November 12, 2004 -- Most travelers to Southern California see Catalina Island as a day trip. Hop on a high-speed ferry, bring your walking shoes and check out a charming town rich in art galleries and local fare. But beyond the town, lies an island rich in wildlife, incredible vegetation and geology. You may need more than one day to explore Catalina's beauty, not to mention water tours and then long walking trails that ascend up hills to expose marvelous island and ocean views. Off-season, which for people living in the cold means spring-type weather, lasts until the end of March.
Be aware, most trips to Catalina are not all-inclusive. These are do it yourself travel days with stays at hotels that offer weekend, mid-week and off-season specials. If you are set on a package deal, one travel operator with a good history of putting together package deals to the island is Catalina Travel Connection (tel. 877/699-5416; www.ctc4u.com) out of Long Beach. All of their packages include round-trip transportation to the island via ferry, hotel accommodations and one activity (such as golf on the island's pretty nine-hole golf course, a city tour, a glass bottom tour of the surrounding waters, kayaking, snorkeling or adventure rafting) and start from $106 per person for a one-night stay. A three-day/two-night weekend trip during the off-season starts at $173 per person. Hotel taxes are not included. A number of two and three star hotels are available to choose from.
If you want to do this trip on your own, you're starting point for your trip to Catalina would be the Long Beach Ferry. All information including booking information can be made through the Catalina Explorer (tel. 877/432-6276; www.catalinaexplorerco.com/catalina-ferry.php), a high-speed ferry from Long Beach. The ferry leaves Long Beach for Avalon on Catalina Island at 9:30 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m. Round-trip fare for an adult costs $38. Catalina is only 26 miles from the California shore so the short trip takes slightly more than an hour. Other ferries to Catalina depart from points along the Los Angeles coast. For information on the other ferries and important other Catalina info, check out www.catalina.com.
The ferry in Catalina leaves you at the docks of Avalon where bike rentals and golf cart rentals are available for touring the island. Hotels on the island range from Victorian Bed and Breakfasts to smallish island hotels run by Catalina families. The Glenmore Plaza Hotel (tel. 877/422-8354; www.glenmorehotel.com) has standard rooms with two queen-sized beds available through January for $119 per night. It also offers a two-day one-night mid-week package starting at $109 per night that includes ferry, a guided island tour, one night in the hotel, and a continental breakfast.
For flights, look to JetBlue (www.jetblue.com) and Southwest (www.southwest.com), which have been keeping cross country flights low for a good long while now. Other carriers, like United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com), have decent fares to Southern California as well. You can fly out of D.C. from $268, San Francisco from $134 and Chicago from $218. If you're itching to go this weekend, Delta Airlines (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) has some last minute fares available online from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles costing $128 round-trip.
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