Intro
Santa Catalina island is located 22 miles southwest of Los Angeles, in the Pacific ocean. The rocky island covers an area of about 75 square miles (yes, it's not small). Avalon is the main city and on the island bearing 85% of the island's population. It is the main tourist attraction on the island and our point of interest.
Note the casino building (above pic) in the above map link (shown in the lower right corner) . That's what you will see first when you dock into Avalon bay. This would serve as a good meeting point in case you are a huge group.
Why Visit?
The clear, blue water encompassing the rugged shores of the island gives it a beautiful look. The island seems untouched and it's natural beauty has been well preserved. Most importantly, once you are there, you get the feeling of "living on an island".
Reason 1>Activities: The water activities on the island include scuba diving, kayaking, snorkeling, paragliding, swimming, fishing, boating, glass-bottom-boat tour. The land activities include cycling, mountain biking, riding a golf card along scenic roads, hiking and playing along the beaches.
Reason 2> Relaxing: The life on the island is slow and easy. If you have your family with you and intend to relax over the weekend, this place is a good option. You may take the glass-bottom-boat tour, a golf cart ride along the scenic route, shop, take guided tours, stroll along the shores and cycle.
Getting There
By Sea
The travel to the island takes about 1 hour by sea and costs about $60 for a round trip ($30 one way). But believe me, the 1 hour goes off real quick. You would be cruising at 43 mph (not near the cities) and if you are lucky (I was) you would see hundreds of dolphins around your ship in the middle of the sea. Do not miss the view from the outside deck. The speed of the vessel can be felt from outside.
Video: Dolphins chasing our boat
There are a couple of travel companies which take you to Avalon from Los Angeles.
Catalina Express company provides 4 ports from where the boats depart for Avalon. We took the 'Long beach Downtown' port. I would advice you to reserve your ticket if you are sure you will reach the port on time. If not, you can buy tickets directly, but you may have to wait for 2 hours if the immediate boat is full (we got into the immediate vessel luckily with a waiting list ticket)
You would have to park your car at Catalina Express itself. The charge is around $14 for 24 hours. For more information on parking, contact Ampco System Parking – (562) 432-5166.
You may also try the Catalina Flyer website. The Catalina Flyer vessels depart from Newport Beach. http://www.catalinainfo.com/Information.html
By Air
If you wish to have an scenic flight to Catalina, travel by helicopter is another option. For about $90 (one way), you will reach the island in 15 minutes. But, you may miss the dolphins!
These flights operate from Long beach and San Pedro.
Accomodation
There are a number of hotels in Avalon. Most of them require a minimum 2 nights stay if you plan for an advance reservation. If you plan to stay for a sinougle night, you may directly walk-in. It is a good idea to call up the hotels and ask for the price (make sure the hotel is in Avalon, not any other town!) I had called about 10 hotels and narrowed down to the cheapest one, Hermosa (scary name!) It is built in a traditional fashion and is not air-conditioned (you don't need one in the nights). Some of the rooms accommodate 6 people and have a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator and basic utensils. It cost us around $30 per person for one night (we were 10).
Hermosa phone number: (877) 453-1313, (310) 510-1010
You can find a list of other hotels on the following website (click on this week, next week or week after)
Transportation in Avalon
The main part of the Avalon town is 1 sq mile. So, exploring it is not a big problem. There are 3 popular options to explore the town.
1. Walking /Running/Crawling
This is the best way to explore Avalon, shop and to enjoy the coast.
2. Cycling
Cycles are available starting from$15 per day (mountain bikes cost around $25 per day). You may also try the two-seater cycles, they are cool! Cycling is a cheap and convenient way to explore the island. You can find bike rentals easily on the island. You may find one on the way to your hotel, or, just ask the reception at your 
hotel and they would point you to the nearest rental. Again, Avalon is small and it's map (http://www.catalinachamber.com/pdf/PocketMap2006-07.pdf ) is very simple. So, don't worry about taking the bike rental's phone number and address. You can find one very easily over there. There is one on the corner of the lane where Hotel Hermosa is located.
hotel and they would point you to the nearest rental. Again, Avalon is small and it's map (http://www.catalinachamber.com/pdf/PocketMap2006-07.pdf ) is very simple. So, don't worry about taking the bike rental's phone number and address. You can find one very easily over there. There is one on the corner of the lane where Hotel Hermosa is located.
Also, you may find small pamplets of these rentals (bikes, kayak, snorkeling, golf carts, etc.) at the catalina express waiting hall. Grab a few pamplets so you get an idea of the rentals.
3. Golf carting ( **** must do ****)
Golf carts are also easily available. Just ask your hotel reception or you will find one on the way to your hotel. There is one at the corner of the Hermosa hotel lane. 
A variety of carts are available. Starting from 4 seater to 6 seater. A 4 seater costs about $40/hour and a 6 seater costs about $55/hour. The good news is the rates include gas, you do not need to re-fill gas. If you go above 1 hour, you pay the pro-rated amount ($10 for 15 mins and so on) The minimum age required for renting a golf cart is 25 years with a license.
