Why Catalina Island Is One Of California’s Best Getaways

Catalina Island is a hidden gem just off the California coast—and it’s the kind of place that makes every trip unforgettable. In this episode, I’m sharing two incredible trips we’ve taken there:

• Our first trip: A family getaway with younger kids. We flew into Long Beach, took the ferry to Avalon, and stayed at the amazing Hamilton Cove condos. From golf cart rides and mini golf to relaxing by the pool and visiting Descanso Beach Club, this trip created memories we’ll never forget.
• Our second trip: An adventurous getaway with friends. Our group chose their own fun with parasailing over Avalon Harbor, zipping through canyons on the Catalina Zip Line Eco Tour, golfing at the Catalina Island Golf Course, and explored the town with stunning views of the island.

I’ll also share insider tips on:

• Ferry rides and timing
• Condo rentals 
• Golf cart rentals and the best routes
• Grocery shopping tips 
• Must-book activities: parasailing, zip lining, and more
• Catalina Casino and Chicago Cubs history

Whether you’re planning a family trip or a friends’ adventure, this episode will help you experience Catalina like a local and make memories you’ll never forget.

Home - Hamilton Cove Real Estate & Vacation Rentals

Descanso Beach Club - Catalina Island Company

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back. I'm so excited. I think I'm actually going to do a series here on the podcast about spring break ideas, especially for families in California. You know, spring break happens, I think, like all over the country at so many different times of the sort of spring season here. Um and I wanted to share some of the trips that we've taken with our kids who are on a traditional school schedule and share with you one of our favorite, our favorite places today. Um, this is a trip that just stays with our family, not just because it's beautiful, but because the memories actually are now part of our family story. Um, for our family, one of those places that's so special to us is Catalina Island. Um, if you're not familiar, Catalina is this incredible island just off the California coast that somehow makes you feel like you've traveled to the Mediterranean, even though it's just about an hour by boat from Southern California. Our family has taken two trips there over the years, one when my kids were younger, and another later with friends. Both trips were completely different, but equally, honestly, amazing. I have referred so many coworkers and friends to this exact trip that I'm gonna lay out for you. And honestly, everyone comes back and just says, that's amazing. I would rinse and repeat over and over again. So today I wanted to share what we did, where we stayed, and some really helpful tips if an island getaway is on your travel list this spring or summer. So our first trip, we flew into Long Beach. Um, and from there, you take a ferry with the Catalina Express. They have several ferry ports um in Southern California. Um, and we took the one right out of Long Beach. Actually, I think it's San Pedro, and it's a really quick ride from the airport. We just arranged a car transfer because at that time my kids were little and we just had like a lot of stuff. Um, the ferry ride, it's 26 miles and it takes just about an hour. I will prepare you. If you have children or you get motion sick, I would at least get some C-bans and I would sit not like upstairs outside because you can do that. I would sit like in the middle of the boat. This is still the Pacific Ocean. You know, we're not in the med. It's not a very calm sea, it's it's an ocean ride. And I just wanted to be honest with you that it can get kind of choppy. It's not unbearable. It's just something I want you to be aware of. Um, watching the California coastline for my kids fade away and seeing Catalina appear on the horizon is just magical. Um, if you can tolerate it, sit outside if the weather is nice. Um, and it's a spectacular trip. So when you arrive in Avalon, the harbor is full of boats and these colorful buildings that just line the hillside and the iconic round building of the Catalina Casino, which stands at the edge of the water. You immediately feel like you're on vacation when you get off the ferry. Um, and so when I was planning this trip, honestly, I knew nobody who had been there before. I knew nothing about it, and it was spring break, and we wanted to just go somewhere special. And so I just started, honestly, at that time I was Googling. Um, so I found these condos in Hamilton Cove. Honestly, as a family, and even if my husband and I were just going by ourselves, this is one of the best parts of the trip. So in Catalina, in Avalon, there's some really cute BBs, but if you book through, and I'll put the link in the show notes, if you book in this condo in Hamilton Cove, you can really pick your view, you can pick your location. There are a lot of steps for some of the villas, but they're built in the cliffs. They have these incredible ocean views. It's really quiet and private compared to downtown Avalon, which don't get me wrong, it's not like Avalon is this like major party scene. It's just it's super quiet. Um, there is an ocean front pool and hot tub. There is a gym, they have an actual like 18-hole professionally created mini golf. So much fun. Tennis courts, walking paths, there's private beach access. And at the time, my family and I had not traveled to Greece, but it would be as I imagined what Greece looks like. And honestly, it is. It feels like you're staying in this little European coastal village. And at night, one of the things my kids love to do is go out on the balcony and they, you know, see the California coastline just kind of glittering in the night. It was spectacular. One of the things that makes Catalina unique and so fun for kids is that there are no cars on the island. And I think the only cars that are on the island are a couple of taxis um and the LA County Sheriff's Office. But the other, the only way to get around is by golf cart. So you can rent carts through the Catalina Island sort of rental facility. But if you book a condo in Desconso, your condo comes with a golf cart. Um, and I would do it that way. It's like a one-stop shop. It's so much easier. You get to reserve ahead, um, and it just makes life easy. So when you come into Avalon, I should say like you walk to the little Hamilton Cove rental office, and then they have a taxi waiting for you to go up to your condo. When we first the first condo we stayed in was a one-bedroom. So it had like a big pullout, it had a balcony, full kitchen, washer dryer. I mean, the units are totally stocked, and we had a spectacular view. It was perfect for our family at the time because my kids did find on a pullout. Um, so this is actually, you know, like your family kind of creates these funny stories. And so we get all our stuff unloaded, and I'm like, we've got to go to the grocery store. And there is one main grocery store back in Avalon called Vaughn's, which is like a safe way. Um here's something I will say. Remember that you drove there in a golf cart because I forgot that detail, and I can't even tell you how funny it was for all of us to be holding on to something