Catalina Islands CA

Since you don't need any other transportation that your own feet in tiny Avalon, you can literally keep all of your bags in the hotel room and just walk between them all, in less time than you'd expect. The ideal setup of the main strip along the Avalon Beach is one of the leading reasons that Catalina is such a paradise.

The giant, art-deco Casino building, right on the beach, was built in the roaring 20s as a dance hall & movie theater. ("Casino" didn't mean gambling yet when they named it.)

Easily within walking distance of your hotel, this giant, round building that sits up on the north end of the Avalon strip is the most obvious landmark in Avalon. It has offers movies, tours, and there's even a museum in the basement, detailing the whole fascinating history of Catalina Island.

Just outside the casino are the Island's most famous SCUBA launches. They've even built a giant stone staircase right down into the ocean for beginning divers... All year round divers from all over the globe can be found here, or basically anywhere around the island diving in some of the most incredibly clear water there is to be found. Naturally, there is no short supply of diving gear, shops, and tours on nearby “pleasure pier.”

Just on the other side of the Casino is a fantastic, thatch-lined beach that has been the setting for countless Hollywood movies. Relax and catch some rays there while a tiki bar attendant brings you that coconut-encased cocktail that you've always fantasized about.

Naturally, where there are beaches, surfing isn't that far away. Facing the mainland, as that beach does, there is still enough of a swell to have a fun afternoon 22 miles out from L.A. However, if you take a short trip to the west side of the island, you'll have access to some pristine, untouched beaches with waves that rival no less than Hawaii’s better beaches on a good day!

Beach in Catalina Islands CA

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