Fodor's Expert Review Whitehall

Although the oldest part of the Whitehall is an 1834 white-clapboard sea captain's home, there's nothing stodgy about this historic hotel as the eclectic, midcentury-modern decor shakes things up with lots of red and other bright pops of color. All baths have been updated with walk-in showers. Lodging includes a breakfast buffet with such choices as cold meats and cheeses, house-made pastries, and a hot egg entrée. A small bar serves beer, wine, and canned cocktails. In a small room to one side of the lobby, photos and other memorabilia pay homage to Pulitzer-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, whose poem, "Renascence," describes the view from atop Mt. Battie, which rises just behind the inn. Millay grew up in Rockland and Camden in the early 1900s and had a summer job at the hotel as a teenager. When she read her poetry one evening, a guest was so impressed she arranged for Millay's college education and set her on her career path.  The inn is a half-mile from downtown Camden.