From Montana to Tanzania, we've found pampering properties that offer state-of-the-art tents and loads of amazing views.
By: Sandra RamaniThe Resort at Paws Up, Montana
You’ll be in the heart of Lewis and Clark country at this 37,000-acre Montana working ranch-resort, set along 10 miles of the Blackfoot River (made even more famous in the Brad Pitt-Robert Redford movie, A River Runs Through It). Legend has it that in 1806, explorer Meriwether Lewis climbed Sentinel Rock (part of what’s now the Resort at Paws Up property and the spot where they host rappelling) in search of the Marias River. Since then, the grounds have housed everything from gold mining claims and homesteads to sheep and cattle ranches. Accommodations are spread out over the acreage, and include both upscale cabins and luxury tents.
Photo courtesy of The Resort at Paws Up
The tents: Paws Up offers five different glamping areas, each with six one- or two-bedroom tents. Each campground features cushy digs (outfitted with bathrooms, Western-chic furniture and feather-topped beds) and amenities like in-camp dining pavilions, fireplace lounges and camping butlers. The Cliffside Camp — set, as the name says, atop a cliff with views of the Blackfoot River rapids — has two honeymoon tents, each with wooden decks and a copper tub at the foot of the big beds. You’ll want to spend at least one afternoon snuggling in the Adirondack chairs made for two. Another romantic spot is Pinnacle Camp’s Tango Point Honeymoon Tent, located on a bluff overlooking the intersection of Blackfoot River and Elk’s Creek and boasting both jetted and claw-foot tubs.
Photo courtesy of The Resort at Paws Up
The activities: With the Paws Up’s vast acreage, which includes 25 miles of on-site hiking trails, plus the easy access to the nearby, 1.5 million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Reserve, there are countless outdoor activities available. Head out on a guided wildlife drive to spot bald eagles, whitetail deer, bears and more; try your hand at clay-pigeon shooting or ATV-driving. On the river there is white-water rafting and fly-fishing, in addition to kayaking and canoeing at nearby waterways. But perhaps the most exciting activity is the cattle drive, where guests atop horseback wrangle and cut a herd of cattle across sage-scrubbed fields.
Honeymoon highlights: Tucked at the edge of a pine meadow, the resort’s Spa Town is a colony of breezy white treatment tents, each with private baths, heated massage tables; pasture views and a soundtrack of the nearby brook. Enjoy the Star Light, Star Bright Twilight Couple’s Massage — performed in a candlelit tent as the sun sets — or opt for a latenight, pre-bedtime Sweet Dreams Couples Massage in the privacy of your tent (room rates start at $1,275 and include all meals, most activities, airport transfers and on-property transportation; pawsup.com).
