On a clear day, I can see Catalina Island from the grounds of my Los Angeles apartment. Want to know how many times I’ve been there in the last 20 years? Twice.
For whatever reason, Catalina, located just 26 miles off the coast of California, hardly ever registers in Los Angelinos’ minds as a place to go for the weekend. In fact, most people don’t even know if there are hotels and restaurants on the island.
I had a vague idea that such things existed, but assumed they were rather rundown, if operating at all. Well, according to an article by Beverly Beyette in the LA Times, Catalina has both restaurants and hotels. But are they worth the boat ride over?
Beyette visited nearly all of the 28 establishments offering accommodations and found far too many were far too expensive and indeed, a bit rundown. Many didn’t have any air-conditioning, for example, and others smelled of mold. Although she ends up recommending a small handful of places at the end of the article, she gave none of them a glowing recommendation (except, perhaps, the $599 a night, Clark Gable Suite at the Glenmore Plaza Hotel).
Beyette did, however, have much better luck in her search for good food. Much of it was pub food or fast food, but was decent nonetheless. Again, no glowing reviews but the food in general seemed more palatable than the hotel options.
With this in mind, my next journey to Catalina will probably be a day trip only. In the meantime, there remains nothing to draw me there for a weekend getaway–which is a great pity for such a lovely island so very close to my home.