The Avalon Hotel
(revised March 2016)
Did you just visit Catalina by cruise ship and now you want to go back? Where should you stay?
With only 15 rooms, The Avalon Hotel on Catalina Island is a premier boutique inn offering quaint island-luxury.
Spacious deck off the guest room. You can see a cruise ship in the distance.
While cruising might be the reason why we visited, Avalon is why I choose to return.
My first encounter with Catalina Island was for the day while enjoying a port of call on a cruise ship vacation. The size of the port made it very easy to negotiate on foot and there were plenty of activities to keep me occupied. When the all-aboard horn sounded it’s last blast, I sailed away wanting to return.
Lucky for me, I live a quick boat ride away from Catalina. Less than 70 minutes via the Catalina Flyer, I returned to Avalon for a couple of days to check out the port sans the ship.
Avalon Hotel Overview
The Avalon Hotel has private balcony rooms, free breakfast, and deluxe lodging amenities.
The property is a classic Craftsman -style building that has been recently refurbished. I should mention that the building, like a lot of the historic landmarks on island, was once the Pilgrim Club. The Pilgrim Club, one of Catalina’s most luxurious places for gentlemen to gamble, was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1915. The Avalon Hotel was built on the same location as the Pilgrim Club.
A room with a view
The property is very close to the beach and has the most amazing views from the rooftop terrace. The Casino Building and sweeping views of the harbor are hard to beat.
Luxury amenities and quality service make a stay at the boutique property worth the price of admission. Details like hand-crafted tile accents, stained-glass windows, a nicely landscaped courtyard with Koi pond and fire pit make this bed and breakfast feel like home.
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