Inside the luxury Greek resort where Glass Onion: Knives Out was filmed

Murder, coronavirus, Daniel Craig’s Bananas in Pyjamas wardrobe— there’s a lot going on in Glass Onion: Knives Out. But, despite the complicated web of plot points, we’ve all been heavily distracted by the back drop of the murder mystery and now everyone is manically Googling for where Glass Onion was really filmed.

As Agatha Christie taught us, murder most often happens on country estates. But the Glass Onion director Rian Johnson wanted to subvert that trope and mix things up a bit by “trading the browns of New England for the blue and yellows of Greece”.

He explained in a global press conference: “As much as there’s a rich tradition of murder mysteries in cozy English, or in our case New English countryside houses, there’s very much a rich vein of tradition of destination murders.”

So, where is Glass Onion:Knives Out filmed?

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Just like The White Lotus hotel in Sicily, Miles Bron’s Mediterranean mansion from Glass Onion does actually exist on the coast of the Aegean sea. The film’s production designer Rick Heinrichs fell in love with a luxury resort called Amanzoe, near Porto Heli in Greece and used views from multiple villas to create a CGI island.

“It wasn’t an island. It was in the middle of the Peloponnesian peninsula, which would require us to depend on visual effects to make it look like one,” he told Condé Nast Traveller. “So there’s different views from each villa, and they lead up to the [Glass Onion] with the best view on top…

“It had this modernist kind of take on classical Greek architecture. And that felt right for Miles. He’s an inquisitive fellow, and he doesn’t necessarily have his own aesthetic, but knows he can pay a lot of money for someone who does.”

Spetses, Greece

Glass Onion also filmed scenes in the Greek island of Spetses, specifically the port of Dapia, where the character were waiting to be picked up by Miles’ super yacht. The island is covered with incredible villas, an Old Harbour, boujee restaurants and horse-drawn carriages that made it a realistic destination for the friends of a multi-millionaire tech developer to wait for a ride.

Belgrade, Serbia

Although the external shots of Miles’ villa might have been filmed in Greece, many of the interiors, and shots of Birdie, Andi and Benoit’s apartments were actually made on a sound stage in Belgrade, Serbia. “There was some outdoor stuff for which we shot a few things on location last fall in Connecticut and New York, and then everything inside was built in Serbia,” Rick said.

Aquarius superyacht

To film the scenes on the boat that takes the Glass Onion group to Miles’ island, the director rented a 151-foot Aquarius super yacht, which can sleep 10 people across five rooms and has a gym, jacuzzi, paddle boards, water skis, wakeboard and snorkels.

“In a style of her own with her straight bow, she is fully optioned with a lavish beach club and balcony extensions on either side of the salon,” the boat’s description says.

Can you actually rent the Glass Onion: Knives Out island?

Netflix actually pranked every body in the run up to the Glass Onion: Knives Out release by listing Miles’ island on Zillow for $450 million. “Breathtaking panoramic views of the Aegean Sea and Peloponnese await you at this private island oasis designed and curated by Alpha Industries founder Miles Bron,” the description read.

“Sleek architecture and sophisticated design with an equal eye toward nature and extravagance provide an unparalleled luxury living experience accessible only by boat and crowned by a Glass Onion atrium – an architectural triumph and one-of-a-kind piece-de-resistance adorning the main residence soaring 20 meters high.”

Calling the complex a “private commune” the listing said the island was the “perfect retreat for groups of friends, families and enemies alike with the property boasting seven private studio villas – each inspired by a different chakra, six pools, a state of the art gym featuring on call private training sessions, lavish gardens and a multitude of entertaining spaces including a sunken living room and massive dining area perfect for hosting the most elaborate of murder mystery parties.”

Obviously, you can’t actually buy the Glass Onion island because, as the set designer revealed, most of the location was made up through editing and CGI. However, the Villa 20 at Amanzoe, which has “a private spa, six pools and a multitude of dining spaces, including two outside barbecue areas and a typical Greek taverna under the olive trees” is available to rent— if you have a spare few thousands of pounds.

Amanzoe’s cheapest rooms costs €1530-$2585 (£1,345-£2,134) a night and that price jumps up to €4000 (£3,518) during peak summer. Meanwhile, the most expensive six-bedroom villa costs €13,500 (£11,875) in April and a humungous €17,729 (£15,589) by the height of the summer.

And, if you’re intent on re-creating the full Glass Onion experience, you can also rent the multi-million pound Aquarius super yacht for €220,000 (roughly £193,445) a week. Bargain.

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