Whitney Houston’s superstar in The Bodyguard in 1992. It’s always used as an indicator of the high life, so its most memorable appearance might just be in Brian De Palma’s gangster tragedy, when Tony Montana (Al Pacino) tells Manny (Steve Bauer) ‘This is paradise, I tell you’ over poolside Pina Coladas before they begin hassling the female guests. A 2008 refurb left its salient details mercifully intact.
Address: Fontainebleau Miami Beach, 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
Telephone: +1 800 548 8886
Website: fontainebleau.co-
The Beverly Wilshire, Los Angeles, USA
Pretty Woman (1990)
It’s in the rococo splendour of the Wilshire, built in 1928 and once temporary home to both Elvis Presley and John Lennon, that prostitute Vivian (Julia Roberts) lives it up with millionaire Richard Gere, just like time-travelling chimps Zira and Cornelius of 1971’s Escape From The Planet of the Apes before them. Disappointingly, that floor picnic and even the bath were filmed on a set but the hotel still offers ‘Pretty Woman For A Day’ package that includes a trip to Rodeo Drive (presumably without the insults), two nights in a Speciality Suite and even a butler-drawn bubble bath in which to sing Kiss.
Address: The Beverly Wilshire, 9500 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California 90212
Telephone: +1 310 275 5200
Website: fourseasons.com -
The Plaza New York, USA
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)
This 20-storey monument to America’s Gilded Age was where Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) was kidnapped in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), and it’s appeared in everything from Arthur (1981) and Scent of a Woman (1991) to American Hustle (2013) and The Post (2018). So iconic it even has its own film, 1971’s Plaza Suite, it eventually became an Eiffel Tower-style indicator of Manhattan, popping up in stranger-in-town comedies Crocodile Dundee II (1988) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. In the latter, little Macauley Culkin takes the wrong plane and lands up in the Plaza, where he runs into its then owner, one Donald Trump. (Don’t worry, he’s long gone.)
Address: The Plaza New York, Fifth Avenue at Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Telephone: +1 212 759 3000
Website: theplazany.comTimberline Lodge, Oregon, USA
The Shining (1980)
The Stanley Hotel in Colorado also has claims, as the inspiration for Stephen King’s source novel, but this is the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s movie – the exterior, at least. Some come here, on the peak of Mt Hood close to hip Portland, for the ski slopes – and the views are spectacular – but everyone knows it as the adopted home of Jack Torrance and family. The Timberline has embraced its fame, hosting a horror film festival and running the movie permanently on its cable service. There’s no Room 237.
Address: Timberline Lodge, 27500 E Timberline Road, OR 97028
Telephone: +1 503 272 3311
Website: timberlinelodge.com
Hotel del Coronado, California, USA
Some Like It Hot (1959)
As the Seminole Ritz, this is where Marilyn Monroe’s Sugar Kane fell for Tony Curtis’s impression of a Cary Grant millionaire, and Jack Lemmon was pursued by Joe E Brown’s aged lothario. Built in 1888, it’s a giddily bizarre collation of turrets and verandas that claims to be one of the largest wooden structures in the US. Though you’ll need to be careful not to end up in one of the modern extensions, ‘The Del’ would be a wonderful American experience even without its deep connection to Billy Wilder’s peerless comedy.
Address: Hotel del Coronado,1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118
Telephone: +1 619 435 6611
Website: hoteldel.co-
The Ellangowan Hotel, Creetown, Ireland
The Wicker Man (1973)
Devotees of this folk-horror cult classic will know this as the Green Man, where the zealous Sgt Dowie (Edward Woodward) stays on arrival in the mysterious community of Summerisle. The coaching inn was built in 1898 on the site of a pilgrim’s hostel on the way to St Ninian’s Cave, and was used by travellers to and from Northern Ireland before director Robin Hardy immortalised it on film. Scenes were shot in the bar (manned by mime artist Lindsay Kemp) but many will be more interested in Room 10 upstairs, where Britt Ekland performed her enchanted naked dance.
Address: The Ellangowan Hotel, St John Street, Creetown, Newton Stewart, DG8 7JF
Telephone: +44 1671 820 201
Website: ellangowan.co.ukPalace Hotel, Broken Hill, Australia
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
It was pretty unlikely even before a coach load of drag queens pitched up: in the heart of the outback mining region in New South Wales, Broken Hill was previously the setting for the dirty realism of 1971’s classic Wake In Fright and post-apocalypse dystopia of Mad Max 2 (1981). A classic colonial block, The Palace was built in 1889 as a ‘coffee palace’ but soon became a hotel. The murals covering almost every available wall were added under later owner Mario (who cameos in Priscilla), but the rooms themselves are relatively restful and modern. Camp-lovers should book the Priscilla Suite, which is everything you would imagine, but even more pink.
Address: Palace Hotel, 227 Argent Street, Broken Hill, NSW 2880
Telephone: +61 8 8088 1699
Website: thepalacehotelbrokenhill.com.auGran Hotel Ciudad de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Spectre (2015)
This 1899 Art Nouveau beauty is all but destroyed by Daniel Craig’s James Bond in his efforts to escape Spectre’s titular baddies. It’s also showcased in an earlier 007 episode, 1989’s Licence to Kill, where it plays Isthmus City’s El Presidente, with a better sense of the grandeur of this one-time department store, in particular the giant stained-glass ceiling in the atrium. Come here to breakfast on the terrace, imagining what Bond-style havoc you could release on the Zócalo, the busy square below.
Address: Gran Hotel Ciudad de México, Av. 16 de Septiembre #82, Centro Del. Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06000, Ciudad de México
Telephone: +52 55 1085 0350
Website: granhoteldelaciudaddemexico.com.mx
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