The hook
A working lighthouse where the old keepers' quarters are now cheap bunks a few feet from the surf.
01Why it's worth it
Point Montara's light has warned ships off this rocky point since the 1870s, and the buildings behind it are now a hostel, so you can sleep inside a lighthouse station on the edge of the Pacific for the price of a bunk. It's the closer of the coast's two lighthouse hostels to the peninsula, an easy landing right after the climb over the hill, with a kitchen, a garden, and waves for a soundtrack. It's a hostel, not a resort, so set expectations: shared rooms, simple everything. But waking up in a lighthouse compound with the ocean out the window beats a highway motel by a mile.
02How to experience it
Book ahead through Hostelling International; it's right on Highway 1 at Montara. Bring a warm layer and maybe earplugs, since it's often fogged in and cold even in summer and the coast is loud at night.
From the locals
Bay Area regulars send visitors here as a Highway 1 stop: "walk the grounds to the beach, it's a secluded little piece of land and is breathtaking." The lighthouse rooms get called "incredible" for a cheap coastal getaway.