Located at the entrance of the Green Pleasure Pier on Catalina Island, the visitor center was…read moremanned by two friendly guides during our day visit to the island. Since we were part of the 4,000 people coming onshore from the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas, it was quite busy inside (assuming for the whole day) but the ladies seemed to be handling it with no problem. There are self-serve pamphlets for all the various attractions on the island. My brother's particular question was around getting info for the jet ski tour from Long Beach to Catalina. The guide explained that those originate from Long Beach, and that the jet ski tour guides here in Avalon provide one hour tours around the island. That was enough info to point us in the right direction, and we continued on our way.

The worst visitor center I've ever entered in all my travels across the USA and even…read moreinternationally! This place should be embarrassed! Shortly after arriving on Catalina island, we discovered that we somehow didn't have a ticket back to the mainland. After trying to book a ticket back, and finding nothing but fully booked Catalina Express boats, I came to the visitor center assuming they would be able to help with methods of transportation off this island and back to the mainland. The answer I got from the woman working behind the counter was, "Here's a brochure. Scan the QR code. You can contact Catalina Express or take the helicopter, but I don't know their availability." What kind of answer is that?!?!?!?! Here, scan a QR code? Seriously?????? I even asked this lady about the airport and she couldn't even tell me when they close for the day. Couldn't even tell me if there were private planes or private jets that fly in and out of this airport. How can you be working at a visitor center and not be able to answer basic questions about the airport? I needed to get off this island! I was ready to pay $1,000 or more to get home at the end of the night. This lady was completely incompetent and offered zero help and clearly demonstrated she had zero knowledge. After leaving the visitor center, I had to call a family member on the mainland and have them help find me a ride off this island! Within 1 hour, I had a ticket on the 7:45 PM Catalina Express. So here I am sitting at home, back on the mainland writing this review.....no thanks to anyone on this island, especially nobody from the visitor center! ZERO stars!

On a one day visit to Catalina Island, there is so much to do, see and eat…read more To start, rent a golf cart or wear good walking shoes because this port is not too big for tourist exploration. There is also a "Circuit" ride share that will take you around the island for $2 per person. Coming in by tender from a cruise ship is great. The docking area is in town and so close to everything. I exited the tender and walked along the waterfront where I passed a few children's playgrounds with a pirate theme. Then on to where the golf carts are rented. I walked to the pier (Green Pier) where there are bathrooms and many small shops all hoping for the tourist business. They carry the typical port souvenirs. After a long walk on this short pier I got to the end where there is many people fishing with poles and the little set ups they will sell you for a few dollars and the bait too. There are plenty of benches to sit and watch the boat come in and out of the harbour. There is a small beach area that has lots of pretty colored little rocks along the shoreline. The walk to the round Casino Building is pretty much the end of the road before a mountainside resort. I passed by some waterfront restaurants that were even crowded on a cloudy day. My walk back to the tender was quick and the ride back to the cruise ship was also pretty nice and calm.

Catalina island interior is the best place to experience nature without having to travel far. We…read morehave toured the interior quite a few times. We booked a tour once to see bisons but didn't get to see animals cause it was raining. The tours we went by ourselves were much better! We saw many wild animals including bisons! The interior vineyard is so beautiful. The trips were very enjoyable but a bit of too much sun for me. Wear sunscreen and a hat to prevent sun exposure! Keep in mind that it takes 20 years to be able to buy a real car on island. Only one golf cart is allowed per residence. There are no spaces for real cars and more golf carts in Avalon. Our family and friends live here so they have a real car to take us to interiors. Yes you will need a real car to do that! Avalon has enough restaurants and bars to hang out. Casino is also a movie theater to show older movies on certain weekend evenings. They offer tours of this historic casino too. They host NYE gala every year. Beach club is great for summer times. Museum is small but still worth taking a tour. Too bad the spa has closed down, we used to go there all the time. This island has so much to offer. It's the best place for a lot of fun just a ferry ride away!

Orlando was excellent guide. He made the 2.5 hour private family trip for 6 appealing to all ages…read morewith his knowledge and fun personality!

