Catalina Island, anyone?

[granada]

DH and I are thinking about going to Catalina Island for our 1 year anniversary in August. We both have to work, so we will probably go just for the weekend or possibly a long weekend. Anyone been and have suggestions on places to stay, places to eat and things to do?

[ssstephanie]

Have you tried www.catalina.com?

I haven't been yet but when I do consider it as a weekend trip, this is the best site to check out.

[cactus]

I went to Catalina for a weekend in November and it was the perfect amount of time to be there! We stayed at a hotel called Casa Mariquita, which was just up the street from the waterfront in Avalon. We hiked a lot, relaxed a lot, and went to see the Wrigley Memorial, which is a really cool blue-tiled building over by the cactus gardens. We also played mini golf and got Cold Stone, two things that can never be bad!

The only thing that we didn't like was the restaurant we chose for dinner--don't go to the Chinese restaurant! It was not very good.

Overall, we had a great time. Perfect weekend getaway.

[justHB]

We went to Catalina as part of our 1 year anniversary trip. Truthfully, I wasn't all that impressed. We only went for the day and I was bored by 5:00 p.m. (we were scheduled to leave on the 7:00 p.m. ferry but left early). Then again, since we weren't staying there, our experience may have been different, but it's my opinion that there's not enough to do to fill up a whole weekend.

[granada]

Thanks to everyone for their input! This was my first chance to get back to this thread. (Pesky work!)

cactus ~ I will keep those suggestions in mind!

justHB ~ I appreciate you saying that, because that was actually a concern of mine. I was looking at a website on Catalina and wondering what activities we'd do. So, I'll have to research further and figure out if it's worth it to just go and hang out. Neither of us have been, so we may decide to go for the "new experience," too. Or maybe a weekend in Napa...

[Rosebud]

My favorite place to stay on Catalina is Snug Harbor Inn. It's romantic and perfect for a getaway.

www.snugharbor-inn.com


Things I recommend doing/seeing on the island:

- Rent a golf cart and drive up into the hills. This is cheap and a ton of fun. Bring along your camera because there are some amazing views of Avalon and the water.

- Rent a kayak. We had a great time kayaking around the harbor. We even saw some seals swimming alongside us for a while.

- Go the Wrigley Memorial and check out the botanical gardens.

- Find out what's showing at the Casino or take a tour of the interior. This place is an absolute gem and really lovely inside. It's full of interesting Hollywood history!

- I haven't done these things but friends have enjoyed them: there's a submarine tour around the island and evidently you can see a lot of cool fish that way. If you go over to the western side of the island you'll find buffalo! We're hoping to get out there next time.

Have fun!!

[granada]

Wow! Those are great suggestions, Rosebud03! Thank you! I just found out a co-worker is going to Catalina for her mini-moon, so we'll be swapping ideas. :)

[justHB]

justHB ~ I appreciate you saying that, because that was actually a concern of mine. I was looking at a website on Catalina and wondering what activities we'd do. So, I'll have to research further and figure out if it's worth it to just go and hang out. Neither of us have been, so we may decide to go for the "new experience," too. Or maybe a weekend in Napa...My vote would DEFINITELY be for a weekend in Napa.

[justHB]

My favorite place to stay on Catalina is Snug Harbor Inn. It's romantic and perfect for a getaway.

www.snugharbor-inn.com


Things I recommend doing/seeing on the island:

- Rent a golf cart and drive up into the hills. This is cheap and a ton of fun. Bring along your camera because there are some amazing views of Avalon and the water.

- Rent a kayak. We had a great time kayaking around the harbor. We even saw some seals swimming alongside us for a while.

- Go the Wrigley Memorial and check out the botanical gardens.

- Find out what's showing at the Casino or take a tour of the interior. This place is an absolute gem and really lovely inside. It's full of interesting Hollywood history!

- I haven't done these things but friends have enjoyed them: there's a submarine tour around the island and evidently you can see a lot of cool fish that way. If you go over to the western side of the island you'll find buffalo! We're hoping to get out there next time.

Have fun!! We did the Casino/Avalon tour and the buffalo tour, which left us with 5 hours to kill.

[DiscoDiva]

edited

[DiscoDiva]

Come on, anyone?

[Rosebud]

The L.A. Times' Sunday Magazine "West" had a small feature on Catalina Island today. Here's the text:

A DAY IN 90704
Pleasure Cruising in Avalon

By Jessica Gelt
January 7, 2007

In 1887, George Shatto, a real estate speculator from Grand Rapids, Mich., purchased 21-mile-long Santa Catalina Island for $200,000. Shatto created the settlement of Avalon with the island's first hotel—Hotel Metropole—and its first pier. After chewing gum kingpin William Wrigley Jr. bought the isle in 1919, he drew tourists and Hollywood royalty with the Casino, a grand Art Deco ballroom and movie theater, and brought his Chicago Cubs baseball team for spring training. Modern complaints that Avalon (population 3,000-plus) is as rowdy as Tijuana in the summer are warranted, but even the revelers can't deplete the joy of finding the natural wonders beyond the town's touristy center.

