Pros

  • Spacious rooms with streamlined, modern decor and Keurig coffeemakers
  • Quiet, hilltop location with views of downtown
  • Generous grounds with outdoor seating and sunning areas
  • Courtyard with heated pool and small hot tub
  • Small on-site spa with services like acupressure
  • Free, regularly running shuttle
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Pets welcome (for a fee)
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Cons

  • A mile or more from tourist areas and beaches
  • Shuttle offers limited number of seats, so it can require a wait
  • Guests say Wi-Fi can be spotty
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Bottom Line

Located about a mile from downtown Avalon, this mid-range, hilltop resort offers a compromise between secluded retreat and accessible hotel. While guests shouldn’t expect five-pearl luxury features, there’s plenty to like about Catalina Canyon. The resort’s grounds include a spacious outdoor area with a heated pool, hot tub, patios, and walking paths. The 75 rooms are spacious and include upscale perks like Keurig coffeemakers. Downtown and waterfront areas are accessible via the resort’s free and regularly running shuttle, but guests who want to spend the bulk of their time downtown should try a comparable hotel closer to the waterfront, such as The Avalon Hotel on Catalina Island.

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Amenities

  • Fitness Center
  • Internet
  • Jacuzzi
  • Pets Allowed
  • Pool
  • Spa

Oyster Hotel Review

Holiday Inn Resort Catalina Island

Scene

Mediterranean-style architecture in harmony with the outdoors

Reflecting its status as a low-key island getaway, the Catalina Resort & Spa is designed in a classic Mediterranean style that melds the outdoors with the in. The buildings feature terra-cotta roofs, stucco walls, large open windows, and arched doorways. The spacious courtyard includes a heated pool and hot tub, while pathways wind through the palm-tree studded grounds and offer up plenty of patio seating and sunning areas. The grounds offer hilltop views of downtown and are well-kept, but can feel brown and bleak if you hit the resort during a California drought. While mainly geared toward couples and families, the resort also offers amenities suitable for business guests.

See More Scene

Location

Quiet hilltop location, a shuttle ride away from downtown 

An ideal choice for those looking for a quiet, laid-back property, the Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa is tucked away on a hilltop about a mile from the hustle and bustle of downtown Avalon. The resort offers a free shuttle to and from downtown Avalon, about a five-minute drive, an it gives roundtrip service to local transportation hubs. Be aware that while the shuttle runs about every 15 minutes, it offers limited seating, so guests may need to wait for an empty van. Adventurous guests can take the 15-minute walk downhill to the beach or into town, but getting back to the resort sans shuttle is an uphill battle that many may prefer to avoid. The ferry ride from the L.A. and Orange County areas to Avalon takes about an hour.

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Rooms

Spacious rooms with clean, modern decor and Keurig coffeemakers

Rooms at Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa are spacious, modern, and streamlined, with pleasant decor, soft colors, light-wood accents, and fresh white bedding. While amenities vary based on room size, all rooms include flat-screen TVs with cable, free Wi-Fi, and coffee stations equipped with Keurig coffeemakers. Guests say beds are plush and comfortable, and headboards include individual reading lights. Most rooms also include mini-fridges and microwaves. Larger accommodations, like the family-sized President Suites, sit in their own individual buildings and feature a dining room with a six-person table, a stove, and other extras. Bathrooms are outfitted with spacious wood-based vanities, a stand-in glass-tiled shower, and rectangular mirrors with built-in lighting. They're also stocked with hairdryers and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. Larger suites include a bathtub and/or an in-room hot tub.

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Features

Equipped with resort essentials like a pool, hot tub, and spa

The centerpiece of the hotel is the courtyard with a heated pool (with a maximum depth of eight feet) and a small four-person hot tub. Generous outdoor space includes areas for sitting or lounging, plus family-friendly extras such as a shaded ping-pong table. A small, four-person spa offers up a variety of services, such as a range of massages, acupressure, body masks, and body wraps. The indoor fitness area is basic but functional, with a tube TV, weight lifting area, and a few standard cardio machines, though there's no treadmill and the carpeting is loud and garish. The hotel allows pets with an extra fee. 

While Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa is mainly geared toward families and couples, it also offers business amenities, such as access to audiovisual equipment and corporate meeting rooms. Wi-Fi is free, but some guests say it can be spotty. The site can also accommodate larger groups for corporate meetings, banquets, or weddings, and it features a variety of large, on-site venues, including a reception hall that holds up to 125 guests. 

As of summer 2015, the business center was under renovation, as was the on-site Seaport Bistro, though the lobby offered morning snacks and coffee.

See More Features

Things You Should Know About Holiday Inn Resort Catalina Island

Also Known As

  • Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa

Address

888 Country Club Drive, Avalon 90704, Catalina Island

Website

Oyster Hotel Review

Holiday Inn Resort Catalina Island

Scene

Mediterranean-style architecture in harmony with the outdoors

Reflecting its status as a low-key island getaway, the Catalina Resort & Spa is designed in a classic Mediterranean style that melds the outdoors with the in. The buildings feature terra-cotta roofs, stucco walls, large open windows, and arched doorways. The spacious courtyard includes a heated pool and hot tub, while pathways wind through the palm-tree studded grounds and offer up plenty of patio seating and sunning areas. The grounds offer hilltop views of downtown and are well-kept, but can feel brown and bleak if you hit the resort during a California drought. While mainly geared toward couples and families, the resort also offers amenities suitable for business guests.

See More Scene

Location

Quiet hilltop location, a shuttle ride away from downtown 

An ideal choice for those looking for a quiet, laid-back property, the Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa is tucked away on a hilltop about a mile from the hustle and bustle of downtown Avalon. The resort offers a free shuttle to and from downtown Avalon, about a five-minute drive, an it gives roundtrip service to local transportation hubs. Be aware that while the shuttle runs about every 15 minutes, it offers limited seating, so guests may need to wait for an empty van. Adventurous guests can take the 15-minute walk downhill to the beach or into town, but getting back to the resort sans shuttle is an uphill battle that many may prefer to avoid. The ferry ride from the L.A. and Orange County areas to Avalon takes about an hour.

See More Location

Rooms

Spacious rooms with clean, modern decor and Keurig coffeemakers

Rooms at Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa are spacious, modern, and streamlined, with pleasant decor, soft colors, light-wood accents, and fresh white bedding. While amenities vary based on room size, all rooms include flat-screen TVs with cable, free Wi-Fi, and coffee stations equipped with Keurig coffeemakers. Guests say beds are plush and comfortable, and headboards include individual reading lights. Most rooms also include mini-fridges and microwaves. Larger accommodations, like the family-sized President Suites, sit in their own individual buildings and feature a dining room with a six-person table, a stove, and other extras. Bathrooms are outfitted with spacious wood-based vanities, a stand-in glass-tiled shower, and rectangular mirrors with built-in lighting. They're also stocked with hairdryers and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. Larger suites include a bathtub and/or an in-room hot tub.

See More Rooms

Features

Equipped with resort essentials like a pool, hot tub, and spa

The centerpiece of the hotel is the courtyard with a heated pool (with a maximum depth of eight feet) and a small four-person hot tub. Generous outdoor space includes areas for sitting or lounging, plus family-friendly extras such as a shaded ping-pong table. A small, four-person spa offers up a variety of services, such as a range of massages, acupressure, body masks, and body wraps. The indoor fitness area is basic but functional, with a tube TV, weight lifting area, and a few standard cardio machines, though there's no treadmill and the carpeting is loud and garish. The hotel allows pets with an extra fee. 

While Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa is mainly geared toward families and couples, it also offers business amenities, such as access to audiovisual equipment and corporate meeting rooms. Wi-Fi is free, but some guests say it can be spotty. The site can also accommodate larger groups for corporate meetings, banquets, or weddings, and it features a variety of large, on-site venues, including a reception hall that holds up to 125 guests. 

As of summer 2015, the business center was under renovation, as was the on-site Seaport Bistro, though the lobby offered morning snacks and coffee.

See More Features

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Airport Transportation

  • Business Center

  • Cable

  • Fitness Center

  • Internet

  • Jacuzzi

  • Kids Allowed

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Pets Allowed

  • Pool

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space

  • Spa

  • Supervised Kids Activities

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.