Great experience getting picked up at Little Harbor campground and going to Avalon. The car was…read morenice and clean, there was water waiting for us, the communication was good and the ride was punctual! Would definitely recommend.

Two words: Spectacular. Christian!…read more We had probably the most informed, energetic and humble tour guide in all of our journeys. Christian had a profound knowledge of the ecology, biology and sociology of Catalina island. And his driving was top notch!

I went in the Catalina Eco Tour and it was awesome. Our driver Tom was incredibly knowledgeable…read moreabout the island history and wildlife. We got very lucky and saw about 12 Bison, an Island Fox and a Bald Eagle. This group is really fantastic and I can't recommend them enough.

Ok, so being one of the last rooms on the island for not nine million dollars , here is my review…read more I grew up in Avalon in a fancy house on the flats so take my word for it. Legit review. It's a steep hill so if you don't want that, don't come here. Rooms are outdated but again, you're in Avalon the most beautiful place on earth. Do we really care about the room as long as it's clean? Room- clean and tidy and a kitchenette. I had issues twice with my keys and Ivan immediately arrived to fix it for me. Shout out to Ivan as both times it was off hours for him. Ivan tries really hard. So, being a girl that grew up on Descanso Ave ? Which house now goes for 1425.00 a night ? Absolutely go. For the money, it's worth it.

stayed here over a holiday weekend. first room we were given had roaches in the kitchen. revived a…read morequick response when we contacted the after hours line and they offered to move us the next morning and refund one night. we did get moved to a room without roaches, but never received our refund even after calling and texting many times. to this day i have received no response from the hotel on that refund.

Catalina can be SO amazing - but also SO expensive! I waited until the last minute for booking a…read morefriend's 40th birthday weekend in august and we were totally out of luck in finding a hotel within reason. I'm a pretty seasoned car camper but I have never backpacked so I was a little intimidated by the concept of camping on Catalina... BUT when I realized Hermit Gulch had Tent CABINS complete with cots, stoves and lanterns for less than $300/night (going rate for hotel) - my prayers were answered! From the website: The only campground in Avalon is tucked into scenic Avalon Canyon about two miles from downtown shops and restaurants. Instead of hitting the trail right off the boat, many hikers spend the night here to get an early-morning start on their Trans-Catalina Trail adventure. Amenities: 40 tent sites and 7 tent cabins, potable water, coin-op hot showers, restrooms, picnic tables, BBQs. No open fires. Wax logs and charcoal fires permitted in BBQs. Ranger on site. Pros: - Check-in time is 2pm- & Check-out time is 11 am. - Loud or amplified sound and music, including radios, are not permitted. - Tent cabins so spacious! literally 6 fully functional cots and walking room. - Come with stove, propane & lantern! - Picnic tables outside tent so nice to eat/play games at. - Host present from 10-5p with a little supply shop for some items. - Easy trolley ride from the harbor up to the campground with your gear. - Only about a mile walk to the store/downtown. - Tent cabins - $75/night + $29 per person/per night fee + tax. - The Trans Catalina Trail is easy to get to! - Not many bugs Cons: - fires and smoking are permitted in the BBQ and fire ring areas only. - No Pets are allowed at Hermits Gulch Campground. - Walk was an incline on the way back from the store. - No fires makes for a less enjoyable camping experience. - Not great service at the campsite so be aware. - Tent gets warm in the day but you should be at the beach anyway! Recommendations - Book the summer months so you have more daylight! - Bring a backpack chair to walk down to the beach for the day. - Think of it like backpacking with the bonus that you don't have to bring a tent, sleeping pad, and you will not be disappointed! All in all, I'm stoked I got this glamping experience on Catalina Island and highly recommend it for your next summer adventure!

