Inside Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna’s Koh Samui Holiday Escape with Airbnb

The first trip after a wedding rarely looks the way travel brochures imagine it. The couple in question is often less interested in itinerary than in something simpler: time together, good food, and the company of the people who know them best.

In Airbnb’s latest campaign, Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna take exactly that kind of trip, trading ceremony for a sunlit escape in Koh Samui.

The film follows the pair as they check into an oceanfront villa booked through Airbnb—a sprawling property with an infinity pool, open living spaces and indoor-outdoor design that makes island life feel effortless. Instead of the usual travel montage, what we see are the small pleasures that make a holiday memorable: breakfast conversations that stretch longer than planned, music playing in the kitchen, and afternoons that slip by beside the water.

Running through the film is a voiceover taken from the couple’s wedding notes to each other, lending the narrative a distinctly personal texture. “My husband… still getting used to saying that,” Mandanna says with a laugh. Later comes a line that feels less performative and more reflective: “My best friend. That part hasn’t changed.” These fragments turn everyday moments—dancing in the living room, teasing each other over breakfast—into something unexpectedly intimate.

Friends drift in and out of the frame throughout the trip, filling the villa with the easy bustle of a shared holiday. The setting lends itself to exactly that: large communal spaces, sun-drenched terraces and a pool that naturally becomes the centre of the day’s plans.

That dynamic mirrors a broader shift in the way people are travelling. According to Airbnb, nearly 40% of summer searches by Indian travellers are now for group stays, pointing to a growing appetite for trips that double as reunions. The trend even has a name: the “buddymoon”, where newlyweds celebrate their first holiday alongside their closest circle.

For Deverakonda and Mandanna, the appeal is straightforward. “Travel for us has always been about making memories with friends and family,” they say. “Staying in an Airbnb makes it easy because everyone can be together in one place—playing games, swimming, watching the sunset, sharing meals. It feels less like visiting somewhere and more like living there.”