*updated*

How had I Not Gone Yet?

I’m not exactly sure how I’ve live in LA for six years and have never once been to Catalina Island. I think – I always thought it was a summer only destination and summers were always so busy. It was also one of those places that I kept putting off, saying “well, in August we are definitely going to Catalina”… and then August would come and go and I wouldn’t have gone. It is the type of place that is so close to your home you almost  forget about it when considering travel destinations.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this way of thinking- in fact, many of my friends haven’t been to Catalina and others haven’t been in years. (Is there a place like that around your city?)

So, when Bob and I finally arrived in Long Beach for our one hour ferry ride to the island, I was pumped. Even though I had never been before, I knew I was going to love Catalina.

And the thing is, why wouldn’t I love it?  It really has everything I enjoy doing all on one 75 mile island. It has gorgeous, super clear water- perfect for snorkeling and kayaking. It has seals and sea lions and dolphins that swim and play right off the coast (you know how much I love marine biology and animals in general). It has miles and miles of hiking, with clean we-are-no-where-near-a-freeway– air. It has a cute little town center, with houses that are speckled in the mountains similar to places in Italy. Most restaurants serve fish and chips AND fish tacos, my two favorite foods. Seriously, the list goes on and on.

Getting to Catalina via Ferry

Ok, there are actually a few different ways to get to Catalina Island, but just Googling the answer is going to maybe seem a bit confusing because not every port is serviced by every ferry company – so sometimes it may seem like certain things are unavailable, when they’re just on some other page.

• Just to make this as simple as possible, the most up-to-date info can be found on the official Catalina Tourism page. If you have any questions about recent additions or ferry closures, that’s going to be the most succinct place to get answers.
• Also, there is handful of non-Ferry options to get to the island. Aside from private flights, you can take a helicopter from Long Beach, San Pedro, Burbank Airport and John Wayne Airport/SNA. We’ve never taken this option…it’s a lot faster and roughly 4x more expensive than the ferry.

Alright, there are currently 4 terminal options for Catalina Island bound ferries :

• San Pedro
• Long Beach
• Dana Point
• Newport Beach

Each ferry takes roughly an hour to reach Avalon – while San Pedro also offers ferries to Two Harbors at about the same length.

The Most Popular Times : Are the convenient times for early and late travel. What that means is that the 6am ferry departure usually has availability while the 8am or 9am can sell out.

Parking : Check with your specific port before booking your passage, but – as of this writing – the ports all have nearby parking at roughly $20 a day.

*Heads Up* One thing that stuck out to me about our trip was that our bags were searched by a drug dog (all the bags were) while we were on board…that wasn’t really mentioned anywhere beforehand.

 

First Impressions of Catalina Island:

– It is WAY bigger than I thought. Since pictures online often highlight Avalon, I didn’t fully realize the whole “interior” section existed. And while you can walk around Avalon, you definitely need to take a tour or go on a long camping/hiking trip to fully experience the island.

– Tons of animal encounters. From the under sea tour, glass bottom boats, snorkeling, kayaking and even just looking out into the ocean from the beach, you can see sea lions, seals and dolphins swimming in the water. There are schools of fish everywhere, making it very easy for the seals and sea lions to fish. From the Zip-Line tour you can see bald eagles or the Catalina Island fox- which has been around the island for over 4000 years. In the interior you can take tours to show you the legendary bison, that were originally brought over for a movie filming and then left there. (Not to worry, they reproduced like crazy and actually have a great home on the island.)

– Avalon reminds me of Cinque Terre… with a little Panama City Beach thrown in. It is romantic and fun-colorful buildings line the coast and the main mode of transportation is a golf cart- but it is also frequented by cruise ship passengers and spring breakers, making port days more of a party town.

– There are more than enough activities to make this a weekend destination. We spent two full days there exploring Avalon, kayaking, zip-lining, under sea tour, hung out at the beach, driving our golf cart around town and we still  didn’t have time to go to the Botancial Gardens, the Airport in the Sky, hiking the interior or see a bison. A return trip is a must!

Have you ever been to Catalina Island? If so, please let me know what to do on my return visit!.

**In full disclosure, we had the pleasure of visiting Catalina Island to film a video for Expedia, which you can read all about here.