In just six days time, summer will officially begin – yes, Love Island is returning to our screens.
Almost a year since Mille Court and Liam Reardon were crowned winners of the 2021 series, a whole new batch of Islanders looking for love are set to move into the Mallorca villa.
While the basic format of the show remains the same, all of this year’s action will be taking place in a completely different setting as ITV has upped sticks and relocated to a bigger, swisher and more remote Spanish mansion.
Ahead of the villa opening its doors to contestants next week, OK! was given an exclusive tour around the Majorca abode. From the all-new dressing room to where the villa’s not-so-subtle cameras are, here’s what we discovered inside…
The Entrance
What is a series of Love Island without slow motion arrivals to the villa?
The journey to the Mallorca mansion is admittedly not very glam (think narrow rural roads with lots of awkward crossing points), but once at the property, Islanders will be able to make their grand entrance in style.
This year’s stars will make their way along a wooden boardwalk and underneath a gigantic metallic heart before going into the villa’s huge front doors.
While the villa is brand new for 2022, it features all of the Love Island details we’ve come to know and love – neon signs, cheeky slogans and block brights.
Once they’re through the entrance, Islanders are actually on the second floor, which is home to the beach hut, bathroom, girls dressing room and ice coffee central – the all-important balcony.
Girls’ Dressing Room
Impeccably clean, spotless and fully stocked with products – obviously the dressing room won’t stay like this for long.
One the show begins, The girls’ area is one of the first places to look – how do we say this politely? – lived in. For the next six days though, it’ll be as tidy as it is now. In a bid to keep it clean, producers have added loads of drawers under the counters, which should be where the ladies’ make-up and products are kept. Fingers crossed.
The shelves are fully stocked with Boots skincare, and each of the Islanders heading into the villa next week has had a consultation with an expert to create the perfect routine for them.
Each female Islander can bring whatever they like from their own wardrobes and they’ll be given a cupboard each to keep these clothes in.
Ahead of the 2022 series, which has seen ITV shun its usual fast fashion partners in favour of eBay, the OG Islanders have also worked with stylists to pick pre-loved items to add to their own wardrobes.
On top of this, there’s an additional wardrobe in the dressing room which will feature a rotation of pre-loved clothes for any of the girls to choose from. The lads have done exactly the same, with their garments being stored in the bedroom downstairs.
The Balcony
The balcony next to the girls’ dressing room is all about iced coffees by day, and secret snogs, deep chats and meaningful declarations by night.
This year’s suntrap is as spectacular as always; secluded enough to keep any antics or gossip a secret, while also boasting a view over the fire pit and half of the garden – perfect for spying on the lads when they’re sent on dates with new bombshells.
Given the open plan and communal nature of the rest of the villa, we can see how this feels like a private space by night.
Even though all of the action up here is captured by cameras placed in each corner.
The Beach Hut
The Love Island confessionals provide some of the funniest, frankest and most emotional moments of every series but the room itself is… well, pretty plain.
The Islanders share their innermost thoughts while perched on a gigantic chair, perfect for when multiple people are in there together, while staring straight into a camera perched on a simple white table.
The Bathroom
The final room upstairs is the super swish, and soon to be steamy, bathroom.
From Liz Earle and Champneys to Soap & Glory and Marc Jacobs, there’s no shortage of luxury products to make the most of a pamper session.
The bathroom boasts a huge shower (big enough for two) and an equally impressive bath. At first glance, it could be a fancy spa.
But the mirrors on every wall and not so subtle camera above the tub give the Love Island game away.
Bedroom
Soon to play host to pillow talk, late-night snogs and whatever else the Islanders get up to, the bedroom is far bigger than the previous villas.
For 2022, producers decided to reinstate a design feature of the very first villa – which featured in seasons one and two – by placing the beds dorm-style opposite each other, instead of in one giant row.
The Garden, Kitchen and Fire Pit
The outside space at this year’s villa is huge and the whole thing is constructed especially for the series, and demolished once the winners have been crowned and the mess cleared out.
One of the things you don’t get to see on TV is the spectacular views.
Perched at the foot of a hill, the new villa overlooks the beautiful Mallorca countryside and while we’re watching the Islanders sunbathe, work out and crack on, they’re looking out across a stunning, sunsoaked vista. Jealous? Us? 100%.
The iconic Fire Pit may be new but this is also a case of it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The Fire Pit, of course, is back at the centre. The half moon of seats around it provides the perfect place for the inescapable cries of “I’ve got a text!” while cameras around the whole area are poised to catch any drama and side-eye.
Meanwhile, the kitchen – which was empty for OK!’s tour – will soon be fully stocked with basic pantry items such as tea, fruit for smoothies and eggs.
Let’s just hope nobody would rather make coffee than cuddle in the mornings. We all know how that ended last time.
The Living Room… And Dog House
As the Islanders spend most of their spare time soaking up the sun or making the most of the outdoor gym, the humble living room rarely gets much air time… until things start getting tense and the couples decide to sleep separately.
This is when the lowly living area, which is still pretty swish if you ask us, comes into its own.
The sizable room has plenty of space for makeshift beds and the ‘Dog House’, a dedicated bed for Islanders who have been kicked out of their own, is back in business, too.
The Toilets
And finally, there’s one place the Islanders can actually get some privacy: the toilets.
These are spared the boujie makeover that the rest of the villa receives and instead left just as they are. Well, it can’t all be super glamorous, eh?
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