Catalina Island is an island outside of California, which is an hour away from Newport Beach CA. Departures are available at San Pedro, Long Beach, Dana Point, and Newport Beach and there’s usually a deal on Groupon for deals on the Catalina Flyer.
Did you know that Catalina Island is considered part of California and also in the Los Angeles County!? I was shocked when I learned that because I never put any thought into it. I just thought it was considered Catalina County!
We departed from Newport Beach CA and got onto the Catalina Flyer which was really packed, but thankfully we got lucky enough to get the 2nd floor seating where you could view the sea from the outside but not in the direct sunlight. Be sure you get to your departure location an hour early as there will be a long line of eager travelers with their suitcases, luggage, pets, and their backpacking packs.
While we were heading to Catalina, there was a nice elderly man sitting next to us and shared stories of when he was in Catalina and also when he used to travel somewhere in the Mediterranean. He told us that his friend who’s around 40 likes to go to Catalina and in the Mediterranean to dive. He noticed a gold coin necklace he had on and asked him where he bought it from. So the story goes like this. There was a time where he went and found a lot of historical treasures while diving but he contacted the museum of the country to hand over the gold coins. He gave it all away except one in which he slipped it onto his sleaves. And that’s how that gold coin necklace came about.
I was worried about one thing and that was the possibility of getting sea sick from the movement but the key is to focus on something far away like looking out to the ocean.
It was my first everything! First time seeing flying fishes, first time boat ride and luckily I didn’t get sea sick, first time visiting beautiful Catalina Island, riding on a golf cart, and much more. “G” was last here many years ago so he didn’t remember what there was to do so it was like our first Catalina trip together.
We Googled Catalina Island activities and saw a long list of things to do. I learned you need to pay for the activities here such as renting golf carts which are $40 for 2 hour limit, Zip Lining is around $80(?), and the submarine ride is around $30+, the Jeep Safari is around $80, paddle boarding and snorkeling costs a lot but of course some of the best things are free such as people watching, enjoying the beach and the view.
I was so excited to come here since this was going to be my first time. I almost had an opportunity to go back in high school but I was stuck for a tennis match. Actually a match with another school that wasn’t an official match since it wasn’t really a competition. Sports was never my thing but I did love playing tennis even though I wasn’t too good at it.
“G” and I were just so unlucky when trying to rent out the golf carts. Just know that the means of getting around this cute island is by golf carts. You rarely see any vehicles.
So we stop by the first golf cart we see and noticed they only take cash. We quickly look for an ATM, took out some cash, got back in line, but when it was almost our turn, the staff said they’re completely out of carts!
Then we had to walk over to another golf cart rental station, and that too was also out of golf carts….just our luck right?
It was no problem since we headed towards the “Casino“. I thought we were going to see gamblers but did you know that “Casino” is an Italian term meaning a place for gathering and entertainment? Oh and they were closed and were going to open at 2pm and of course you had to pay to get in and get a tour. We walked back to golf cart station #2 and they had more golf carts available!
Here’s one of Catalina’s shore where it was popular with beach goers. Try glancing far along the rail and you will notice a bunch of umbrellas set up where people are soaking up the sun and also enjoying drinks and food at a restaurant with seating that are outdoors.
The water is simply beautiful! Unlike the water at our California beach…well maybe certain spots are blue like this.
There’s even a submarine ride in Catalina and it the price goes for about $30+ for 45 minutes. It’s pricey but I can imagine it’s a great experience.
There’s a few sports where people can jump into the waters and even snorkel. We noticed a group of snorkelers focusing on something orange and found out there were fishes.
After our walk along the Casino and the beach, we went back to the golf cart rentals and hoping we have better luck and we did! They finally had available carts. The staff was quite rude but I don’t blame here since there’s a ton of people asking questions and it was 90+ degrees. It was time to buckle up and hit the cart accessible roads!
Isn’t this overview of Catalina Island port just stunning? This is one of the great views you’ll find on the golf cart road.
There were many interesting people here on the Island. I thought perhaps they had just way too much sun, but it was a nice feeling that you can see people just parking their golf carts in front of restaurants and markets and not having to worry that someone might take it.
The weekend we visited, there was a a wine tasting even hosted by the Women’s Forum. This board even recognizes them so I figured they are very much involved with the community.
Wine, beer, sake, sushi, tapas, and gelato. Need I say more? These were all the words that I liked and many others as well since the place was packed!
Yoshi’s is a small little souvenir shop in Catalina. I forgot to check this place out but there’s always next time.
What I loved about the island is that all the street signs were so cute like the one above!
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