CORTINA MONTAGE BIG SKY PRO

In warmer months, guests can access the Spanish Peaks Mountain Club’s 18-hole golf course, designed by former pro player Tom Weiskopf, as well as rivers for fly fishing, and trails for mountain biking and hiking. For less rigorous outings, try the family-friendly tubing hill or ice rink. The extra amenities: If you’re here for skiing and snowboarding, Compass Sports is on hand for fittings and gear rentals. Stop by Alpenglow for après-ski craft cocktails and comfort food (like a cheesy shepherd’s pie or baked brie with truffle honey butter), or warm up at the Living Room, a cosy lounge space with bourbon high-tea service and board games. At Cortina, dine on Italian dishes (like handmade pastas) with a Montanan twist (a hearty bison filet, for example), or sample Buffalo wings and other classic bar fare at Beartooth Pub & Rec, where you’ll also find a bowling alley and vintage arcade games. The dining: After you’ve worked up an appetite on the slopes, head to one of the six on-site restaurants. Select rooms also feature fireplaces and private balconies you’ll get a stunning view in each, but the most exceptional is the panorama you’ll see from the Spanish Peak Suite. Drawing on the state’s timber and mining history, locally sourced wood and stone are used throughout, including in wall-to-wall shelving and cabinets, and striking black marble countertops and soaker tubs in the bathrooms.

The space: There are 100 rustic yet elegant rooms and suites (from $1,785), ranging from 530 to 2,735 square feet. Surrounded by wilderness, it’s also just a 20-minute drive from Big Sky Resort, where you can access 5,850 skiable acres and a 4,350-foot vertical drop. The backstory: This is Big Sky’s first luxury hotel, and California-based Montage Hotels & Resorts invested $400 million (U.S.) into the alpine development. Southwest Montana has long attracted skiers and snowboarders now, with the arrival of the ski-in/ski-out destination Montage Big Sky, which started welcoming guests near the Spanish Peaks and Big Sky Resort’s mountain village last month, it’s about to become even more of a hot spot for travellers of all types.

Cortina montage big sky