Climbing the decidedly rustic mountain road, our car weaved among dizzying switchbacks, and we wondered what we’d find at the top.
After all, the reputation of The Swag and its sister property, Cataloochee Ranch, are impeccable. Both properties are members of the exclusive Relais & Chateaux association and offer a limited number of guests a unique, customized experience.
And yet, there was that decidedly rustic mountain road.
THE SWAG
As soon as our car crested the last hill, we understood what all the breathtaking reviews of The Swag were breathing so hard about. Here was the Welcome Cabin - a building constructed with Appalachian timber and stonework in which rustic rendezvoused with refined.
The Swag, an all-inclusive boutique property on 250 acres that shares a mile-long border with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is gorgeously situated at a 5,000-foot-elevation just west of Asheville in Waynesville, N.C.
Four of the Tar Heel State’s six highest mountain ranges can be glimpsed from The Swag: the adjoining Great Smokies to the northwest, the Plott Balsams and Richland Balsams to the southwest, and the Black Mountains to the east.
We were greeted by a concierge who offered drinks, an introduction to the property and a review of the activities for which we had signed up, including treatments in its on-site spa.
She invited us to relax and forgot about our phones during our stay because the staff would pay attention to the details and take care of everything. Starting with our vehicle. We were assured there’d be no need for it as we melted into everything The Swag had to offer.
The white-glove hospitality is possible because the resort caters to only a few dozen guests at a time. Many of the visitors have been returning year after year for decades.
Our car was whisked away as our luggage and the two of us entered an electric Volvo to take us to our accommodations – an actual log cabin. Blending down-home comfort with innovation, it boasted a wood-burning fireplace, in-room sauna, outdoor stone shower, and both a living room and bedroom – all turned out in country chic worthy of a Ralph Lauren catalogue.
The romantic mountaintop retreat focused on outdoor escapades, including hiking (there’s a private entrance to the national park), fly fishing and badminton as well as guided treks and talks by the “expert in residence.” Our expert, Chris Ford, was a spirited local resident who had thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.
But just as welcome were lazy days reading in a cozy corner, playing croquet or corn hole, taking a porch nap, soaking in the grand hot tub, working on a puzzle, or learning about coffee and libations from the inn’s baristas and bartenders,
The food was extraordinary. A sumptuous breakfast with scratch-made biscuits and jam was served in the main house; lunch was either brown-bag or the chef’s picnic.
As the day’s activities wound down, everyone wandered in for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and an exquisite, four-course dinner.
Often, s’mores were roasted at a campfire. Complimentary beverages and homemade ice cream were available in convenient ice boxes 24/7.
The menu, which changed daily, never disappointed. Our fave dinner consisted of local mushroom soup; a radicchio Caesar; main courses of New York strip with fingerlings, cauliflower and greens as well as striped bass in an upland cress pesto with citrus rice and rapini; plus desserts of chocolate soufflé and spiced apple crumble.
And now for a bit of history: At the turn of the 20th century, the Swag was a potato farm. In 1969, Dan and Deener Mathews bought the property to build a second home for their family and opened it as a resort in 1992. After honeymooning there, David and Annie Colquitt bought The Swag in 2018.
CATALOOCHEE RANCH
In 2020, the Colquitts bought and renovated Maggie Valley’s Cataloochee Ranch, an 825-acre property of rugged natural beauty atop Fie Mountain with sweeping views of neighboring Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Cataloochee Ski Area sits adjacent.
The ranch, which prizes sustainability, reopened in 2024 as a luxuriously casual resort on open fields, mountaintop meadows and elevated ridges. Horses graze, fishing ponds glisten, wildflowers delight, and Adirondak chairs circle fire pits.
In addition to 18 lodge suites, there are 12 cabins ranging from one to three bedrooms with a fireplace and front and back porches. They’re decorated in vintage furnishings with modern amenities, such as Nespresso machines, opulent sheets and thick robes.
We were in search of simple pleasures along with top-notch meals and service, and Cataloochee Ranch was the ticket. Its offerings included horseback riding, cattle feeding, roping, hiking, adventure courses, fly fishing, archery, axe throwing, simulated golfing, ping pong, art lessons, craft projects, UTV tours and wine tasting.
The ranch’s on-site restaurant was enhanced by a palatial fireplace and wood logs salvaged from the barn that once stood on the ranch. The wonderful meals were a delish blend of Southern Appalachian and European alpine flavors.
Its hearty, high-country breakfast included a breadbasket laden with house-made croissants and pastries. The à la carte lunch featured an ever-changing menu of wood-fired pizzas, including Verde with fresh mozzarella, local greens and béchamel sauce as well as Campanelle with winter greens, fennel, parmesan and Marcona almonds.
At diner, we enjoyed apps of sourdough focaccia, salt-roasted beets, deviled eggs and smoked trout dip; mains of prime rib and bone-in pork chop; and desserts of blueberry key lime tart and dark chocolate espresso cheesecake.
At turndown, a tasty morsel was left under a glass cloche next to the bed.
Cataloochee Ranch seems to be evolving to provide an even more robust list of diversions for its guests. When we were there, ground had been broken for a pool and spa.
And now for a bit of history: In the early years of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, outdoorsman Tom Alexander leased a homestead. That guest lodge led to Cataloochee Ranch, which he and his wife built in 1933. The ranch stayed in the family until it was sold to the Colquitts.