Must do: I would recommend you to rent a cart for an hour and take the scenic route (the rental company provides a map. Ask them to mark the scenic route on the map.) You get a view of the Avalon bay from the top of the mountain, it's worth it.
Activities
1. Kayaking (***** must do *****)
Kayak is a small boat (tapers on both ends) which usually seats 1, 2 or 3 people. You have to paddle the kayak in order to move. It's easy and does not require previous experience. The clear blue water makes kayaking real fun! Paddling is not difficult. One can easily paddle for an hour with small breaks in between. You wear a life jacket, so it is safe. Just try to stay away from the boatsI didn't kayak much into the sea since I was scared of the huge plants in the sea.... they seemed scary to me! But believe me, life jackets won't let you down, in the literal meaning!
Cost: $16 for a single kayak (1 person), $25 per hour for a double kayak.
Location: Descanso beach (2 mins from the Casino).
http://www.kayakcatalinaisland.com/html/rentals.html
2. Snorkeling Snorkeling is the act of swimming on the surfact of water with a mask and a short tube with one end in your mouth and extends above the water surface allowing you to breathe with your head inside the water.
Snorkeling is a cheap and great way to explore the underwater world. It is important that you find a proper location to snorkel. You may ask the shops for a good place. You can find snorkeling gears at almost every kayak shop. They are very easy to find.
Cost: About $4/hour for the mask and snorkel
About $4/hour for the swim fins (attached to your legs)
Wet suits are about $7/hour (These are tight fitting suits worn by scuba divers. They are great when the water is cold. It's a good idea to take them if you intend to spend an hour in the cold waters)
How to snorkel: http://www.freesnorkelguide.com/html/snorkeling_basics.html
Rates and other info: http://www.kayakcatalinaisland.com/html/rentals.html
If you are not planning to scuba dive, snorkeling for about an hour is a good idea.
3. Scuba diving
Scuba diving requires experience. If you are not experienced, there are courses for the beginners. All you need to know is swimming and you should be comfortable in deep water.
Cost: Beginners lessons $110 for 2 hours
I would recommend you to do this. Catalina island is rich in underwater plants and animals and the clear water would allow you to see everything.
4. Glass bottom boat tours
Crystal clear water allows you to see the under water life from the glass bottom boats. Watch the video on this link to have a preview of the tour.
Cost: $16 (adult, 40 minutes tour)
5. Other activities
- Motor boating: Drive the boats yourself for sightseeing, fishing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Motorboats, kayaks, pedal boats, paddle boards, as well as fishing tackle rentals are available.
Joe’s Rent-A-Boat (310) 510-0455
Joe’s Rent-A-Boat (310) 510-0455
- Para-sailing: Great for sight-seeing.
Para-sailing Catalina (310) 510-1777
- Hiking: You need permits to hike (they are free!) You can get permits at:
Food!
You won't find Pizza Hut or Subway in here! But you will find good restaurants (mostly American, Italian and
Mexican). There is a good chinese restaurant (not show in the Avalon map above) in Sumner Ave. Prices are the same as in any place.
Plans
1-day (hectic): Catch the first (or the second) ferry from Long beach (or other Catalina Express ports) to Avalon. It is usually at 6:15 AM. The last ferry back to Los Angeles is usually at 7:30 PM. So you will have 10 to 11 hours on the island.
- Eat, etc.-> 1 hour
- Kayak for 1 hour at Descanso beach. -> 2 hours
- Snorkel/take Glass bottom boat tour for 1 hour at Descanso beach -> 2 hours
- 1 hour Golf cart ride along the scenic drive -> 2 hours
- Eat, etc. -> 1 hour
- Shop -> 1 hour
- Take a walk along the Avalon bay shore -> 1 hour
1-day and 1-night (***** recommended *****):
If you wish to spend some more time in Avalon, you can check-in to a hotel for 1 night. You don't need to reserve, but it's a good idea to call the Hotel before you reach the island. The check-in time is usually 2 PM, but Hermosa allowed us to check-in at noon. You can spend the night strolling along the bay and spend some time with other activities and at the beach. If you are interested in clubbing, there's a disco beside Metropole street.
You can catch the first boat back to LA (usually at 8 AM). We had this 1-day and 1-night plan. Our day 2 was Universal Studios in LA. It's a good idea to spend your Day 2 somewhere around LA.
2-days (relaxing):
You would require 2 days only if you intend to relax or you intend to do all the activities (scuba dive, cycling, etc.) or if you intend to visit some other town beside Avalon. Else, 1 day 1 night is sufficient.
Things you might forget to take
1. Frisbee (flying disc). This too is available in the drug store in Avalon.
2. Volleyball (there's a volleyball court behind Descanso beach), or a football
3. Beach slippers (First check the drug store in Avalon. Costly in rest of the places)
4. Lots of extra clothes
5. Cap/hat
Must Print
Keep a print out of the following before going to Catalina.
2. Catalina express (or other port) port location and phone number
3. Contact details of your hotel
4. Contact details of the scuba dive and glass boat tours
5. Hiking contact given above
Rest of the activity (biking, golf carting, kayaking, hiking and snorkeling) are easily available on the island. No need of storing the contacts.
