HEATWAVE HELL IN THE WHITE LOTUS PARADISE: Super-rich guests brave 46C heat at disastrous wedding that saw the priest faint near the 2,100-a-night Sicilian resort from the HBO series
Even the coastal city of Taormina has not escaped the rising heat
Super-rich guests staying at the hotel featured in The White Lotus braved 46C heat at a disastrous wedding that saw a priest faint near the £2,100-a-night Sicilian resort.
With wildfires raging in Greece and Swiss Apple and extreme alert in 23 cities across Italy, not even the coastal city of Taormina managed to escape the nightmarish temperatures.
Guests at White Lotus Paradise have revealed how a priest fainted in a church without air conditioning in 46C heat as they attended a wedding in the picturesque Sicilian town.
While many may recognize the San Domenico Palace from the HBO series The White Lotus, in real life wealthy guests staying at the Four Seasons resort are victims of a chaotic vacation abroad.
Tyler Peters, a California entrepreneur who is staying at the hotel for a week for an American friend’s wedding, told The Times: ‘After the wedding the priest fainted and a family member had to give the blessing.’
Super-rich guests staying at the hotel featured in The White Lotus braved 46C heat at a disastrous wedding that saw a priest faint near the £2,100-a-night Sicilian resort.
Tyler Peters, a California entrepreneur who has been staying at the hotel for a week for an American friend’s wedding, told The Times: ‘At the end of the wedding the priest fainted and a family member had to give the blessing.’
The 36-year-old, who was in the hotel with his partner Olivia Austin, 34, added: ‘We were in a church with zero air conditioning. An uncle who was also a doctor missed the initial cocktail at the afterparty, staying with the priest because he was worried he was going to have a heart attack.’
Fortunately, unlike the hit series starring Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza, Theo James and F. Murray Abraham, there were no casualties at the real-life hotel thanks to the staff’s efforts.
Staff members at the hotel, which is housed in a former convent first built in the 14th century, described how the sweltering temperatures sent chefs home fainting.
San Domenico, which has an outdoor pool overlooking Mount Etna, was largely unaffected by the fire caused by a faulty air-conditioning unit at the local Catania airport. General manager Lorenzo Maravigilia explained that guests either rerouted their trips or arrived by boat, helicopter and sometimes private jet.
Providing an insight into what it’s like to be in Europe at the moment, Mr Peters says going from serving cocktails outside to air-conditioning inside is ‘like going from an oven to a refrigerator’.
Also staying at the hotel are Melbourne socialite Sarah Liu and her new husband, successful restaurateur Chris Lucas.
Also staying at the hotel are Melbourne socialite Sarah Liu (left) and her new husband, successful restaurateur Chris Lucas (right).
The Australian couple tied the knot in Venice last month and are honeymooning in Taormina. Mr Lucas described the heat as ‘relentless’ and admitted they had even considered leaving but had paid ‘thousands of euros’ for their room.
Mr Lucas and Ms Liu, who was previously married to Steven Liu – the son of billionaire retail magnate Solomon Liu – coped only by sitting poolside and eating breakfast until noon.
Ms Liu described that the only thing she really got to do was people watch and she enjoyed getting to know ‘everyone’s storyline’. Her new husband added: ‘Now all you need is someone to kill.’
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