as we're driving back up to the condo with all these groceries we bought. But if you're like me, it's so important for your family to be able to make a few meals. Number one, just to kind of stay on your routine. And number two, I mean, let's face it, it's expensive to eat out. And I would much prefer to spend money on activities or lodging or save it for another trip than to spend it in a restaurant. And honestly, that's that's me. That's my preference. Um, so just remember that you went to the grocery store in a golf cart and don't be like me and think that you're, you know, arriving there in your SUV. Um, a couple of things that I always bring when I travel, I bring some snacks, I bring some, you know, easy sort of grab and go bars, chomps, whatever I can sort of fit, however, I'm getting to my destination by plane or by car. The condos, like I said, have full kitchens, full kitchens, full refrigerators. So this makes meals so easy. Um, so because we had never been to the island before, I started kind of researching what was available, and this next spot honestly became our favorite spot, and it's the Desconso Beach Club. So just imagine with me turquoise water, beach loungers, cabanas, music, food, paddle boards, snorkeling, a sandy beach. Honestly, to me, it felt like something you'd find like on the Amalfi coast or in Greece. And I'll explain the view kind of why in just a minute. Um, my pro tip is to reserve loungers early in the peak season. And when my kids, when we went there the first time, they were younger. So I got sort of front row loungers. I only reserved two, which was fine because the four of us could kind of share two loungers, and we made that like our activity for the day. So we had lunch there, it was great. They have great drinks. Um, they have like this buffalo milkshake. Um, and I feel like it had some sort of rum in it. My husband really likes that drink there, and it's just, it's such a fun day. And like I said, it's a sandy beach. Remember, I mean, it is the Pacific Ocean, so it could be warmer, but it's not going to be warm. Um, and when you're sitting there, you have this incredible view of the Catalina casino. Um, and it's called a casino, but there's actually no gambling there. And you can do a tour, and we actually did the tour because it's this incredible, you know, journey back in time of when people like in the I think the 30s and 40s would come over from like Newport or Southern California, you know, on these beautiful boats, and they would have these dance parties. And I just kind of sat there and imagined like Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack coming over, and they have so many stories. There's a massive ballroom, there's this gorgeous historic movie theater that they would show movies in. So people would boat over and then go back, and it's just spectacular. There's this beautiful art deco architecture, and it's an easy, like historical tour without dragging your kids through a museum. And I have learned that my capacity for museums and my children and my husband's capacity for museums, it's about as they get older, I would say it's a two and a half hour max if you promise a reward at the end. But at this point, I want to say the tour is maybe 90 minutes and it was fine. It wasn't a big deal. Um, more history about Catalina that's just fascinating. If you are a sports person, you may or may not know that William Wrigley Jr. once owned Catalina Island and brought the Chicago Cubs there for spring training. And so that little piece of history just gives the island an even richer story. And we did the tour, you get like in a little sprinter van um and you tour around the island and you go see their spring training location, and it was so much fun. The first time I'd have to look back for certain, but I want to say we stayed there for maybe three three nights, which was perfect. Um, just enough time for us to decide we definitely want to go back. So several years later, I want to say our first trip there was like 2018-ish, 2017-ish. And then our next trip there was actually during COVID. Um, we went with friends. We had all had trips planned somewhere else that got canceled. And so we actually went back years later um and we went with two other families. And this trip was so fun. And again, I think this is like a great group trip because you all have individual lodging and there are activities that appeal to everyone. So one of the families went parasailing over the Avalon Harbor and we watched them from our unit. Um, we actually rented a larger unit the second time because my kids were older, which had two bedrooms and actually two bathrooms, which was great. Another family did the Catalina Zipline Eco Tour. Reservations are recommended for both of those, but if you're an adventurous type of family, that is 100% for you. Um, our family, we drove down the second time because we wanted to play golf. Well, I should say my kids and my husband wanted to play golf. So while everyone was doing their own thing, we played at the historic Catalina Island golf course. Um, and it is the oldest operating golf course west of the Mississippi. It's really scenic. It has some really good canyon views. Um, I would bring extra golf balls because they are gonna get lost. Um, we had such a good time. You can rent golf carts, and my husband and kids just they loved it. They had a great time. I think like this group trip was super fun because, again, you know, we did the grocery store, we had golf carts and transportation and the gym at the place, but we would do like group family meals at night. Um, our unit had a barbecue on the deck, so we barbecued one night. It was, it was honestly just, it was so much fun. And I think again, what makes Catalina so special isn't just the views, um, it's the pace. You know, things slow down there. There's no cars. You really feel like you just got this incredible escape that even though you're on an island, it's not necessarily tropical, it's more Mediterranean. You really slow down there, you walk everywhere, you spend time on the water, there's outdoor restaurants, the sunsets are incredible, and you can just enjoy being there. Um, and now that I've done this, you know, little quick podcast, I'm like, man, we should plan another trip back there. If you asked my kids, you could go anywhere in California, they would absolutely say Catalina Island or where we go in San Diego. I mean, it's just it's an easy trip, and I just can't say enough. Um, it's so close. You could easily do a weekend trip that just feels like a true getaway. If you have kids, take them when they're young because that ferry ride, you know, it just feels like they're having this amazing experience. The golf cart drives, the beach days, and they just kind of become the memories, you know, that are like in our travel tapestry as a family. Um, I will include some links in show notes to give you all the details, but I can't wait to hear number one, if you've been to Catalina, or number two, if this inspired you to book a trip there. Um, thank you so much for listening. I'm so excited to kind of see where you know everyone goes for their spring break trip. And of course, thank you as always for being here. I'll talk to you soon.