TESUQUE, NEW MEXICO - As the light of another glorious New Mexico day fades, guests at the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado gather on the historic property’s outdoor terrace to watch the nightly sunset show.

They order cocktails from congenial staff and snuggle in the flicker of romantic candlelight waiting for the sun to dip behind the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost range of the Rockies that drift off into the northern New Mexico landscape.

An elderly bartender notices I’m intrigued by a beautiful hand-stitched saddle and some photographs of a handsome woman that hang on a wall in the resort’s cozy lounge — in one of the pictures, the woman is hugging Hollywood star Whoopi Goldberg.

“That’s Miss Egan — Betty Egan. She once owned Rancho Encantado,” the bartender tells me.

After delivering a tall glass of ale made at a trendy microbrewery in Santa Fe — 10 minutes down the road from the resort — the bartender tells me some of the history behind this sprawling 57-acre outback property that consistently makes the “Top 10 List” of most major travel and lifestyle magazines.

“Rancho Encantado actually opened in 1932 as a dude ranch — it was called Rancho del Monte back then,” says the long-time server.

In the ’30s, Hollywood stars like John Wayne, Henry Fonda and James Stewart would ride off into the sunset here, literally, because the ranch was often used as a backdrop in many Westerns made during that period and actors would live at the ranch during filming.

Egan bought the ranch in 1968, and soon modern-day stars like Gene Hackman, Robert Redford and Whoopi began showing up.

In 1998, the ranch was transformed into a 5-star luxury resort — a state-of-the-art spa and modern amenities were added — and in 2008, Canada’s world-renowned Four Seasons management team took charge.

Above: Four Seasons Rancho Encantado is especially beautiful at sunset.

“Tatler magazine rates our spa among its best 101 in the world,” boasts the bartender, who strongly suggests I “treat” myself to a treatment.

Not needing much convincing, I show up at the spa early the next morning and look over a menu featuring treatments that are conducted in “kiva” rooms — chambers first built by the area’s Pueblo Indians for religious purposes.

Some of the spa’s 15 treatment rooms also offer private bathing courtyards where you can bask in the fresh desert air before or after a massage.

Jack, the therapist assigned to me, says many of the treatments are based on indigenous healing traditions that have been practised by New Mexico’s native people for centuries.

Before we begin my deep-tissue massage, Jack suggests I take a steam — the circular sweat chamber is one of the best I’ve ever experienced — and then meets me in the “relaxing room,” where he gets me ready for my 60-minute treatment.

Jack quickly identifies the tissues deep within my body that need help and his slow, muscular strokes soon make the soreness I arrived with vanish.

The spa offers many massage and body treatments — the pre-natal massage that Jack is expert at is one of the facility’s most popular, according to a young receptionist.

There are also Ayurvedic rituals, Thai massages, acupuncture sessions and something called a “blue corn and honey renewal” treatment that’s designed to relieve desert-parched skin.

Left: The spa may be the best kept secret in the U.S. Right: The rooms are cozy and modern.

All this talk of corn and honey is making me hungry, so I make my way past the resort’s ultra-modern fitness centre and outdoor pools (one for adults and another for kids) and pull up a chair at Terra, the resort’s fine dining room ruled over by executive chef Andrew Cooper.

Terra offers diners spectacular views of the Rio Grande River Valley, the peaks of the Jemez Mountains and the endless wilds of the New Mexico countryside, which stretch out in all directions for as far as the eye can see.

Cooper offers up his own version of southwestern cuisine using locally grown organic ingredients to enhance dishes that are artfully plated.

The double-cut pork chop I order, which comes accompanied with apple sage bread pudding, wilted winter greens and house-made apple butter, is tender and juicy and as sweet as my server’s southwestern accent. My side order of southwest fries and chipotle dipping sauce is sinfully good.

Cinnamon-crusted venison loin, the grilled beef tenderloin with blue corn polenta, and the green “Chile” short ribs with the smoked pumpkin side are other dishes that Cooper has perfected in his kitchen.

Cooper also offers cooking lessons and employs an outdoor kitchen to teach resort guests techniques that took him years to perfect. He even has his culinary pupils accompany him to local markets where they select ingredients for their dishes.

It’s all very educational and entertaining, not to mention very appetizing.

With quaint Santa Fe’s history and legendary art shops just a few minutes away (the resort offers free hourly shuttle service in their fleet of Mercedes Benz vehicles) and lots of outdoor activities — hiking is especially popular at the resort — there’s never a dull moment here.

There’s even an Old Wild West town down the road that has been used in many Hollywood movies to which the resort can organize a visit.

The resort’s casita-style guestrooms look rustic but come stuffed with lots of cozy amenities, like an indoor kiva fireplace and private patio or terrace with million-dollar views. At night, while sitting on the terrace under a cloudless New Mexico sky, you swear you could almost touch the stars.

Above: Adobe-style rooms stay true to southwest design.

The resort has also become a place favoured by opera lovers, who come to hear world-class performers at Santa Fe’s lovely outdoor Opera House, which is less than a kilometre from the resort’s entrance.

The opera season here is short — from late June to late August — and the resort offers packages that include accommodation and opera tickets. But they go fast, so don’t hesitate.

The bartender finishes his history lesson and directs me to a place near an open outdoor fireplace where, he says, I’ll have a great view of the sunset.

With the far-off mountains perfectly silhouetted and lovers toasting the romantic moment with filled champagne glasses, there’s no place else you’d rather be than Four Seasons’ Rancho Encantado.