How To Get To Catalina Island and Why You Should Go

I don't usually plan anything for my birthday except maybe a dinner date with my husband, but this year I decided that since we really haven't gone anywhere in awhile, Catalina Island sounded like a good idea.

You can get to Catalina Island by ferry from four different locations. The Catalina Express will take you there out of Dana Point, Long Beach, or San Pedro. You can get there on the Catalina Flyer out of Newport Beach. We chose Catalina Express because they offer more departure times. Dana Point was closest to our house, but had the least options available so we ended up going out of Long Beach. The ferry ride over was lovely. I upgraded us to Commodore section so that we could avoid the wait and I'm glad that I did. The line was much shorter, and we got let onto the boat first so we didn't have to wait long and it comes with a drink and snack. First class all the way!! It was more expensive but it was worth it.  You could be even more first class and take a Helicopter, but that will cost you a lot more. The weather is usually a bit iffy this time of year so I was preparing myself for gloom, and that's exactly what I got the day we left.

 

I somehow managed to drop all of our ferry tickets about 10 minutes after they were handed to me, along with a warning that all lost tickets must be re-purchased. I was freaking out a bit, but just as I was heading back into the building to face my punishment for being careless, I saw them. On the ground! I'm so lucky they didn't blow away.

 

 

After a long exhaustive search as per usual, I chose the Bellanca Hotel. Pickings are slim in Catalina because the Island is so small. The hotels are the hotels, and some of them are quite old. Most of them are quite expensive too. Bellanca is also old, but refurbished, and the trusty TripAdvisor reviews did not let me down. The place was perfect. The decor was modern and tasteful. And most importantly it was clean. We had access to beach cruiser bikes for free and the view from the rooftop deck was breathtaking. They do have a cute attached restaurant but we didn't eat there.

Avalon is the quintessential beach town. Beautiful, charming, traditional. I love that we could roll up on the ferry and know that we could explore the whole town without needing a rental car. We walked to our hotel from the ferry and every restaurant or experience is within walking distance. We walked around a bit the first night and decided on Maggie's Blue Rose Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Everything shuts down pretty early on Catalina Island. The shops and some of the restaurants close up at around 6:00 pm, but there is always something open for food and drink. After dinner we headed to Luau Larry's for drinks.

Watch it on YouTube: Catalina in all of it's 3D Full dimensional glory

The sun showed up for me on my Birthday and I could not have been happier about it. We grabbed breakfast sandwiches from and the Catalina Cookie & Coffee Company and then headed over to the meetup spot for our two hour Bison Expedition. I love Buffalo and Bison are basically the same thing, so even though it was $85 per person and no guarantee of seeing bison, I wanted to do it anyway. We boarded a 12 passenger hummer, and proceeded into the lush green  mountains that we could only see from afar when we arrived. We got some amazing views of Catalina and just when it was looking like we weren't going to see any bison we spotted a bunch of them hanging out in the grass. Then, we lucked out and spotted another on the side of the road that we got to see up close. Even without the Bison, the tour would have been worth it because of the views and getting to see so much of the Island, but I'm so glad we got to see them. One thing we didn't take into account is just how cold it would be up there. I had a light jacket, but poor MJ did not wear a jacket at all. By the end of the tour everybody was freezing! They did let us stop half at he airport for a bathroom and coffee break, but it was pretty misty and cold up there.

After that we relaxed on the rooftop deck for a bit to thaw out. I could have sat there all day. It felt AMAZING and I could not get enough of that view. Then we rode bikes. If there was a hill, we couldn't do it, because they were beach cruisers with no gears, but we had fun riding along the water, and into the neighborhood behind the main drag (Crescent Ave) where all the hotels are. The homes are so beachy and so cute. Next up was ice cream, because of course, and then after that we sat by the water enjoying the view and then strolled the pier. I didn't expect the water to be so clear and aqua. From the pier you can look straight down and see the fish. 

 

We bought a bottle of wine from home that we shared on the rooftop deck before dinner.  That deck was everything. We might not have had an ocean view, but we had that deck so it didn't matter too much. We ate dinner by the water at Bluewater Avalon. The food was so good, and the scenery perfection. I was just soaking it all in.

I definitely wouldn't call Avalon a party town just because it is so small, but it seems to be a popular place for group trips and their bars are lively at night. They have Karaoke at El Galleon! MJ will most likely never do Karaoke again in his entire life, but I love it so that's where we went after dinner and as soon as the sign up sheet went around I was on it. My Birthday was so good! From start to finish I enjoyed the day and I enjoyed spending it with MJ. 

 

I scheduled our departure on the ferry for 2:00 pm so we would have plenty of time to check out and eat breakfast without having to rush. There was a wait for The Pancake Cottage, but it was worth it. Breakfast was delicious.

Between parking at the ferry station ($60.00), ferry tickets ($193.00), the hotel ($581), and our Bison Expedition ($171) it became an expensive trip for just two nights once I added everything up, but it was so much fun. I love the relaxing beach vibe, all the pretty pastel colored homes, and all the fun activity options. They have hiking, biking, camping, and water activities like parasailing and canoe. It's also a nice place to just relax. I'd like to go back again some day when it's warmer. Between the village of Two Harbors 22 miles away from Avalon on the West Side of the Island and all the other activities there is plenty more to explore. Avalon is a beautiful beach town. Add it to your list of places to visit if you are ever in Southern California.