Our itinerary
Day 1
Saturday
Saturday morning we got up & at ‘em pretty early to catch our ferry from San Pedro Port to Avalon Port in Catalina. They recommend getting to the port & being done with check-in an hour prior to your departure, so that’s exactly what we did. We started lining you up about 30 minutes before we set sail, got on the ferry around 8:30am, then we were off right at 8:45am. It was about a 70 minute boat ride over to the island & was super peaceful. You have the option to sit inside or outside, however if you want to sit outside the seats are much more limited & that was def the more popular option. *Also disclaimer, as of right now it is required to wear a mask on public transportation so we did have to have them on the whole time, regardless of sitting inside or outside.
Once we got off we walked our bags down to our hotel & started exploring the island. Our room wasn’t quite ready yet (totally understandable) so we just tagged them & left them with the front desk ladies. Afterwards we walked all around, found the cutest arcade, window shopped in all the local stores, then grabbed lunch on the pier at Eric’s. Alec & I both ordered the chorizo burrito + a mimosa & shock top beer. After enjoying our yummy lunch we decided to head to our hotel, change into our swimmies, & hit up the Descanso Beach Club.
We got there around noon which was the perfect time. During the summer every Saturday they have a live DJ from 11am-5pm, so the small beach area fills up quickly. So if you are looking to be more spread out & more seclusive, we highly recommend renting a cabana for the day. Right as we set up shop on the beach the sun came out of course & these 2 fair skinned redheads needed an umbrella. So Alec went to the gift shop, bought that + a floatie for us to use all weekend long. They did have servers coming down to the beach to take orders, but since it was so crowded it was much quicker to just walk up to the beach bar to grab a drink yourself. We enjoyed many of their refreshing summer cocktails & honestly there wasn’t one we didn’t love! After spending the whole afternoon sunbathing & swimming we decided to head back to our hotel.
The walk from the beach club to our hotel was only about 10-15 minutes & was well paved + shady. Once we got back, we checked in, freshened up, then headed to dinner. We decided to eat at the restaurant in our hotel, The Naughty Fox which was so tasty (probably my fave meal of the trip)! To eat we went tapas style & just ordered a bunch of apps, tbh one of our fave things to do. We got the fish tacos, mac & cheese, wings, & a hummus platter. It was all so amazing + fresh & our waitress was the sweetest. After dinner we were pretty tired from the day, so we decided to head back & hit the hay early to prep for our weekend full of celebrations!
Day 2
Sunday morning we got up pretty early & went to grab breakfast & coffee from Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co. We got 2 of their cinnamon house blend coffees, an Asiago bagel with cream cheese, & of course 2 cinnamon rolls (heated up) & it was all so amazing!! Prob the best cinnamon rolls we’ve ever had, & that’s saying a lot because Alec LOVES cinnamon rolls. We decided to take our breakfast to go & eat on our rooftop balcony overlooking the island. It was so peaceful & serine, def started our day off right!
After we finished breakfast, we headed down to our hotel lobby to rent (they were complimentary, just had to sign a waiver) bikes for the morning. During our bike ride along the island we learned that it has lots of hills, stunning views, & the cutest little homes. Once we were done exploring via bicycles, we checked them back in at our hotel, & headed to town.
At this point we had really worked up quite an appetite so it was hard to pick but eventually we decided on Catalina Cantina. This was one of the many restaurants located along the main street in Avalon facing the water. It had the cutest outdoor patio area with an amazing view. To drink I got the lava flow & Alec got a Coronarita. Both were super tasty + refreshing. To eat Alec ordered the fried shrimp plate & I got the chicken tender plate, both came with fries & we were happy campers.
After we wrapped up at lunch & paid our tab, we decided to change into our swimmies & head for the beach. All day long it had been super overcast so we were really crossing our fingers that the sun would come out (never really did but we made the most of the day anyway). Once we got to the Descanso Beach Club area we grabbed a tabletop by the Paddle Bar so we could play some games. We spent the afternoon playing cards, heads up, & charades making the best memories & loudest laughs around.
