Perfection and Paradise at Quinn's Hot Springs

WHEN WE ARRIVED AT QUINN'S, it was late in the spring. There were spots of snow on the ground, but they were thinning while the mountains, towering above the resort, were white flecked green with trees. It was stunningly beautiful, enough that even before we checked in we had to stand there and gawp at the surroundings. Even for us Montanans, who are sometimes jaded as a byproduct of our ready access to gobsmacking scenery, the view at Quinn's was exceptional.

My girlfriend and I had booked our stay in Annie Oakley, one of the resort's Riverview Cabins. We were told that these spacious two-person accommodations overlooking the river were ideal for a romantic getaway.

You know how it is, when it's not that things are bad between you two, but the small tensions of everyday life do begin to add up after a while. You decide, or we did, that getting away somewhere together where we wouldn't have to worry about the broken dishwasher, the sharply protruding couch spring, or the persistent din of the news. Things don't have to be bad for you to need to get the hell out of town for a few days.

Quinn's had been on our bucket list for a long time. For one thing, it has been voted Best of Montana in a profusion of categories, garnering awards for its restaurant, hot springs experience, and wine list. But we were unprepared for the beauty and the stillness that greeted us at Quinn's.

Plus, a friend of ours had told us that they had enjoyed an incredible time there with his wife. They still talked about it a year later and were planning to replicate on their anniversary.

So our expectations were high. But Annie Oakley, true to her name, hit the bullseye. Whatever expectations we had she exceeded.

As someone who is lucky enough to be able to occasionally write about the experience of hospitality in Montana for a job, I have found that there are many really comfortable stays in Montana, but what distinguishes the sublime from the merely pleasant is how much attention is paid to answering needs that the guest didn't even know they had. Did I mention that Quinn's provides big fuzzy warm bathrobes to get you from your room to the pools? That, if you forget your flip-flops and don't want to wear your sneakers the lovely gift shop has some for you to buy? That they'll turn out to be your new favorite footwear and you'll wear them all over the resort, to dinner, on a river walk, and on the porch swing outside your cabin?

Another thoughtful touch, I realized while we sat up to my neck in some of the hottest water I could stand, all tension melted away, is that there is no view from the pools that isn't gorgeous: no pesky Highway 135 with trucks going by, reminding you of a world out there you came here to avoid. No parking lot, with a view of people packing up their bags and leaving to remind you that you have to, eventually, stop being so comfortable and relaxed. Everything feels designed to foster the blissful illusion that time is standing still, and you can stay here forever.

Each of the nine pools offers something different for visitors' preferences. Some allow children and some don't. Some are hot enough to turn you lobster red, while others are much more temperate. Each is beautiful and unique, offering little nested nooks and intimate spaces for folks to enjoy a quiet conversation. While we were soaking all day, we happened to hear and in some cases join conversations with awestruck travelers from abroad who couldn't believe the scenery, a hip, tattooed couple who might have been from a famous band but wouldn't admit it, and a trio of cousins in their mid-sixties reuniting for a weekend of reminiscences. These last three were kind of moving to watch, laughing over stories forty-five years old now, comfortable together in a place that thoughtfully emphasized comfort.

As incredible as every part of the stay was, special praise really has to be heaped on the restaurant at Quinn's, Harwood House, which had some of the best food we have ever had. I'm a calamari nut. I'll order it whenever I see it on the menu. But my lovely better half disagrees with me. It is one of the relatively minor friction points in our relationship, but most of the time we work it out. But at Harwood House I decided to order the calamari despite the risk of a tiff in the middle of our romantic weekend. Amazingly, the calamari we were delivered, which was fried into beautiful golden strips, was, in her own words, "ridiculously tasty," and "the best calamari" she'd ever had. I had no trouble at all agreeing. We had three meals at Harwood House, and every one was spectacular, the kind of restaurant experiences that have you spending the entire dinner time conversation saying "oh my god, that's so good, you have to try this," which is not, as it turns out, a bad basis for a romantic evening.

The wine list was delightful, as advertised. It was playful and creative, full of hand-picked vintages you may never have heard of but that prove enchanting. Here we were the inverse of the calamari situation. As a wine skeptic, I didn't expect to find anything I'd like but I asked our server for advice and I got something I found genuinely tasty. As someone who enjoys wine better than any other libation, my better half was in heaven.

But hitting those pools together in the late evening, after superlative food and drinks, with trees lit up with twinkling lights visible through the steam, miles and miles away from the nearest inconvenience or trifling irritation, and slipping into the water slowly until totally submerged, well, that was magic. We felt, even though there were people in the pools with us, as if we were the only people in the whole state of Montana.

Quinn's Hot Springs Resort is an unforgettable destination. Whether for families, lovers, old friends meeting up, a stay at Quinn's is the perfect getaway for any season. But remember to book well in advance, because Quinn's is deservedly a world-famous destination.

But trust us, it's worth it. You'll never forget your stay. Your first stay, I should say — there'll be more.