Absolutely loved this campground. We have been here twice. Once we stayed in a tent and the second…read morewe stayed in the yurt. When we stayed by the yurt, there were some baby foxes that were literally right next to our campsite. They even went in the yurt, but they were harmless and we were not there at the moment. We did see them run out though. The little shop they have there is really neat and has a little bit of everything you will need. Our kids took the bikes and it was a nice little ride for them to get back onto the main street. We took the hiking trail up to the top. It was breathtaking and just so awesome. And I say breathtaking because I'm a little out of shape and it literally took my breath away lol but it was a great achievement for my husband and my son for us to do! Can't wait to come back!

Room was nice enough. Bed was really comfortable. Turn down service was nice. Continental breakfast…read morewas very basic. Jacuzzi on the rooftop is very small. Nothing really notable honestly. Wouldn't make point to stay here again but wouldnt mind it either.

My daughter and I stayed at this hotel for two nights in September, and we really enjoyed our stay…read more The room was located on the fourth floor facing the courtyard and had a view of the water and a small balcony. We didn't hear any noise from the courtyard. The location is great with easy walking access to all of Avalon's attractions, shops, restaurants, and the boat dock for the ferry. The room was large with a comfortable bed, mini-refrigerator, and table. The dressing area was outside the bathroom and spacious. The provided breakfast consisted of parties, bread, jams, cereals, and oatmeal, as well as coffee and tea. It was sufficient for us. Staff were friendly and accommodating. Our room rate was higher than we usually spend, but we were celebrating my daughter's birthday, so we splurged. They provided a bottle of champagne to wish her happy birthday.

My husband and I stayed here on June 16-19, 2025. We came to the Bellanca a few years ago in Winter…read moreand loved it, loved our room, loved the hotel. We wanted the same experience and the same room. We got a Studio Suite room in the back of the hotel in the upper private area. The last time we stayed here, our room seemed bigger, and I was a bit disappointed about how small the room seemed compared to last time, but we ended up really enjoying our stay. The room was clean, although housekeeping did not clean our room the first time we asked the front desk. Before our third and final night, we went up to the front desk and told them we were extremely upset our room was not clean the day before when we had asked them to clean it so they promptly came up and cleaned our room. The linens were clean, white, and fresh and the robe was nice though short. The towels were comfy and clean and they gave us more towels when our room wasn't clean the second night we stayed after we asked them. The outside the patio was amazing. We had a gorgeous view of the city behind us and the ocean in front of us. We loved to sit outside in the comfy chairs and just soak up the view and drink coffee/tea that was provided for us with a Kuerig machine. We had plenty of free water bottles and ice and kept asking for more and more because we drink like fish and they gave it to us all for free. The room had a couch and a little table, but the table was too short for my husband to use his laptop. He said he would have liked a bigger table, but we made do with what we had. Also, there were no nightstands in the room and the closet space was very, very small, just a small wooden box in the room with only enough space to hang our jackets. There were no real drawers to place our clothes in so we left them in the luggage the entire time. The bathroom was made of beautiful Italian marble with a large bathtub that we filled to the top with warm water for our nightly bath soaks. The only thing we didn't like about the bathroom was that the toilet was right next to the wall, giving us little room to sit and do our business and the sink had no area around it to place our bathroom essentials except for a really, really small glass area above the sink to place our toothbrushes. We took really long naps while we were there with the air conditioner on full blast and really loved our bed. It was sooooo comfortable. Also, our room had a refrigerator where we placed food we bought from the market and left over food from the restaurant. We are definitely coming back again to the Bellanca hotel for a simlar Studio Suite room, hopefully next time, a bigger one light last time, but even though there were things we didn't like about this room, we may request the same room again because the view outside looking towards the ocean was amazing. Oh, and the hotel gave us two free drink vouchers worth $15 each for mixed drinks at the Naughty Fox which we used and enjoyed.

Hotel staff is rude. They charged extra to check in 30 minutes early even though the room was clean…read moredna empty and waiting. for close to $1000 per night, the bathrooms are old and dingy -- like from the 70s. The internet sucks and the front desk is useless. They sent text messages to ask about our stay and when I replied, they ignored me. Customer service not good.

We had a fantastic day. Christian was super as our driver/narrator/entertainer and all around good…read moreguy! We thoroughly enjoyed our ride with him. Pass along our thanks. Great tour.

