Visit Catalina Island

Catalina Island is one of California’s Channel Islands, and lies southwest of Los Angeles. It is about an hour from Long Beach via the Catalina Express ferry and it’s the perfect little getaway from the city. My husband and I spent a night in the beautiful island and it was the most fun we had together since our 6-month stay in California. The island has two sides – Avalon and Two Harbors. Avalon is the more touristy side of the island which has more hotels, restaurants, and activity options while Two Harbors is a more laid back and rustic side with campsites. On this trip, Dex and I booked round-trip tickets from Long Beach to Avalon and I’ll share the hotel we stayed in, the activities we did and lots of pictures.

Here are a few fun facts to know about Catalina Island:

• Over 500 movies have been filmed here
• In 1919, the island was bought by William Wrigley Jr., also the founder of the chewing gum brand, Wrigley’s
• Its official name is Santa Catalina Island, but almost everyone just calls it “Catalina”
• Out of the 8 channel islands, Catalina has the most populated civilian settlement AND the most diverse animal species
• It’s located 22 miles off the mainland

California weather is beautiful year-round, but summer months and weekends are the most popular times for people to flock to Catalina. To avoid the crowd, I suggest the best time to visit would be on a weekday between spring and fall to still take advantage of the best weather months.

You’ll probably notice there aren’t many cars in Catalina Island and that’s because people actually get around using golf carts, even the locals. There are golf cart rentals if you need one, however, the distance between the ferry to Downtown Avalon is within walking distance. Downtown Avalon is so small that everything is mostly walkable which makes it so easy to explore the area.

HOTEL ATWATER

Hotel Atwater is a Catalina institution, originally established in 1920 as the first hotel built by the Catalina Island Company under William Wrigley Jr. However, despite its historical roots, the hotel was recently renovated in 2019 with an update that feels modern yet retains the coastal-meets-art deco charm of the original property. 

Dex and I had a really lovely stay here and enjoyed how easily accessible it was to everything on Avalon. The downstairs bistro was especially appreciated each morning for a quick hit of caffeine since there is no on-site restaurant at the hotel. We wouldn’t mind staying in here again if we do come back C

ISLAND TOUR

Catalina Adventure Tours offers land and ocean excursions. We wanted to see more of the island so we chose to do a Safari Island Adventure where we got to ride in a big yellow safari bus. The bus tour travels on steep, narrow, winding, bumpy, dusty, scenic, mountain roads so if you’re planning to take this tour, get ready for a wild ride. We also saw an island fox and wild buffalos during this tour. Unfortunately, the buffalos were resting far from the roads so I wasn’t able to take pictures of them.

The bus tour stops for a quick break on the Catalina Island Airport in the Sky.

AERIAL ADVENTURE

The Aerial Adventure was the most fun part of our trip in Catalina Island. This was my first time doing a rope course and it was scary and exciting all at the same time. My legs were shaking but definitely worth the experience! It was the highlight of our trip.

CATALINA AT NIGHT

Catalina at night is a dream – peaceful and relaxing. We had dinner at Avalon Grille and the food was delicious!

CATALINA

Catalina Island is nothing short of amazing! It felt as if I traveled to another country. There’s still so much more to do there and I look forward to visiting again someday.

Have you been to Catalina Island? What are your favorite things to do there? Share your thoughts and experiences on the comments below!