A Maine hotel that was built in the mid-1880s has been named the No. 1 inn in the continental United States by Travel + Leisure readers.The Norumbega in Camden earned the top spot on the publication’s 2025 World’s Best Awards Survey.The historic boutique hotel is situated along Route 1 within Camden’s High Street Historic District and overlooks Penobscot Bay. The Norumbega offers 11 guest rooms, including two luxurious suites. The inn also has a full-service bar and offers a small bites menu several nights a week.The Norumbega was built as a private home for Joseph Barker Stearns, a Maine native who made his fortune by revolutionizing the fire alarm system with his patented reverse currents and inventing the double telegraph.The house was completed in 1886 and initially dubbed “The Stone Castle by the Sea,” but Stearns officially named the home Norumbega.The Norumbega remained a private residence for nearly a century until it was purchased and converted to an inn by Elsie Griffith in 1984. According to the hotel’s website, the property changed hands a few times over the years until it was purchased by New York architect William Tims and his partner, Brett Haynie, in May 2022 and began comprehensive renovations.Travel + Leisure said The Norumbega landed on its 2024 It List and placed fourth in the 2024 World’s Best Awards. The Norumbega finished No. 1 this year thanks to what readers described as “luxurious interiors filled with thoughtful details,” “kind and courteous staff” and a “great location with quick access to downtown Camden.””The current owners imbued it with new life—the rooms are airy and modern without feeling out of place. The second you arrive, it’s not hard to see why one reader called it the ‘best hotel in Maine,'” Travel + Leisure wrote.Two more Maine hotels made Travel + Leisure’s top 10 list of best inns. The White Barn Inn in Kennebunk came in at No. 3, while Cape Arundel Inn & Resort in Kennebunkport came in at No. 10.Three hotels in Rhode Island also placed in the top 10. The Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport ranked fourth on the list while the Castle Hill Inn, also in Newport, ranked fifth. The Weekapaug Inn in Westerly came in at No. 9.
A Maine hotel that was built in the mid-1880s has been named the No. 1 inn in the continental United States by Travel + Leisure readers.
The Norumbega in Camden earned the top spot on the publication’s 2025 World’s Best Awards Survey.
The historic boutique hotel is situated along Route 1 within Camden’s High Street Historic District and overlooks Penobscot Bay. The Norumbega offers 11 guest rooms, including two luxurious suites. The inn also has a full-service bar and offers a small bites menu several nights a week.
The Norumbega was built as a private home for Joseph Barker Stearns, a Maine native who made his fortune by revolutionizing the fire alarm system with his patented reverse currents and inventing the double telegraph.
The house was completed in 1886 and initially dubbed “The Stone Castle by the Sea,” but Stearns officially named the home Norumbega.
The Norumbega remained a private residence for nearly a century until it was purchased and converted to an inn by Elsie Griffith in 1984. According to the hotel’s website, the property changed hands a few times over the years until it was purchased by New York architect William Tims and his partner, Brett Haynie, in May 2022 and began comprehensive renovations.
Travel + Leisure said The Norumbega landed on its 2024 It List and placed fourth in the 2024 World’s Best Awards. The Norumbega finished No. 1 this year thanks to what readers described as “luxurious interiors filled with thoughtful details,” “kind and courteous staff” and a “great location with quick access to downtown Camden.”
“The current owners imbued it with new life—the rooms are airy and modern without feeling out of place. The second you arrive, it’s not hard to see why one reader called it the ‘best hotel in Maine,'” Travel + Leisure wrote.
Two more Maine hotels made Travel + Leisure’s top 10 list of best inns. The White Barn Inn in Kennebunk came in at No. 3, while Cape Arundel Inn & Resort in Kennebunkport came in at No. 10.
Three hotels in Rhode Island also placed in the top 10. The Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport ranked fourth on the list while the Castle Hill Inn, also in Newport, ranked fifth. The Weekapaug Inn in Westerly came in at No. 9.
