I've stayed at New Dungeness three times I think it is now, and am scheduled to stay again in August 2013 with fellow members of Colorado Lighthouse Collectors Society. It really is a wonderful experience! You and your fellow companions are the keepers, so it is a "working vacation". You take care of the tower and the grounds, conduct tours, and perform small maintenance requests. But there is also downtime for you to enjoy the serenity of the station. And as a keeper you get to go out on the gallery anytime you want! One year, we were there during the full moon, really cool viewing from the gallery.
Each time I have gone, I’ve been with a group of folks(six women I use to work with) from Denver which was large enough to fill the house so we did not have people staying that we did not know. We were able meet ahead of time and put together meal plans, shopping lists etc. prior to going which made the food shopping prior to being taken out to the station go more smoothly and efficiently. We divided up the chores and tasks as some folks did not feel comfortable talking to visitors or conducting tours, so they would take care of some of the maintenance tasks (mowing the lawn, painting, picking up trash off the beach, etc.). The house if fully stocked with linens, washer and dryer, pots/pans/dishes, detergent/cleaning supplies, satellite TV, WIFI…you just need to bring your clothes, food, camera and laptop.
The cost of staying there is really a good deal, I think. All keepers must be current members with NDLHS which is like $35 a year for a single person, but they have other rates for like family. The keeper’s fee is like $350 or so for each person for the entire week. Of course you have the cost of food, airline ticket to Seattle, car rental to get to Sequim and maybe the cost of a one night stay at a hotel in Sequim, depending on what the tides schedule are…you can only get to the station during low tide as the NDLHS team drives you out on the beach and there’s only sufficient beach at low tide!