Set-jetting in style across the world

Set-jetting is the trend of travelling to shooting locations of films and TV shows. These on-screen destinations—some popular, some offbeat—are usually stunning and serve as inspiration to travellers, who want to trace the footsteps of their favourite movies, shows or actors. Here are some of the most picturesque destinations and luxurious properties you can holiday at. 

Gwinganna, Queensland

The largest health retreat on Australia’s Gold Coast, Gwinganna is part-owned by the X-Men star Hugh Jackman. This 33-room sanctuary in the Tallebudgera Valley is in the area where Alexander Skarsgård filmed Godzilla vs Kong. Days begin with long walks at sunrise, spotting koalas and kangaroos—rest assured there are no giant gorillas or monstrous reptiles about—before pilates and LED-light therapy in the wellness lounge.

A two-night Wellness Weekend at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat (www.gwinganna.com), from about £705 (approx. ₹73,000) a person.

 

San Domenico Palace, Sicily

Sex, drugs, murders, and trysts in the most glamorous of settings kept viewers hooked to season two of The White Lotus, which was filmed at Four Seasons’ San Domenico Palace in Sicily. Founded in 1203, it became a hotel in the 1800s, welcoming European travellers during their Grand Tours; from the 1950s, Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman, and Audrey Hepburn graced its corridors.

San Domenico Palace, Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel (www.fourseasons.com), from about £1,315 (approx. ₹1,36,100) a room a night.

 

62°Nord, Sunnmore Alps 

Continue the luxuriant legacy of the hit series Succession with a jaunt to Norway, where the Roy family recently touched down. The experiential travel company 62°Nord has crafted a six-day itinerary fit for a dynasty of media moguls: it features a dramatic drive along the Atlantic Ocean Road—which also appeared in the Bond film No Time to Die—passing the Sunnmore Alps, the Romsdalen Gondola and the country’s majestic fjords, including Geranger. Naturally, you’ll need a helicopter on standby to whisk you over to the mountainous Troll Wall, providing awe-inspiring views along the way.

A six-day itinerary with 62oNord (www.62.no), from about £6,385 (approx. ₹6,60,853) a person.

 

 

Raffles and Fairmont, Doha

In a dramatic addition to the skyline, the Raffles Doha and Fairmont Doha stand proudly by the water. Occupying two halves of the Katara Towers, the hotels were the backdrop to many a scene in last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and housed VIP delegations during the tournament. Raffles is the place to go for culture and relaxation; guests can visit the Blue Cigar Lounge to read rare volumes of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, before experiencing the spoiling spa.

Raffles Doha (www.raffles.com), from £800 (approx. ₹82,800) a room a night. Fairmont Doha (www.fairmont.com), from £330 (approx. ₹34,155) a room a night.

 

Amanzoe's Villa 20, Porto Heli

This private Acropolis-inspired haven on the Peloponnese coast in Greece made the perfect setting for Rian Johnson’s comic thriller Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Indeed, Villa 20’s pristine interiors would impress even a discerning guest like Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc; sleeping up to 18 people, it has nine bedrooms (including three vast master suites), a separate beach cabana, a gym and spa, six pools and five kitchens—plus your very own taverna to gather in come nightfall.

Amanzoe’s Villa 20 (www.aman.com), from about £35,000 (approx. ₹36,22,530) a night.

 

Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik

This former royal residence on the edge of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia overlooks Dubrovnik’s crenellated, mediaeval Old Town—also known to Game of Thrones fans as King’s Landing. Many of the HBO epic’s cast members, including Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington, stayed in the Excelsior’s suites while filming the series’ final season, and were able to look out over the city and its relics while enjoying a tipple on the terrace. Filming is hungry work; fortunately, chefs at the three restaurants cook up feasts that could satisfy a Westeros giant.

Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik (www.adriaticluxury hotels.com), from £158 (approx. ₹16,350) a room a night.

 

Funken Lodge, Svalbard

You come to Longyearbyen—the northernmost settlement in the world, with just a few hundred miles of ice between it and the North Pole—hoping to see polar bears. Instead, you find another big beast: Tom Cruise. This chic and surprisingly luxurious boutique hotel was base camp for the cast and crew of the eighth Mission: Impossible as they filmed in the Arctic.

Funken Lodge (www.originaltravel.co.uk), from £2,890 (approx. ₹2,99,110) a person for four nights, including flights and transfers.

 

omus Zamittello, Vallette

Built in the 1580s, the palazzo that houses Domus Zamittello is on the main street of Malta’s vibrant capital. The entire city is a Unesco World Heritage Site, with 320 monuments and, remarkably, Caravaggio’s largest painting, making it a suitably dramatic backdrop for films such as Brad Pitt’s World War Z and Steven Spielberg’s Munich. When the cameras are rolling, the hotel’s roof terrace provides a lavish vantage point for watching the action below.

Domus Zamittello (www.domuszamittello.com), from about £225 (approx. ₹23,280) a room a night.

This Article first appeared in Harper's Bazaar UK in June 2023