For those that know Step Brothers, you know exactly how the title of this is said. If you don't that's ok too! Last minute we decided to take a trip to Catalina Island. This trip you have to book your ferry reservation in advance and time slots can fill up. Round trip it is 74.50/person. We ended up taking the ferry over to Avalon around 12pm on a Sunday from Long Beach and came back on Monday evening. This is definitely enough time to explore the island unless you want to hike.
Catalina Island is southwest of Los Angeles and there are ferries to the respective cities of Two Harbors and Avalon. Avalon is the bigger city of the two, and when I say bigger, the population was around 3,700 in 2019. The Catalina Island Conservancy manages about 80% of this island and there is a Trans Catalina Trail which is 37.2 miles. On an island that is only 22 miles long by 8 miles wide, you cover pretty much everything on that hike! The island has mostly golf carts for cars and there is a waiting list for people to get their car over to the island!
Our first stop that morning before getting on the ferry was Dog Haus for some hot dogs and burritos!
Then to the ferry we went! You can park here overnight while you are on the island for $19. Some people suggested that you should find parking elsewhere so it is cheaper, but for convenience and timing, parking here was best for us. The boat pictured below is not the ferry. It is the Queen Mary, a retired British ocean liner and the maiden voyage was in 1936.
I have to say, the ferry made me extremely nauseated and Meredith said the same. The ferry rides to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket I handled without a problem, but this boat was a huge surprise for us and there were some other people feeling the same. So for those who get sea sick, bring medication or whatever you need to get you through it! We were very relieved when we saw land!
Once we got on the island we realized why everyone said you can cover everything in 2 days at most. The city of Avalon is very small and you can walk to pretty much everything! After we checked into our hotel, the Catalina Island Inn, we went for a walk to check out the island. We walked by the Casino Ball room and walked all the way to the Descanso Beach Club.
On our walk back, we stopped at the Naughty Fox which our friends recommended. They also said we need to try Buffalo Milk!
It reminded me a lot of a Mudslide which are always delicious on a hot day. After this, we checked out a few shops on Crescent Ave and Aaron bought ice cream.
That evening we headed out to a few places in Avalon!
We wanted to eat on the water so went to Maggie's Blue Road Mexican. We ordered some nachos and a few drinks.
Then we went to the Hotel Metropole for a drink and appetizer too!
Hotel Metropole, Maggie's Blue Road Mexican, and the Naughty Fox are great, but we highly do not recommend Coyote Joe's Bar & Restaurant. Our friends went there and said for us not to go, but we wanted to check it out since they had music playing and it was open, mostly everything closes at 8 or 9pm. Well, our margarita pitcher was cheap and horrible, not worth it. We also asked for chips and queso and we were served and charged $10 for chips with melted shredded cheese...
We also stopped at a candy shop since it was open and there wasn't much else to do. We went home with lots of hubba bubba!
The next day we were bummed to find out that our hotel does not allow you to keep your luggage there after you check out of your room. So we walked to the ferry where you can store your bags for around $10 and have to pick them back up at 7pm. Afterwards, we walked over to Island Golf Rentals to rent golf carts and tour around a little outside of Avalon. For $50/hour you can take the golf cart, but if you take it for 2 hours, you get the 3rd hour free. For us, 1 hour was long enough. You could take it to the Botanical Garden and walk around the garden or take the gold cart for a hike making the deal a great option!
There are lots of places to stop and take pictures along the drive. You also pass the Wrigley Mansion, Mt. Ada. This was built in the early 1900's and now is a hotel. This is the closest we got.
Then we continued our drive.
We drove up to the Wrigley Memorial and Botanic Garden.
Then continued the drive up the mountains and back down into town.
And of course, I had to take a picture of the Bell Tower for my brother who loves them!
After we returned the golf carts, we headed over to the Descanso Beach Club.
Our friends recommended us renting lawn chairs which ended up being totally worth it (link here: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/visitcatalinaisland/2050?cal=true&venueidlist=7377) ! You get a free smoothie and waters, a towel, and a comfy lawn chair to relax on for 5 hours. You have your own server so you can order food and drinks as you please. Meredith and I had the poke bowl and Aaron got the brisket burger. Everything was great!
The drinks were delicious too! The water here is very cold. Aaron and I were too chicken to get in, but Meredith said once you get past your legs being numb it isn't so bad!
Our last stop was Bluewater Avalon for dinner. Definitely the best place to eat!
Then we boarded the ferry and headed back to LA.
This trip was so much fun and sadly, it was the last trip of the trio. Meredith accepted a travel assignment closer to home and a few weeks later Aaron and I accepted a job in Reno, NV!! We are so happy Meredith joined us in our travels. It was a lot of fun having my boyfriend and one of my best friends to travel and explore with. Now, it is back to Aaron and I exploring some new terrain all summer. Be on the look out for more posts!
Comments