O’LEARY, PEI  Forget hotels and motels this summer. For a getaway like none other, bed down in a lighthouse. One of our country’s finest is the West Point Lighthouse in O’Leary, a city of 861 that’s also home to the world’s only, wait for it… potato museum. Built in 1875, the black-and-white, square-towered lighthouse was first lit on May 21, 1876. Standing at just under 21-metres tall from ground to vane, it’s the province’s tallest of its kind. In 1983, the lighthouse opened as an inn with nine rooms, each decorated as they may have been during the era of the lightkeepers, minus the whirlpool baths, of course. It’s tower room is in the original structure and is the most popular. It has three windows, one with a sea view. Across the hall is the recreated keeper’s quarters. It has a low-slope roof, but is the inn’s largest room, ideal for families. Rooms range from $110 to $145 a night, double occupancy. The inn is open from late May until early September. (800) 764-6854. www.westpointlighthouse.com

SAUGERTIES, NY  The Saugerties Lighthouse doubles as a bed and breakfast that even your kids will love. Built in 1869, the redbrick lighthouse sits on the Hudson River, 68 kilometres south of Albany, and is only accessible by boat or via a kilometre-long trail through wood- and wetlands. It was reconstructed in 1990, complete with a period picket fence inscribed with the names of all the lightkeepers who lived and worked there. Its second-floor rooms are furnished as they may have looked in the early 20th century. Both have river views. The first-floor bathroom is communal and has a composting toilet. The building also includes the keeper’s quarters, a kitchen that guests can use and a museum. Rates range from US$160 to US$175 a night, double occupancy, including breakfast. Unfortunately, the B&B is booked full until October. (845) 247-0656. www.saugertieslighthouse.com

HARLINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS  If money is no object (and I mean nada, zero, zilch) then the Harlingen Lighthouse is for you. Built in 1922, the 24-metre lighthouse belongs to a network of 20 along the Dutch coast, 18 of which are still in use. After being extinguished in 1998, the lighthouse was bought by an individual who opened it up to overnight visitors. At the end of the lighthouse’s long spiral staircase to the top are three floors. The first is home to the bathroom, complete with circular shower. The second, which you arrive at via a curved hallway, includes the living space: bed, sitting area, workstation. The circular room is surrounded by windows so that guests can indulge in the panoramic view. The third (yes, another set of stairs) is where the lamp once shone. Here, guests can sit at a table for two or explore the fenced-in platform that surrounds the tower. Cost: $486 a night, double occupancy, including breakfast. The lighthouse is booked solid for the rest of the year. (011-31-517) 414-410. www.vuurtoren-harlingen.nl