Distinctly Montana Magazine

74 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 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 foot- wear 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 ten- sion melted away, is that there is no view from the pools that isn't gorgeous: no pesky Highway 135 with trucks go- ing by, reminding you of a world out there you came here to avoid. No park- ing 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 illu- sion that time is standing still, and you can stay here forever. Each of the nine pools offers some- thing 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 hap- pened to hear and in some cases join conversations with awe- struck 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 for- ty-five years old now, comfortable together in a place that thoughtfully emphasized com- fort. 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 Har- wood House I decided to order the calamari despite the risk of a tiff in the middle of our romantic weekend. Amazingly, the calamari "We felt, EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE GROUPS OF PEOPLE HERE IN THERE IN THE POOLS WITH US, AS IF WERE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE WHOLE STATE OF MONTANA."

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