Cute little excursion if you are visiting Catalina , where you view 3 areas where local fish…read moreschool. 5 minute easy walk from the tender port. Found the vendor via Viator 12:45pm departure , be there by 12:30 , was a relaxed, comfortable 45 minutes cruise with a view below water level. Bought 3 fish food shots for $5. Weather in the 70's it was a cool experience checking out the fish.

Our driver Andrew gave us the most fun, energetic, adventurous, HUMOROUS ride!!!! Highly…read morerecommended for two hours to the top of the island! Saddle Up People!

This is an underrated and under-reviewed experience. On a practical level, it's transportation,…read morebut it's also a scenic byway across Catalina Island - probably than 1% of Catalina visitors ever journey across the Island by Safari Bus. The Safari Bus, which can be anything from an 8-passenger van to a "retired" school bus will take you on an approx. 2-hour journey between Avalon and Two Harbors (which is approx. 14 miles as the crow flies, but much longer via windy roads.) So a huge percentage (like 75% or more of the Island is owned by the Catalina Conservancy and is protected from new development. The Safari Bus is the only way I know that you can visit the "interior" (aka Conservancy property) without obtaining a permit (hikers and other can obtain permits for a modest fee in either Avalon or Two Harbors.) Some of the windy roads on the Island are hairpin turns with little or no road edge and no guardrail. Rest assured that your drivers are natives who could probably drive the road with their eyes closed (they don't) but if you have anyone really skittish about heights, put them in the middle seat :) Along your route, you are very likely to see the bison (non-native, but now so iconic that they remain, albeit on birth control :) and the native Catalina fox (very small and VERY cute.) Most of the vans/buses will not have A/C, and their shocks are pretty worn. The roads are just as worn, so be prepared for a pretty bumpy ride. You'll pretty much stay under 25 mph, though. The bus runs Avalon-Two Harbors approx. 1-4 times a day, with a lot of runs in the peak season (late June - Labor Day), and fewer in the shoulder season (spring/fall) and fewer still in winter. It's best to make reservations if it's critical to take the bus. In the summer, buses are regularly full and you might miss out. You can make reservations online through the Santa Catalina Island Company website (they operate most of the touristy things on the Island) or at the kiosk in Avalon, or the check-in office in Two Harbors. The website is (currently) weird. (many things on the Island are!) You have to book each leg separately. Know that the legs are 1) Avalon, 2) Blackjack/Airport, 3) Little Harbor and 4) Two Harbors (or the reverse if traveling the other direction) and you'll figure out which leg(s) to book. From Avalon, you ride about 45 minutes to the Catalina Airport. Blackjack campground is nearby - if there are campers to be picked up/dropped off, they'll stop here briefly, too (not very common, because Blackjack doesn't have much shade and is not close to the water. It's mostly a stopping point for those hiking the Trans Catalina Trail.) You don't usually take the same van/bus all the way. One van does the Avalon-Airport leg and another does the Airport-Two Harbors leg. You will disembark at the Airport and have a 20-30 minute wait for the next van. There's a counter service grill restaurant and a gift shop. If you want food, order it right away so that it's ready before you depart. There's some nice seating outside with a great view. The second van will take you from the Airport to Two Harbors and will usually stop at Little Harbor on the way. The second leg is about 30-45 minutes. Little Harbor is beautiful, remote beach camping on the west side of the Island (see my separate review.) Nothing but firewood and water can be obtained there, so the Safari Bus driver may stop in Little Harbor to pick up passengers, to drop something off to campers, or to take reservations from them (I don't think any cell phones work here.) Little Harbor is especially gorgeous after the Spring rains - it's lush and green and stunning. P.S. There's a separate service that will deliver kayaks and other gear to you in Little Harbor. Lastly, the Safari Bus has some limits on gear (I think it's two items per person, not including a small personal item.) In the summer, they are more likely to be strict about this due to sold-out trips. It's best to consolidate your gear as much as possible. Lastly, it's nice to tip your driver(s). Bring some cash for two drivers/each leg. Enjoy!