*

ONE THING TO DO

Paddling Into the Sunrise

Get recreational. From horseback riding to golf-cart driving, parasailing to bicycling, scuba diving to camping, Avalon is a gateway to adventurous times. Our pick of the litter is the "not-so-early bird, 1/2 day kayak rental special" at Descanso Beach Ocean Sports. For $64, you and that certain someone can "discover your own secluded cove" during a four-hour romantic getaway. Rent a double kayak before 11:30 a.m., bring snacks, beverages, ice and towels, and the company will throw in a dry bag and picnic cooler as well as snorkel gear and wetsuits. Descanso Beach, (310) 510-1226.

$40: Price per hour to rent a four-seat golf cart for a scenic tour

*

EAT, DRINK

Cocktails by the Sea

Old World-style El Galleon is probably the most authentic local restaurant along buzzing beachfront Crescent Avenue. A pounded-copper bar is a magnet for midmorning Bloody Mary guzzlers; later in the day, smooth German beers, savory steaks and fresh seafood are the rage. A lively karaoke scene kicks up dust at night. 411 Crescent Ave., (310) 510-1188 . . . History flavors the food at Catalina Visitor's Country Club, which Wrigley built as the Cubs' clubhouse. The Spanish Colonial building houses an elegant Mission-style dining room with a high wood-beamed ceiling, roaring fireplace and sweeping hillside views. Enjoy a twilight special Sunday to Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.: seafood cocktail, Caesar salad and prime rib for $19. 1 Country Club Drive, (310) 510-7404.

*

SHOP, DROP

Old Maps, Sticky Taffy

Ron Franklin Pyke came to Avalon as a teenage runaway in the '60s, only to be shuttled home in a helicopter. In the '80s, he opened R. Franklin Pyke Bookseller, which stocks antique books, maps and prints. Among them: a 1937 print by Wrigley's gum wrapper artist Otis Shepard, and an Isthmus map made during an 1852 geodetic survey. 228 Metropole Ave., (310) 510-2588 . . . Lloyd's of Avalon Confectionery makes candy dandy. The same taffy puller has been used for the signature saltwater taffy since 1934. 315 Crescent Ave., (310) 510-7266.

*

Filmed on Location: Since 1911, the island has served as a location for more than 225 movies, earning the nickname "Hollywood's exotic back lot." Classics cementing this reputation include "Mutiny on the Bounty," "Jaws," "Ben-Hur" and "Chinatown." Also, the creepy devil-rape dream sequence in Roman Polanski's 1968 study in horror, "Rosemary's Baby," was filmed at Catalina's Little and Shark harbors, not in New York City.

[Rosebud]

Also, here's a link to a short trip report from Catalina on Fodors.com:

Catalina Trip Report (http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1&tid=34620142)

Oh, and I found some photos from the last time I was in Catalina (2002). Sorry that my DH is in most of them!

Arriving in Avalon:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/08460017.jpg

View from up above the Hotel Metropole looking down on Avalon:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/08460012.jpg

Pretty water:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/08460022.jpg

This is from when we rented the golf cart and drove up in the hills above Avalon. SO much fun... and great views!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/08460025.jpg

View from up above Avalon:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/08460020.jpg

[DiscoDiva]

Rosebud, thank you so much for the info and the pictures! I can't wait to go!

[Rosebud]

Saw this little blurb about Catalina weekend getaways in the L.A. Times (http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-escapetwoharbors6jan06):

CATALINA'S WILD SIDE

Skip hectic Avalon during summertime and visit the remote, rough-and-tumble village of Two Harbors instead. It's a place most island visitors never see. There are more bald eagles here than shops. The resident celebrity is an aged bison named Wilson that roams the surrounding hills. Shorts and sport sandals are the dinner attire of choice at the fanciest restaurant in town, which is also the only full restaurant in town.

Just more than an hour's ferry ride from San Pedro or Marina del Rey, Two Harbors is undeveloped and unpretentious. The heart of the village is little more than a cluster of beach shacks, with a general store, dive shack, visitors' center and watering hole. Just up the hill from town, a stone path leads to Banning House Lodge, a cozy 1910-vintage California inn with sweeping views of both Isthmus Cove and Catalina Harbor -- the protected anchorages that give the narrow isthmus of Two Harbors its name.

Many visitors arrive on powerboats and sailboats, staking out moorings in the harbors and the nearby coves. But you don't need your own boat to enjoy the clean, crystalline water surrounding Two Harbors. You can snorkel from the beach. Or rent a kayak to explore the island's craggy coves and caves. Nature-lovers, anglers, and boaters will revel in this wild hamlet. But if shopping, double Frappuccinos a busy night life are essentials, you might find yourself eagerly awaiting the next ferry home.

Where to stay: Banning House Lodge, (800) 322-3434; www.visitcatalinaisland.com/twoHarbors. Summer rates are $199 to $299 a night; several family rooms sleep four. Rates dip in fall and spring ($119 to $245) and winter ($89 to $224).

Eating out: Harbor Reef Restaurant and Saloon, (310) 510-4215. Try fresh swordfish and other seafood caught right off the island.

Getting there: To reach Two Harbors from San Pedro, take Catalina Express, (310) 519-1212 or (800) 315-9518, www.catalinaexpress.com. From Marina del Rey, take the Marina del Rey Flyer, (310) 305-7250, www.catalinaferries.com.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/Misc/catalina.jpg