I had to make the same decision and they both looked good to me, but I got vacation getaways (camper van) instead. The three builds are all awesome, you get a van, a house (with a Jeep) and a speed boat.
Thanks for the input! Yeah that camper looks great and a better "build" than the lighthouse. All three models are amazing and I think that's the biggest appeal to that set - but it's unlikely I'll get around to building all three.
I got the lighthouse because 1): it's cheaper (saving for a switch!); 2) I might give the entire thing away as a gift; or 3) give it to my daughter (although the camper set is as much a play set as it is a vehicle so she would probably equally love that).
I also think the modularity of the light house to be pretty clever and my daughter may have a lot of fun messing about with that aspect.
I have no doubt in my mind the camper art is the better one if I were to exclusively keep it for myself and also just as a build. But yeah the money was a big part of it.
Part of my philosophy these days is to not just buy something because it's cheap. Better to pay a bit more on something you actually want - any hint of hesitation just means you don't super want it so you can do without it. That's just how I feel about this dilemma - the lighthouse has always looked like a cool little set piece. It's just a way I try to curb Lego buying.
And argh, it's a long weekend here and all the shops are holding really good sales. One place has all toys for buy one get one half price and their Lego is typically 10-15% cheaper any way. Might be time to get the set I've really been eyeing up - the ninjago movie lightning jet!