Once we started to work up an appetite, we walked back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. After changing & getting ready, we headed to El Galleon. They have both indoor & outdoor dining options & the outdoor area is located on the sand. We decided to sit inside though & I’m glad we did. They had the most unique decor & ambiance, which made us feel super classy. Alec ordered the fried chicken plate (which was HUGE, 2 people could def share) & I got the chicken fettuccine. You know when the food is so good, neither of you talk to each other & just soak in the delicious meal? That’s what happened to us here lol! Once we paid our bill we decided to just walk up & down the main street. It was so beautiful at night, string lights everywhere, the calm ocean waves crashing on the shore, & the perfect breeze. I could freeze that moment in time forever! We even stumbled across a live band performing & couldn’t help but dance & sing along for a bit. After gallivanting around the town we went back to our hotel to crash for the night in preparation for the big birthday the next day!
Day 3
Finally on Monday we got to officially celebrate Alec’s 26th birthday! I had a few tricks up my sleeve throughout the day & I couldn’t wait to celebrate him all day long. Once we got up & Alec opened all his cards, we headed to get a bite to eat. The birthday boy picked the Pancake Cottage for brunch. It was about a 20 minute wait but the service was so quick. Alec got the breakfast platter & I had the french toast plate with bacon. After eating every last bite of our food, we went back to our hotel to change, & hit the beach. I had surprised Alec with renting a cabana from Descanso Beach Club for the day but he didn’t know it yet. While he grabbed us a drink from the bar, I walked over to secretly check in & have them decorate before we made our way over. Once he came back with the drinks, I slipped the pink cabana band on his wrist, & walked him over to the tented area. He was so surprised & excited to spend the day relaxing in the shade, watching sports, & living that bouje life! Tbh renting the cabana is totally the way to go, there were so many incredible amenities (waiter, food, smoothies, water, towels, shade, etc. I could go on & on) & we had it from 10am-5pm. We truly had the best day celebrating him!!
Day 4
Tuesday morning we got up pretty early & headed back to Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co. for breakfast. I just had to have that cinnamon house blend coffee one more time before leaving the island. Alec got their original house blend & then we also both got breakfast burritos. Our ferry didn’t leave until 12:45pm & luckily the checkout at our hotel wasn’t until 11am so we got to just sit back & relax all morning long. At 11am on the dot (lol sorry housekeepers) we went down to the front desk to check out + leave our bags with them until we got on our ferry home. They have a recent partnership with Blue Line Baggage that actually takes your luggage all the way from the hotel to the dock free of charge. So once we got all of that settled & squared away, we decided to go do a little more sightseeing & shopping around town.
Since we wouldn’t get back home until 2pm & we ate an early breakfast, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat from Coney Island West. Alec ordered the chilli cheese dog & I got a hamburger + tons of fries for us both. Last but certainly not least, we ended the trip satisfying our sweet tooth & getting some desserts from Lloyd’s of Avalon Confectionery. If you know Alec at all you know his choice of dessert is a chocolate milkshake but it has to be made with vanilla ice cream & chocolate syrup, I know so oddly specific but it was so good! After dessert we walked back over to the dock to take one good last look at this beautiful island. It was filled with so much love, happiness, & color, we are so grateful to have spent Alec’s 26th birthday there!
What to wear
Saturday’s travel + day outfits-
Swimmies-
B: brown glitter swimmie w/ cheetah sarong
Saturday’s evening outfits-
Sunday’s day outfits-
A: blue tee + black shorts & black sneakers
Swimmies-
Sunday’s evening outfits-
Monday’s day outfits:
Swimmies-
A: striped swim trunks w/ white tee
B: purple swimmie w/ ribbed dress
Monday’s evening outfits:
Tuesday’s day + travel outfits:
Where to stay
We stayed at the Bellaca Hotel. It was such a cute little modern hotel located right on the water. It’s at the perfect, most central spot only a 10 minute walk from the dock & a 10 minute walk to the Descanso Beach Club (which is the main beach area). All of the staff was super friendly + helpful and made our stay feel like home away from home! There is a restaurant located on the bottom floor of the hotel, The Naughty Fox, as well as a rooftop lounge area on the 5th floor.
Other places
Where to eat
Brunch/Lunch
Dinner & Drinks and Desserts
What to do
Land Expeditions
Ocean Excursions
Descanso Adventures
Outdoor Activities
Casino Tours
Two Harbors (the other big city on Catalina Island)
Kayaks
Mountain bikes
Stand up paddleboards
Snorkel
xo,
the stegalls
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