- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
10 reviews for Hotel Metropole
What a great hotel. It made our vacation a treat. After surveying the other hotels in the area, I think I can safely say this is one of the best. We were able to score a courtside room which was a delight. It wasn't too loud or disruptive and it made you feel connected to the island in a relaxing way. You could see the water from the room.
The courtyard had a good selection of food and goods. The day spa below was a top notch experience and well worth the cost. One day there was a musician playing a guitar that was enjoyable and another day there was a fresh market.
The continental breakfast was amazing. They had a lot of really great healthy food. I never would have dreamed a hotel would provide a spread like that. They had a lot of green stuff like biodegradable utensils and recycled paper goods. Unfortunately they did not have the proper disposal containers for these items.
The staff was great, the room service was pleasant including turn down service. The hotel room was quaint and charming. They have a wide variety of rooms we noticed with different floor plans and decorations. Our balcony was a great place to read in the afternoon after a long morning at the beach and a refreshing shower.
They give you bathrobes and slippers which is a nice touch. Though I will say the slippers were a bit small for me.
I would definitely go here again and highly recommend it. The only down side was that our room backed up against a loading dock for the hotel. The trucks kept their engines on and their back up beeps going the whole time they unloaded.
An Americanized version of an Italian hotel mixed with dying palm trees and squeezed onto the tourist trap harbor known as Catalina Island. Did I just invent a new drink? No doubt the Hotel Metropole Cocktail would taste like $2.00 tequila with an old grapefruit wedge and a smoldering cigarette butt.
Anyway, maybe we just arrived in the middle of a bad week or something. The website for the hotel says that check-in is at 2 PM, but we had to wait until 3, squeezing past the maids as they lounged outside our room.
We had requested a nonsmoking room yet our suite reeked of tobacco. We specified 2 queen beds, were given 1 king bed instead. Overall the staff was unapologetic, I found a bedbug, the mini-fridge leaked, and they didn't even have Firefox installed on the one computer that was my link to the outside world.
Also, what decent hotel puts room numbers on their keys? Seriously a security risk, people.
On the plus side, the continental breakfast selection was great if a little lacking in protein. Just be prepared to use extreme force when using the funky bagel slicer. And other guests waiting to use the single available toaster can get territorial about their place in line.
I really wanted to like this place. Really. I did. The ratings on yelp were excellent and with the annual marathon runners occupying a majority of the rooms on the island, I thought I was lucky to have found a vacant room here. The only room available for us was a "moderate room with a king size bed, no view," which I graciously accepted.
I stayed here during my first ever trip to Catalina Island. The outside of this hotel is...cute. I mean, its Catalina. I wasn't expecting it to look like the Bellagio or the Venetian. The friendly staff directed us to our room and we entered a dingy looking space decorated with fake flowers and floral lamp shades. Giving this hotel the benefit of the doubt, I tried to think of the room as "beachy" and left the hotel to grab a delicious seafood dinner at Armstrong's.
We came back to the freezing cold hotel room around 9pm and tried to turn on the heater, which, of course, was not working. We called the front desk, notified them of the non-working device and a staff member immediately came to room to notify us that the engineer would not be available to fix it until the morning. We let him know that we understood but asked for extra blankets, which he agreed to bring back to the room...but never did. Instead, we ended up sleeping/shivering under a down comforter with holes in it. I uploaded a picture as a visual (of the comforter, not of us shivering =D) The next morning, I got up and took a shower. The shower head was loose and janky-looking, as expected.
I'm sure the SUITES in this hotel are fabulous. The heater was fixed, after reminding the staff a SECOND time. If the weather was nicer, we probably wouldn't have needed the heater anyways...but for $200-300/night, the basic necessities would be nice.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
The hotel is overpriced, but what do you expect in a tourist trap like Catalina? Everything is overpriced there. We were in room 402. Good size room. Clean. Balcony big enough for two to sit and have coffee with a nice view of the ocean. Good location, just far enough from the main strip to avoid the crowds, but just a block away. Everything was in good working order (didn't try the gas fireplace). Staff was friendly and helpful.
