One&Only's first resort in the United States unfolds across 240 secluded acres in Big Sky, Montana, ringed by more than 17,000 acres of permanently protected wilderness, an hour from Bozeman and on the doorstep of Yellowstone. The architecture is the work of Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig, who kept the buildings low and horizontal so the land, rather than the lodge, holds your eye. Local timber, stone, and commissioned artwork run from the lobby into the rooms, and the wood carries the faint resin of mountain pine. The resort gathers 73 rooms and suites, 19 freestanding cabins, and a scattering of four- to six-bedroom Private Homes among three lodges: the Main Lodge, East Lodge, and West Lodge. The Big Sky Suite wraps a terrace around an outdoor soaking tub, where late light turns the peaks amber while you sink into the heat. The cabins go further into seclusion, each with its own soaking tub and a fire pit that crackles into a sky free of city glow.
Six restaurants and bars come together under Executive Chef Matt Dahlkemper. The Landing folds American comfort cooking into alpine fare, Wildwood works ranch-to-table from ingredients raised within a few miles, and Akira Back brings the chef's bold modern Japanese plates. For a drink, Dear Josephine is a small cocktail bar named for Josephine Doody, a female bootlegger of the late 1800s, while Moonshack hides in a cabin as a speakeasy pouring fine whiskey alongside 25 cigars from around the world. By day you ski Big Sky's celebrated runs; once the snow melts, the valley opens into wildflower meadows and running rivers, ready for hiking, riding, or doing nothing at all. It suits travelers who want to bring the whole family into the wild without giving up a fine bed or a good meal.