East Brother Light Station

East Brother Light Station is so peaceful, so picturesque that it seems unreal. The view is spectacular, and the accommodations quietly elegant. The young couple who are the current innkeepers, treated us all like royalty, serving us a four-course dinner with wine and bending over backwards to adapt to the food requirements (allergies, diabetes) of their guests.

Breakfast in the morning was equally excellent, with coffee available from 6 am. It's like being back in the Victorian age, only with electric lights and flush toilets. The fog horn is at the far end of the island, facing toward the shipping lanes, and is almost unnoticeable. However, they did fire up the engines in the Fog Signal Building before we left and treated us to a blast from the diaphone fog horn (no longer in regular use) that shook our bones.

I'm looking forward to a longer stay in the future!

Yes, it is a lighthouse, and the sight of it all lit up at night is darn near breathtaking. It's on an island and you need to take a ferry to get there. Another great thing about it is the fact that the money they charge you to stay here goes towards the preservation of the island. So that's all the more reason to stay here.

As a different thing, they serve dinner here, and you can enjoy it as a makeshift family with the other guests that are staying here (as well as breakfast, of course). The decor here is as quaint as you would think, all floral quilts and wood but always homey and comfortable. One of the rooms is in a completely different building and if you're looking for complete privacy, you'll get it there.