Fodor's Expert Review Chalfonte

This is the real thing, a Victorian summer hotel (1876) on the boardwalk with striped green awnings and crisp white paint. The Chalfonte keeps it simple and friendly. Room are pleasantly spartan with wood floors and white curtains and bedspreads; some share bathrooms. Children are more than welcome—a supervised kid's dining room has its own menu. Parents dine in the Magnolia Room or on the boardwalk-long veranda. Southern-style fried chicken, smothered pork chops, corn pudding, and flaky biscuits are made by sisters Lucille and Dot, as their mother, Chalfonte's former beloved cook, taught them. A renovation in 2010 added air-conditioning, heat, and private baths to many of the rooms.