I’ve always had a thing about lighthouses. Maybe it’s my New England upbringing and the summers spent on Cape Cod and in Nova Scotia. I find them intriguing, romantic and a bit spooky. It’s this fascination that led me to book my husband, 3-year-old daughter Parker and myself into a private room at the hostel at the Point Montara Lighthouse, in Montara, Calif, just north of Half Moon Bay.

The bargain accommodations are as small and spartan as you might imagine when you think “hostel,” but clean and efficient. We slept in bunk beds and shared a bathroom with the family next door who were traveling with their 6-month-old baby.

But you don’t come here for amenities. You come here for unparalleled views of the rugged, windswept coastline, to watch gray whales migrate in winter or to imagine Prohibition-era rum-runners sailing up the coast to the Moss Beach Distillery.

We sat outside by the historic lighthouse until the wind picked up, then warmed ourselves in the cozy main house before setting out for delicious Mediterranean fare with some local friends at Cafe Gibraltar. The appetizer plate with tender calamari was outstanding and the ocean views and jazz piano made for a wonderful dining experience, even with a small, sometimes unpredictable girl.

We slept soundly that night in our little bunks above the pounding surf and beneath the watchful gaze of the lighthouse.

In the morning we set out to explore Half Moon Bay, the oldest town in San Mateo County, originally called “Spanishtown” when it was established in 1840. Today, the delightful downtown is sweet without being cloying. The spirit and architecture of a western frontier town in apparent, but HMB also bears the distinct stamp of Northern California with two bookshops, an organic eatery, a gallery of Balinese art and a trendy boutique on one block of Main Street.

This block is anchored by Cunha’s Country Grocery, a combination specialty food store and mercantile of yore that has been a cornerstone of the community for more than 100 years. A bulletin board outside is pinned with an eclectic mix of announcements that speak to the essence of the town — children’s pony parties, New Agey healers, farming equipment for sale, women’s retreats and photos of chubby-faced little girls vying for the honor of “queen for the day” at the Portuguese Holy Ghost Festival.

Further down Main Street, the swanky Half Moon Bay Inn serves cocktails to a spirited mix of locals and tourists while a John Deere tractor slowly chugs by. Just another day in this funky little coastal, agricultural city.