Catalina Islands CA

Bonus: Catalina Island can be done on a shoestring budget!

You'd never know it in the peak of tourist season, (weekends June through October) but for three quarters of the year the hotels in Avalon compete pretty fiercely for your accommodation dollars. Even the two top hotels on the strip, the Hotel Metropole & the Avalon, (both excellent, historical, and nestled among the heart of the shopping district) can battle their prices down to the point where you and your family can stay in a suite for under $100 a night. I have personally stayed in a nice hotel just 1 block away from those two for $45 a night.

Need to stay cheaper than that? There are tons of camping areas dotted across the entire island. There is also a hostel in Two Harbors, the smaller of the two cities on Catalina Island.

If you're looking for more noteworthy accommodations than these, the Avalon valley has two very famous hotels as well, although they are not within walking distance of the main strip. (You can easily catch a taxi-cart up to either one for three dollars, however.) The Zane Grey hotel, which was owned by the famous author, is sitting on the north slope overlooking Avalon. The other, atop the mountain on the south of the valley is the Inn on Mt. Ada, which is the most historical, interesting, and by far expensive place to stay on the island... Of course it comes with all meals paid for, and guests get their own golf carts to drive around town, too. You get quite a lot for what you pay there.

Catalina Island Hotels example Hotel Vista Del Mar

Getting back to my point, however, I should mention that Catalina Island is not a vacation spot restricted to the rich. Anyone who can afford to cross the 22-mile expanse between Long Beach and this amazing island can have an unforgettable holiday there for next to nothing. All the beaches are free, there are plenty of free places to drop your anchor near shore, and there is nowhere on the entire island to hike or explore that could possibly be described as 'boring.'

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