In one square mile, Avalon has more than 30 hotels from which to choose; selecting one depends on your lodging taste. As a whole, the hotels in this small city accommodate the entire tourist market by providing a selection of economical to extravagant lodging options ranging from $35 to $550 per night. The less expensive hotels typically maintain original structure and lore, offering a straight forward, no frills approach to lodging. Other mid to high end establishments have been gutted and refurbished with modern amenities, such as fireplaces and whirlpool hot tubs, to emphasize a finer class of living.


Inn on Mount Ada



Banning House Lodge
 Within the mix of lodging options are romantic getaways, bed and breakfast establishments, hotels of historical significance, hillside mansions, share-bath bungalows, and ocean front resorts. The fun is choosing a hotel that is right for you.


Catalina Island, All You Need To Know, is the first book ever to take an unbiased, parrell look at every hotel on the island. No hotel enterprise (or any business for that matter) paid to be listed in the book. We were therefore able to take an honest look at what Catalina had to offer in the way of hotels. For each hotel, we use the following table grid:
  • When built
  • Map location
  • Motif
  • Number of rooms
  • Number of rooms with an ocean view
  • Hotel features
  • Address
  • Phone
  • Hotel rules
  • Rate category
  • General comments

    • The scan to the right is an actual piece from the book to give you an idea of how the information is presented.


    Catalina Island, All You Need To Know also discusses considerations one should be aware of when selecting a hotel. These include:

  • Ocean View:.........Not all hotels at Catalina have ocean views, and some that claim they do are often referring to a partial view. If a clear panorama of the bay is preferred, then guests should expressly petition it when making hotel reservations. Otherwise, a neighboring building may be your scenery. The number of rooms with an ocean view is depicted in the individual hotel descriptions as "Rooms W/OV" and in the quick reference at the end of this chapter.
  • Rest rooms: A few hotels are "share-bath......"
  • Amenities: Many hotels are equipped with varying amenities......
  • Rates: Hotel rates vary depending on how modern the facility is, what amenities are provided, how much of an ocean view the room has.......
  • Package Rates: Many island hotels offer special rate packages that may save their guests money. A package example might include........
  • Creating your own weekend package: A convenient feature most hotels tout is the option for guests to devise their own packages. This generally includes......
  • Booking a Room: Seasonal variations dictate how soon to book a room.....
  • Minimum stay policy: Varies with the seasons, but here is what to look for......
  • Cancellation policy: Cancellation policies can be very severe and unpleasantly surprising if you are unaware of the costly consequences......
  • Loud noise: The city of Avalon has a 10:30 p.m. noise abatement policy in which......
  • Scuba Amenities: Divers bringing scuba equipment to Catalina should first make sure that the hotel they are querying has facilities to store bulk, wet items. Many lack.......
  • There are three main lodging factors to consider if bringing diving gear to Catalina Island:
  • Storage lockers: Ask specifically if.......
  • Rinsing facilities: Some hotels catering to divers.....
  • Shuttle service: Investigate whether your chosen hotel.....

    		•  And in keeping with our objective to provide user friendly information, we have summarized each hotel in a quick reference, a small segment of which is shown here.