How about a California getaway that feels as if you traveling abroad? I have the perfect destination for you! Have you ever heard of the Catalina islands? Also referred to as Santa Catalina. It’s 2 small islands off the southern cost of California consisting of Avalon (the popular More tourist attraction with shops and restaurants) and two harbors (best for a relaxing retreats without overcrowded beaches and hikes). This article will provide a recap of our trip as well as additional tips and tidbits of info I hope you find helpful!
Departure & Travel
Although you can access the Catalina islands by jet skis, private boat or booking a private helicopter tour, the most popular way is with the public ferries via Long Beach and San Pedro Port. (Keep in mind parking at the port does come with a fee) I highly recommend you book your tickets for the ferry at LEAST 2 weeks in advance, especially if you will be traveling on a Friday Saturday or Sunday during the summer season. We booked our tickets for the ferry online at Catalinaexpress.com and departed from San Pedro dock around 11 am, arriving a little after 12 pm.
Personally I think an earlier arrival and departure time would have been better since things really start to die down and close up starting as early as 5:30 pm and most things by 8pm. Normally it’s great having something all to yourself like a day in Yosemite national park but the hustle and bustle of tourists actually adds to the quaintness of the Catalina island experience in my opinion.
What to Bring for Your Day Trip
Be sure to check the weather before your trip and dress accordingly. We took our trip in the month of June and the weather was perfect! Not too hot, cold, or windy.
- Sun screen
- Towel
- Sweater
- Battery pack
- Snacks
- Water
Don’t over do it with the water bottles they’ll just weigh you down
- comfy shoes
you’ll be doing a lot of walking if you don’t plan on renting a golf cart for the day
- Cash
Most, but not all vendors on the island accept credit cards as payment
- Swim suit and water shoes
If you plan on going in the water know the terrain is more rocky than soft and sandy especially near Descanso beach club
- Tote bag or backpack to carry all your essentials
I purchased some of the cutest tote bags with attachable beach mats for this trip and while they are great for the beach and lounging, if you’ll be doing a lot of walking I recommend a backpack for better weight distribution.
I purchased my bags from ross, but here are similar ones from Amazon
Activities and Amenities
In addition to sight seeing and hanging out by the water there are several things to try for all ages and agility skill sets including
- Parasailing
- Submarine tour
- Glass bottom boat tour
- Snorkeling
- Paddle boarding
- Peddle boating
- Kayaking
- Golf cart rental
All of these activities cost money to do or rent the equipment so be sure to plan and budget ahead of time if you’re interested in more than lounging. Parasailing is something I definitely want to try whenever I get the opportunity to go back! And we spoke with a nice woman who raved about the submarine tour. We did rent a golf cart for 2 hours, which I recommend if you can do so. This allowed us to explore Avalon island quickly while taking in some iconic views and photos opportunities!
Food & Drink
After our golf cart excursion, we walked to the pancake cottage for some late day brunch (this place closed at 2 so we barely made the cutoff) We all enjoyed our food, I especially liked the way they prepared their hash browns!
Next off we made our way to the sand trap for some $2 tacos and drinks. Which was a pretty decent walk from the pancake cottage so safe to say we burned off our brunch! The tacos were pretty great especially for $2 a piece while enjoyed with some margaritas. We all really fancied the carnitas tacos! We also tried “buffalo milk” it’s an alcoholic beverage the island is known for (no, there isn’t actually any buffalo milk in it), if you like banana you may really enjoy this drink- but personally it wasn’t for me. (We also ate at Lloyd’s ice cream shop and Earl & Rosie’s Seafood, but I’ll get to that later).
Relax & Lounge
By this time we were ready to make our way back through town towards the casino building to get to Descanso beach club to relax and lay out at the beach. On the way we past the cutest little walkway on Crescent Ave with an opening toward the sea, it’s a great place to stop and take a picture that will capture the boats in the harbor.
On this particular day there seemed to be some kind of beach party in front of the Descanso club so things were a bit crowded once we arrived around 4:30pm but the club which supplies the lounge chairs closes around 5 or 5:30pm (good thing I had my beach mat and towel!) so not long after that many people started to clear out and we were able to enjoy that area with more seclusion.
Before heading back to wait in line for the ferry we decided to make a couple more stops both of which I recommend. The first was at Lloyd’s ice cream shop for ice cream and coffee and the second was Earl and Rosie’s Seafood (green building at the end of the dock) for clam chowder bread bowls and fish & chips! I think both were pretty good for the prices. Great place to stop off at if you need some hot comfort food to warm you up in the evening and capture some more pictures of this European style scenery! Just keep in mind this place closes around 7:30pm also.
Now all that was left to do was wait in line and board the ferry. Since we took the last ferry out at 9:30pm it was a bit crowded. Be sure to get in line early and have a warm jacket or leave on an earlier ferry out in order to get a good seat or be able to sit together as a group!
After such an awesome and fun filled (but long) day I really wished I had brought my neck pillow to lay against for the hour long ride back! I didn’t pack mind but hopefully this article will remind you to bring yours!
Check out this Amazon neck pillow in a case, my new go to!
Additional Information
- Budget friendly trip
Aside from the ferry which is close to $80 round trip per person you can make this a fairly inexpensive day trip by packing your own lunch, snacks, and drinks, walking around the island instead of renting a go cart, swimming, and lounging by the shore and of course documenting your experience with lots of pictures!
- Rental properties and lodging
This article was a recap of our day trip, so we didn’t stay over night but there are several properties to rent for a weekend getaway as well as hotels. With that said the Catalina Islands is like Yosemite or Disney land, in that if you live close enough to it a day trip may be all you need, but travel can be exhausting whereas a weekend getaway may be more enjoyable and you’ll already be in the islands to have more time for activities and excursions
- Safety
Of course you should always always always be aware of your surroundings, but the overall feel of the island environment is inviting and safe. I think this is great girls trip destination
- Wi-Fi/Data
For me it was finicky in any direction past the main front streets when your ridding or walking up the hills, but in the heart of the town or frontage area it’s fine and the gps to get around on the island seems to work ok as well
- Descanso Beach club (Past the iconic Casino building)
There lounge chairs and cabanas are available to rent (they close at 5 but you can still sit in the area along the shore after hours. There is also a nice green grassy area behind the cabanas to lay out and relax if the beach is too crowded, in addition to more restrooms and outdoor showers.
**We didn’t have any issues accessing restrooms on the island, there are some in the restaurants and even public bathrooms and porta potties along the roads near the beach area. Good to know for those traveling with small children!
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