My husband made the vacation plans, but I was skeptical. I told friends, “We’re going to some huckleberry farm down south.” Then I saw the itinerary: It said Tennessee, and I was even more skeptical.

After a two-hour and 10 minute flight from La Guardia, we landed in Knoxville. Blackberry Farm is in Walland, 15 minutes down the highway (800-557-2203, www.blackberryfarm.com). A bright white fence, guarding a rolling green pasture dotted with a dozen colts, is the first thing to come to into view. A wooden sign announces “Blackberry Farm.”As it turns out, Blackberry is an award-winning, Relais & Chateaux, super-luxe farm. It also turns out I didn’t want to leave.

Mrs. Florida Lasier of Chicago named her country retreat Blackberry Farm in 1940 after an incident involving her stockings and a blackberry bramble. Kreis and Sandy Beall took it over in 1976. (Sandy Beall co-founded the restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday’s in 1972 and is the current chairman and chief executive.) Their son, Sam Beall, took over operations in 2001. At 30, he’s one of the country’s youngest and most successful hoteliers.

The farm itself is 4,200 acres at the base of the Smoky Mountains, with breathtaking vistas that conjure up those “God’s country” clichés. But this is no ordinary country retreat. Visitors are greeted by name and check-in is effortless, comprised mostly of repeated affirmations of staffers’ desire to do anything to make the stay perfect. Make an appointment for a Blackberry Steam at the spa? Organize a picnic or a hike in the mountains?

The 44 guest rooms are scattered across the property, necessitating a ride in the farm’s fleet of black Lexus SUVs — hybrid models, of course.

The main house, built around 1940, has been converted into 11 rooms, the bar, and restaurant. The guest house has an additional 11 rooms. And the 16 cottage suites are arranged like side-by-side duplexes, configured so visitors don’t see their neighbors out the windows.

More importantly, the neighbors won’t see them luxuriating in front of the fireplace, soaking in the Jacuzzi, or snoozing in the foot-high down cloud of the king-size feather-bed. The mini bar is filled with the usual sodas and snacks, but there are surprises, too, such as ice cream bars and fresh fruit. It’s all complimentary, except the alcohol — such as the half bottle of Krug Champagne chilling in the fridge.

Visitors will have a hard time using their cell phones, since service is spotty at best. Televisions have cable, but there’s no Internet connection except for one communal computer in the Chestnut Cottage.

Most activities take place in the great outdoors.The farm’s ponds and streams are stocked for a catch-and-release fresh-water fly-fishing program, with instructors and guides to help first-timers.There are horses for riding and one, Dancer, who, with a little help, paints pictures on Wednesday afternoons in the barn. August is gardening month with classes on flower arranging, planting heirloom vegetables, and how to pickle and preserve the summer’s harvest.

Blackberry Farm’s remoteness means you’re chef John Fleer’s captive audience, and all meals are included in the rates ($745–$1,395 a night for two people). The restaurant’s signature high-low Foothills Cuisine is expertly prepared and served with great polish. It’s a blend of fresh biscuits and gravy for breakfast (in bed, if you wish — and I did) and foie gras and truffles at dinner.

After a three-day visit of flawless pastoral luxury, it was perfectly clear why Blackberry Farm is one of the top hotels in the country.Turns out I was almost the last to know. But I’ll be the first to go back.