Last month, we traveled to Santa Catalina Island for my birthday. I previously visited the island when I was younger with a friend and also for a backpacking trip, but I haven’t returned as an adult. It was Patrick’s first time visiting the island. We were supposed to visit Catalina in the spring, but we cancelled due to Covid-19. Patrick and I felt more comfortable visiting last month because cases had dropped, we could drive, take the short ferry, and then spend the majority of our time outdoors.
Catalina Island is 22 miles off of the coast and ships depart from San Pedro, Long Beach, and Dana Point every day. Depending on the port, you can take the ferry to either Avalon or Two Harbors on the island. We drove from Santa Barbara to Long Beach (about a 2-hour drive) to take the ferry to Avalon. There is a garage right there to park in ($19 for 24 hours) with both covered and uncovered parking.
For the ferry, the Catalina Express, we chose to upgrade our tickets ($15 per person per trip leg) to be in the Commodore Lounge area. We thought that this was worth it as we got to board first and the price also included a drink and a snack. This area was inside, but they were very strict with mask wearing, which we appreciated. The ferry ride was only a little over an hour, so we still felt safe in regard to Covid-19. For the general ticketing price, the seating is all outside. We chose Avalon as there is more to do in that area in terms of places to stay and restaurants since it is the main town on the island. My understanding is that Two Harbors is less developed and more of an outdoorsy, relaxing vibe.
On any vacation that we take, Patrick and I do a lot of walking and exploring. We also like to try new restaurants and local spots (breweries, coffee shops, etc.). Some places on the island were closed due to the pandemic, but most businesses were still open. Inside dining was not allowed, so around 5 p.m., restaurants would bring chairs out to the sandy beach area. It’s the first time that anyone has been able to eat right by the water and toes in the sand by the main strip, so that was a silver lining.
I think that you vacation on Catalina to enjoy the typical island activities – relaxing, swimming, snorkeling, hiking, and biking. One day we walked from our hotel up near the Botanic Gardens, another day we biked around, and I snorkeled at a couple of different beaches. Otherwise, we enjoyed having some cocktails and sampling new restaurants. There are some adventure tours that you can book for the island, but we didn’t partake in those. For a future visit, I would love to book a tour to see the bison on the island.
Bikes were available to use at our hotel, Hotel Atwater, but you can also rent golf carts to get around too. There are very few cars on the island, so golf carts are the go-to mode of transportation. Just like any vacation, I think you can make it as relaxing or as busy as you want, but we chose to have more of a chill, unplanned trip which was nice. When we stayed, the hotels were offering a “buy two nights, get one free” deal and we took advantage of that to stretch out our vacation time.
Since we go to the beach frequently in Santa Barbara, we did less beach time than most people who visit. The most popular beach area is by Descanso Beach Club or near the downtown area. Keep in mind that the beaches can be rocky, so you may want to bring some water shoes. Make sure that you try a Buffalo Milk as well – the official cocktail of Catalina Island – it’s delicious, trust me. To have some laughs, you can also rewatch the movie Step Brothers like we did and hear the characters frequently mention heading to the island for the epic “Catalina Wine Mixer.” Happy future travels!
Places We Visited:
- Descanso Beach Club – very popular place. We ate and had drinks, but you can also rent lounge chairs for the day (book in advance). I also snorkeled around the beach there and I saw a good amount of fish.
- Lovers Cove – great snorkeling spot.
- Pebbly Beach – we biked here. As the name suggests, it is not sandy, so probably not the best beach to sit out on.
- Catalina Casino – this is not a Vegas-style-gambling casino. It is a large event space. We couldn’t go inside due to covid, but we did walk around as it’s a beautiful and historic building.
Dining & Drinks:
- Steve’s Steakhouse & Seafood (We ate out on the beach)
- Scoops (Ice cream)
- The Sandtrap Restaurant & Bar (Casual dining)
- Toyon Grill (Nice rooftop view)
- Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co. (We brought coffee home too)
- Bluewater Grill (Right on the water)
- Luau Larry’s (Get the Wiki Wacker drink – it comes with a hat! See above photo)
- Catalina Island Brew House (They serve coffee & beer here)
- Lloyd’s of Avalon (Norma Jean worked here before she became Marilyn Monroe)
- Bistro at The Atwater (Good for grab and go items)
- Antonio’s Pizzeria (’50’s-style Italian spot)
