Catalina Island
 

My wife and I are thinking of spending two nights in Catalina towards the end of July. Any suggestions on Hotels or Condos. I prefer mid to upper range places that are quiet.

Hi Ray- I was very disappointed by Catalina and the hotels on the island- decidedly middle to lower on the quality range. It was not a nice place to visit.

For a quiet, nice hotel, I'd suggest the Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel. It sits up on a hill above the marina. Very relaxing to enjoy a drink along the veranda while enjoying the sunset. Only 15 or 16 rooms and the owner lives there on the premises.<BR>

We just returned from Catalina and had a great time. Yes, some of the hotels are not "top of the line" and we even had a waitress say "ick" when we told her where we were staying. It really was not that bad at all...very clean, but modest. As a matter of fact, we went into various hotels during our visit to plan our return trip, because we had so much fun on the island(sorry, I don't have the literature on hand to tell you the names right now!) <BR><BR>Zane Grey, on the other hand, is very nice, just a little further away from the main strip of shops, beach and other hotels.<BR><BR>Go with sightseer's suggestion!<BR><BR>

The very posh choice on Catalina is the Inn on Mt. Ada, but with a very limited number of rooms, you need to book way ahead. We enjoyed the Portofino Inn. There's not a whole lot to do but it sure forces you to relax. For great huevos rancheros go to the little shack at the beginning of the golf course.

Has anyone heard about Catalina being a party place now? Where can I find a fun bar?

Amy is right, the majority of the hotels on Catalina are rather 'dumpy' compared to how much they charge in the summer months, especially on weekends. Both the Inn on Mt. Ada or Zane Grey would be quiet (located up on hills away from the main part of Avalon) and both have very nice views. I would consider the Zane Grey to be more mid-range vs. Mt. Ada which is more upscale. Another option would be to stay in Two Harbors at the other end of the island - definitely very quiet, but not much to do other than beach/water activities/hiking - very relaxing though. There is one B&B type lodge here along with some camp facilities, one grocery store and restaurant.

Try doing a Hamilton Cove web search. There are beautiful condos that are overlooking the bay. We actually prefer the casitas you can rent through the rental agencies. we have stayed at some less than elegant places, you just have to look around while you are there to find what appeals to you. We enjoy the beach and watersports there.(IMO) The big draw is natural beauty, history and the beach scene not the accomodations.<BR>Luau Larry's is a great bar for fun.achel, I am assuming you are younger than us old folks though..My daughter is 27 and she enjoys several of the nightclub/bars on the islands. You will have a great time (in the summer).