The season 1 star tells PEOPLE how she learned she'd be returning for season 3, calling the show "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I got to do twice"

Rothwell, who starred in Season One of the hit HBO show, had to watch the second season just like the rest of us.

In the premiere, Belinda is waiting for her son to arrive at the resort, trying to become acquainted with the resort and understand her place as she both studies under the resort staff and takes advantage of the amenities, giving her a reverence for Thailand that her fellow guests don’t seem to have.

Smitten with England before she became a regular visitor, the actress, who returns as Belinda in Season 3, tells us why London is “a good city to get nerdy in.”

Aspirational fashion is a key element of any binge-worthy show, which is one of the reasons why The White Lotus is permanently queued up on watchlists. Flowy sarongs? Check. Chic swimsuits? Double check.