If you want to play cowboy (or girl) in high style, head to Rainbow Ranch, Big Sky, Montana

Or in our case, my girlfriend and I decided to go looking for a couple of macho cowboys, which we combined with a wonderful R&R getaway at Rainbow Ranch Lodge – where a wilderness stay offers every conceivable luxury, down to a nightly delivery of homemade cookies.

The 21-room lodge is bustling during ski season and summer, but it’s also special to be there ‘tween times, when many come for the peace and quiet. If you’re feeling more ambitious, the concierge will be happy to arrange an outdoor adventure such as fly-fishing, horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, hunting, white river rafting, etc.

Sleep: Our rooms featured mega-sized, woody bathrooms with a 6-foot soaking tub and a rainforest shower stocked with Molton Brown amenities, a comfy king bed dressed in luxurious Anichini linens and radiant floor heating.

Eat: The RR Restaurant’s fine-dining menu showcases Montana ranch-to-table cuisine (Mesquite grilled Bison, Rocky Mountain Elk, Montana Wagyu Beef, farm-raised game, fresh fish) and an extensive wine list that has repeatedly earned Wine Spectator’s Award of excellence.

Relax: We were happy to experience the rugged West from the vantage point of our inviting window seat next to a crackling wood-burning river rock fireplace. We never tired of sipping a glass of wine (or if we did we’d just switch over to a hand-crafted cocktail) while appreciating the “A River Runs Through It” view of the Gallatin River winding through the forested mountains, which was the magnificent view from our room. We couldn’t have been more comfy-cozy, nestled into our plush oversized robes, feeling like melted butter after our massages at the lodge’s Outpost Retreat contemplating whether we had enough energy left to get ourselves over to the outdoor hot tub and enjoy the sunset from there.  We love the cowboy life!

Do: We thoroughly enjoyed our easy-peasy hike to the gorgeous Ousel Falls, which the cheerful girl at the front desk steered us to. It was a good thing we did our hike before Joan (the wussiest half of our duo) finally read the instructions next to the big canisters of bear spray at the front desk with many tips such as “Do not use the bear spray for anything other than charging bears, moose or mountain lions.”  After she calmed down a bit, I promised her that we would just take a short stroll right behind the property to work off a bit of the Mesquite Grilled Bison Hanger Steak, House-Made Elk and Pork Sausage I had wolfed down at dinner.  Unfortunately, we immediately ran into a couple of happy hunters who had just bagged a bear. Needless to say, from then on all further explorations consisted of scouting out the best brewpubs.