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- Netflix just released its new original romantic comedy, Falling Inn Love, starring Christian Milian as a San Francisco home designer who packs up her life and moves after she wins an inn in New Zealand.
- But while watching the feel-good movie Falling Inn Love, we wondered: Is the Inn a real bed and breakfast, and where was the movie filmed? Ahead, everything we know about the filming locations.
An over-worked businesswoman gives it all up to move to a charming small town...where she just so happens to stumble upon true love. It's definitely a plot we've heard before in dozens of romantic comedies—but there's no denying there is something uniquely delightful about Netflix's newest original rom-com, Falling Inn Love, directed by Roger Kumble. (You might recognize his work from films like Cruel Intentions and The Sweetest Thing.)
But aside from quite the good looking cast—singer-actress Christina Milian and rising Australian actor Adam Demos have some major chemistry—the cheesy yet feel-good movie will leave you wondering: Where, exactly, was Falling Inn Love filmed?
Though it wasn't paradise, exactly, it was pretty darn close: A town called Thames, New Zealand. After home designer Gabriela Diaz (Milian) loses her job and her boyfriend, she tipsily enters a "Win an Inn" contest while drowning her sorrows in her second bottle of wine. (Hey, no judgement—we've all been there.) Next thing you know, she's won the contest and is packing up her life to move to New Zealand, where it turns out her new property needs a lot of work.
But things are made a little bit easier when she meets Jake (Demos), the local heartthrob who, of course, is completely free and available to help her renovate her inn. As the two work to give an eco-friendly upgrade to Gabriela's new inn, Bellbird Valley Farm, the film unfolds against gorgeous New Zealand greenery, a town complete with cozy bed and breakfasts, adorable coffee shops, and picture perfect beaches.
This movie is basically Fixer Upper set in the perfect international locale. But unfortunately, in real life, the inn from Falling Inn Love is not a real B&B; it's actually just a local house that's been used for several films, including Bridge to Terabithia, according to our sister site Country Living. (A bummer, because we totally would've booked a stay at Bellbird Valley Farm with the hopes of finding our own Jake.)
But the movie was indeed filmed on location in New Zealand. The majority of Falling Inn Love was shot in a small town on the country's North Island called Thames, located about an hour and a half drive away from NZ's most populated city, Auckland. (Certain scenes, however—like when Gabriela and Jake frolick in the ocean—were shot on the country's West Coast beaches.)
If after your weekend binge watching you're interested in hopping on a flight a la Gabriela to check out where Falling Inn Love was filmed in Thames, New Zealand, according to Trip Advisor, there's no shortage of things to do there, including hot springs, a Goldmine, and enjoying meals at quaint New Zealand-style cafes. But if you can't swing a plane ticket at the moment, no worries: Falling Inn Love is just enough to transport you, even just for a couple of hours.
If you haven't caught the flick yet, check out the trailer. And let us know your thoughts on the movie in the comments below.
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