There I am on the widow's walk atop the light tower on East Brother Island. What I loved most: Guests can access the tower whenever they like, day or night.

Tens of thousands of cars drive past it every day, yet nobody knows it's there. Which is why it qualifies as a "secret every smart traveler should know." It's an historic-landmark lighthouse inn known as East Brother Light Station, on an island in the northern reaches of San Francisco Bay, and it was a highlight of my trip to the Bay Area last month.

I'd never heard of it before my husband, Tim, surprised me with an overnight getaway there. He drove us to an obscure ramshackle marina on the Bay where a small boat picked us up and ferried us over to the island. If you subscribe to The Perrin Postcard (our free monthly newsletter; subscribe here), you already know that I recommend East Brother Light Station--a non-profit owned by the Coast Guard--as an unforgettable and child-free romantic escape, but you haven't seen the reasons why, so I thought I'd share a few photos.

For more, read my post on PerrinPost.Truth.Travel.