The spa attached to the hotel was great too. It was small and a little loud, but the treatments were top notch and the price was surprisingly reasonable. (90 minute massage for $100).
Not sure I'd go back to Catalina (if you're not into scuba diving or boating, you'll be bored in a day or two), but stay here again if I did.
I'm a connectivity freak. Case in point - I secretly wish I could have my Blackberry surgically attached so that I would have it with me at all times.
So the fact that the shoddy internet connectivity at Hotel Metropole did not prevent me from giving this place the full five stars it deserves means something. Or maybe not. Who the hell would go to Catalina island to check their work e-mails?
The rest of the bedroom felt like it was not yet the 21st century. Sans plasma TV, cable, central HVAC system (instead there is a heating / air conditioning unit installed in the room that emitted loud noise whenever the unit was turned on).
The best feature of the 3rd-floor bedroom was the little balcony overlooking the little shopping village. The view was of a whole bunch of tiny little buildings wedged so close together and a sliver of the water as the backdrop.
Charming and almost Portofino-ey.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
I stayed at the Hotel Metropole in December 2006 (12/22-12/24 in room 408) with my girlfriend upon seeing some favorable reviews on http://TripAdvisor.com. I had never been to Catalina before, so I wanted the experience to be a memorable one.
After my stay though, I'm not sure I could recommend this to other visitors. As I wrote in my comment card:
"Fireplace and television not in good working order. Bathtub drained too slowly. Otherwise, everything was fine, but not what I would expect for the price I paid. The staff and cleaning people were outstanding; rooms were very clean"
What I forgot to mention also was that the fireplace was one of those gas types where you press a button and it automatically lights up. The crummy part about it is that it makes your room smell gassy, plus the one in our room caused the unit to have this awful wind-flickering sound that made it sound like a helicopter was in the room.
For about $300 a night, you should expect to get more than what I experienced. Needless to say, I will not be staying at the Hotel Metropole again.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
Staying at the Hotel Metropole is a real treat. The hotel is very cozy and the staff very helpful. The hotel was in a great location. It is across the street form the beach and close to almost all of the attractions in Avalon.
Even though I only ordered their most basic room (the moderate room), it was nicely decorated and luxurious. The bed was especially nice with soft but firm pillows and a down comforter. The room was equipped with a desk, small dining table, dresser and TV. The TV was also equipped with a DVD player a nice touch (the Hotel also has DVDs available for rent). The room also came with a coffee maker and a reasonably priced mini bar.
Hotel Metropole also serves a complimentary continental breakfast with great croissants among other things. Wireless Internet is available for a fee. Hotel amenities include a small jacuzzi spa and sun deck.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
So, I decided to propose to my girlfriend and I wanted to make it a special weekend. After some deliberation, I went with Catalina as the venue and Hotel Metropole for our accommodations. It was obviously a special occasion so I sprung for one of their new VIP suites.
A-MAZ-ING.
Fantastic view. Fireplace. Jacuzzi tub. Plasma TV.
Just stunning. It was a huge hit and...
...she said yes!
People thought this was:
- Cool (1)
My boyfriend and I stayed here for our first trip to Catalina. I was impressed with the location and cleanliness. As students, we got the "starter" room and I loved it. The room came equipped with everything you need. Our room overlooked the market courtyard which was neat.
Overall, we had a good visit, no complaints.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (2)
Best hotel on the island for sure! We had room 320 overlooking the main street and the water. Room was very modern, huge and comfy! Service was great, I have no real complaints expect (what I put on the comment card):
No fridge in room for your own stuff
No microwave in room
And the hot tub opens at 10. We wanted to go up and have our coffee early in the morning.
Would go back and stay there in a heartbeat.
