{"id":19811,"date":"2016-08-09T16:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=19811"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:54:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:54:00","slug":"art-retreat-list-linger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/art-retreat-list-linger\/","title":{"rendered":"The art of retreat: Where the A-list linger in Montana"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montana<\/a>: 94,109,542 acres of rolling hills, grazing bison, dude ranches, snow-capped peaks, and A-list retreats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Big Sky Country<\/a> doesn\u2019t need to brag about its assets because this northwestern corner of the United States\u00a0is confident\u00a0in its own skin. Blessed with natural resources that other states salivate over\u2014iconic national parks, raging rivers, glacial lakes, farm-to-table fare, world-class ski and bike terrain, and enough real estate to roam off-radar\u2014Montana has no need for manmade tourist attractions or frivolous festivals. Its land and its people are its main event. <\/span><\/p>\n

For these reasons, you occasionally hear about ultra-discreet\u00a0jet-setters sojourning in the state, except in Montana, there\u2019s no need to wear anti-paparazzi getups. Why? Locals don\u2019t snitch if you come on by, and they treat you the same as everyone else (whether you\u2019re John Mayer or Jenny Newcomer;<\/em>\u00a0Obama or a small-town mayor; Bill Gates or a PC fix-it tech).<\/span><\/p>\n

This come-as-you-are authenticity and natural beauty was revealed to me when I spent a week in the region\u2019s Flathead Valley<\/a>, home to Flathead Lake and its titan-of-industry escapes, as well as Whitefish<\/a> and its celeb chalets. The thing is, here, whether you\u2019re escaping at Marina Cay Resort<\/a>, or with your private chef at an exclusive estate, you\u2019d never know if you were passing by Wayne Newton\u2019s croonin\u2019 cottage or a local cattle farmer\u2019s homestead; the glitz and glam are left at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Montana<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Viewfinder Tip: Travel in Montana VIP-style\u00a0for a fraction of the price during shoulder season. Best bets\u00a0are\u00a0late spring and early fall,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Same goes for the people. \u201cI know for us, it\u2019s the way our guests are treated, and the experience they have as a family,\u201d Chase Averill, one of the proprietors at Flathead Lake Lodge<\/a>, told me. Welcoming guests since the 1940s, the iconic, family-run dude ranch is no stranger to the world\u2019s elite (but the humble hoteliers would never offer that info; I pulled it out of them).<\/span><\/p>\n

When I asked why the likes of corner office bigwigs, Hollywood\u2019s high-ups, or Washington D.C.\u2019s politicos mosey into Montana (specifically to the Flathead Valley region and his family’s property) when they can fly in first class to any corner of the globe, Mr. Averill noted, \u201cWhile they can go anywhere in the world to horseback ride into a remote clearing, scale a glacier, or sail on a restored America\u2019s Cup boat, the activities here are combined with a style of hospitality that is so personal and genuine, our guests forget their titles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"flathead <\/span><\/p>\n

As I settled into Cabin 3 with its log-frame physique, cast-iron stove, and quilt-topped bed, I wondered who else slept in my quarters. Should I rub the walls for good luck, or sing in the shower hoping a vacationing record producer will turn and ear to my tune? <\/span><\/p>\n

I should have<\/em> done both things, but I saw the sky turning\u00a0fluorescent\u00a0from my window, so I headed to the lakeshore\u2014Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi with 185 miles of shoreline\u2014to watch the sun set. Turns out, great minds think alike and many of the other guests had the same idea. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nestled into Adirondack chairs, or with legs slung over the dock, we sat, we sipped, and we savored the day\u2019s afterglow (see lead photo)\u00a0along with the Averill family.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Having traveled around the world in my job as a travel scribe, it occurred to me how I\u2019d never shot the breeze and casually sipped sundowners with a hotel\u2019s owners (often the meetings are planned, buttoned-up, and over a chef\u2019s tasting menu). <\/span><\/p>\n

Joking about this unique guest-owner synergy with Mr. Averill afterwards, he articulated, \u201cIt\u2019s not intentional, it’s just how we live out western hospitality, much like the rest of Montana.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What properties have you been to that define hospitality?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Coming home to western hospitality<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1789,1782,1777,1788,1797,1892,1868,1776],"tags":[563],"authors":[2232],"class_list":["post-19811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","category-destinations","category-family","category-interests","category-luxury","category-montana","category-national-parks","category-type-of-vacation","tag-shoulder-season","authors-trip-styler","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe art of retreat: Where the A-list linger in Montana | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/art-retreat-list-linger\/\" \/>\n<meta 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