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Catalina Canyon Resort
Rating Details »
888 Country Club Dr
Avalon, CA 90704
(310) 510-0325
Avalon, CA 90704
(310) 510-0325
- Price Range:
-
$$
5 reviews for Catalina Canyon Resort
Considering this is an island, and the town of Avalon doesn't have fancy schmancy places to stay, this was pretty nice for the price. It was our first stay so we wanted to be near town. Luckily we came in the offseason (December) so we could be picky.
They offered a complimentary shuttle, which came in handy when we needed some tips from the driver on where to go. Not to mention, the super short cab ride is totally not worth the fare. The hill up to the hotel looks intimidating, but it's really not that bad. It's a good way to burn off lunch, and on a sunny day it's pretty relaxing.
The front desk and shuttle folks are always really friendly, both on the phone and in person. And even though we asked for towels twice and they never came, they surely killed us with their kindness.
The first room we got, we could hear our neighbors full on conversations (and annoying laugh) so be warned - the walls are paper thin. We asked for another room right away, and though we sacrificed a good view, our second room seemed more updated, and much quieter. The hotel itself could use a little facelift, but otherwise was ok. The jacuzzi was half full of water the 3 nights we were there, so never got to use it. The "restaurant" always appeared closed, so we didn't venture in there either.
We did however get to make use of the spa, which was one of the highlights of the weekend. Both masseuse's were great! They were very professional and let us take our time afterwards. That's definitely the spot to go for a little pampering.
Ok, I'm not one to write bad reviews often, as I am a pretty patient person, and I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.
That said, I have a bit of a mixed review here which I will break down, because some aspects of this hotel should not be lumped into the "bad" review, as we were quite happy with some things.
HOTEL GROUNDS & ROOM
The hotel is great, and the room was clean. They have some nice facilities, including a pool (we didn't use it, though, based on timing) & complimentary shuttle to the waterfront (you do not want to walk up that hill too many times!). The room was clean, we had a nice balcony & it was rather affordable & allowed 1-night stays (a lot of hotels/inns require 2 nights). Our room DID smell like smoke when we first walked in, and we could have gone back to the front desk to be moved, but we didn't feel like dealing with it. So I can't dock many points for this, as we could have told them, but it IS a non-smoking hotel in the first place, so it would have been nice if more effort had been made to air the room out.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Fail. I was disappointed in the customer service before we even arrived on the island, and when we did arrive, I wasn't particularly impressed with the face-to-face service.
I booked their room & ferry package (no discount on the ferry, just convenient to book together), which meant the hotel needed to call to find out what ferry times & port we wanted. I went back and forth with someone a week before (the Thurs & Fri a week before we were set to leave), told the person multiple times the port that I wanted to leave from, as well as the times. I was promised a call back in a specific time frame on a couple different occasions, which never happened (if you can't call me back within 5-10 minutes like you said, just say you will call back & don't give me a time frame at all! Customer service 101.). I still hadn't recieved confirmation by Mon or Tues so I called again and found out that no one had booked our ferry, so I had to re-explain the times & port we wanted (to the SAME person), and she finally said she'd book it and fax a confirmation over. When I finally got the fax, it was out of the WRONG port that I had discussed with them several times. When I called back to have her change it, she said she would change it and fax over the new confirmation. Instead I got a call back that the port we wanted, that I had requested the week before, was all booked. I am not one to complain, but if they had booked when I first requested, I assume we would have been able to get in. No, it wasn't a huge deal...just a bit longer drive to the port, and $4 more per day for parking, but it's the prinicple of the matter, and I was very disappointed that more of an effort did not seem to be put forth.
I called & left a message with the manager to call me back--I was not going to be mean or obnoxious in any way--just explain to him that I was disappointed in the customer service I recieved before I even set food on the island, and that I was concerned about the service we would recieve when we arrived. Unfortunately, the manager never called me back!
Ultimately, based on the room & facilities of the hotel, I would definitely go back and stay again. Based on the customer service, probably not...and I certainly wouldn't have them book the ferry again!
The very best value in a hotel I've ever stayed at in the U.S. We paid $50 per night, including our little doggie. It is a 1980's resort on a hill outside of Avalon. A shuttle van takes you to town during the hours of 7 am to 7 pm which is a very useful amenity in Avalon. That is to say, it's a pretty nice hill to climb, and Avalon is bereft of cars.
Some aspects, such as the pool and hot tub, are a bit worn, but they have been repainting the rooms. The walls in our room were so thin that our neighbors' noise bothered me every night, but the front desk was prompt and effective at quieting those noisy folks. The continental breakfast included healthy options like wheat bread and fresh oranges, as well as hot tea, so we were OK.
What is best about this hotel is the beautiful landscaping of the grounds, which they've maintained very well. And Tim, the manager, is a hoot.
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A pretty good value for Catalina. We paid $100 a night, including all the taxes, during the end of May. There was not the continental breakfast included anymore with the price. We actually did eat breakfast in the hotel. An OK meal. You can find better and cheaper near the waterfront.
The hotel is a bit on dated 1970's side but it's still holding up alright. Rooms were big enough, with a small balcony or patio. The television looked strangely small in the room. Was just a little 17 inch thing inside a big stand. Was hard to watch the basketball game when we got back to the room to check out the last quarter of Celtics and Detroit. Also pretty bad were the walls and how thin they were. We could hear both the parties on either side of our room. Also, the jacuzzi was about half full when I went to use it. The water was jumping everywhere since the jets were blowing half air and half water at that level. That and I was soaked in pretty harsh chlorine chemicals from the pool and the jacuzzi. My eyes burned for about two hours after that. Not cool.
Anyway, overall I was pleased with the hotel. There is a shuttle service that runs people down to the waterfront and back every 15 or so minutes. Runs til 8:45 pm as of late May. That was a big plus, along with the price.
Catalina Canyon Resort and Spa is all that is good about Catalina -- elegant yet casual, secluded yet close to the action. The garden courtyards are lush with native flora and the rooms are decorated in calming mauves and blues. The rooms are nothing fancy, but they're spacious and each has a private balcony or patio. A continental breakfast is included in the room price. Spa treatments are extra, which I fully plan to avail myself of next time we visit. Elements of the facilities are starting to show their age, such as the bathroom tile and the pool area. But these are easily overlooked when weighed against the overall experience and the very reasonable price.
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