Catalina Boat House Hotel

Stayed in for two days, a nice little room interesting small hotel that had a semi full kitchen to cook in and a beautiful patio view of the scenic beach, although on off season there is no front desk attendant as they are at the sister hotel the Hermosa hotel. If you go to the Hermosa, they will kindly drive you to the Boat house hotel and check you in. After checking out they can hold your luggage at Hermosa if you want to explore the island while waiting for your boat to arrive. On another note the walls are super thin so you can hear a lot of what’s going on in the other rooms and vice versa…

This is a cute, quaint place to stay. A few warnings, they don’t man their front desk so you have to plan on waiting a little bit after you call, and their «free pick up/​drop off» never seems to be available. Also, their wifi isn’t great and the password they give you doesn’t work. Finally, there is a huge hill you have to walk to get to the hotel so be prepared. As for the room, it was great. We had corner room and felt a lot of peace and quiet with it. The view is okay, you get some ocean but some of the buildings around it aren’t well taken care of so that obstructs the view a little. They only give you one days worth of coffee but there are alot of cute coffee shops around Catalina to fill your need. The bed was comfy and big. And the rooms were really clean. I enjoyed my stay here. They are also very accommodating. We came for our anniversary and they were able to set up a bottle of champagne and flowers for us when we arrived.

Nice room but nothing amazing. Cute little patio area. There was only shampoo and no conditioner in the bathroom. We were able to check in early and the lady at the front desk was very nice.

I wanted to give this place 5 stars, but just couldn’t. We even got upgraded to a better room due to availability or lack of other guests. For the price the place was great! Roomy, good nights sleep on great beds and great view over the harbor from the terrace. We stayed here two nights and three days mid-​week before Labor Day weekend without warm water. The shower started off lukewarm at best to quickly turn cold. We were two people staying, so one of us had to shower completely cold. The first day the weather was really hot, so a cold shower felt good, but the other two days the weather changed and so did our moods. The hotel is an older model and in addition to the California drought I thought the lack of warm water that’s the way it was.
On our last day the manager on site gave us and our bags a ride and I happened to mention the lack of hot water when asked about our stay. He said we should have called the front desk cause the pilots where off. Yeah, that makes sense, but that would have been VALUABLE info to share with your guest at check in, right!!!
It could have gone like this –during off/​low season we sometimes turn pilots off. In case you don’t have hot water let us know and we fix it right away!
Personally I think it is their responsibility to MAKE SURE pilots are on as soon as they check someone into a room!
Would I stay at this place again? Probably, at least next time I know what to ask for.
Did you get a lukewarm rating and review?
Sure did!

I also left out the Shower handle came off in my hand and the toilet paper roll holder is falling off the wall as well. The mold smell you are aware off thus why every window was open when we arrived and as soon as we shut it the musky dank smell turned into a stench until you run the AC !!! WiFi problems … it is 2015 they sell a wifi wireless repeater for $ 25 at amazon you just have to plug in the wall no wires ‚.put it in like the room upstairs to spread out the WiFi evenly!
The place is situated a block uphill Steep uphill which is hard for anyone in sandals .
I did go up to the front Desk to see if Towels where to be in the room, no one was there ?
when I returned to the room after watching some of the concert I saw a young guy there and asked him if there where supposed to be towels in the room.
THE NOISE SUNDAY MORNING AT 5:30 am sounded like construction and I was tossing and turning to see if it was just people getting ready to leave but after 3 hours I dug around for the phone number which rang and rang and put me in a loop to a voice mail, then I called another number and wok a guy up it was only then that the noise up stairs stopped.
AGAIN THIS WAS NOT A LIL NOISE IT WAS FULL ON DRAGGING OF FURNITURE AND STOMPING it almost sounded like a cleaning person, TELL YOU WHAT GO TO ROOM #14 and lie down and have someone go above you in that room and start stomping and dragging chairs
as I can see by others comments they had the same terrible experiences, decorate a rundown moldy room and it is like putting cake icing & decorations on a slab of Manure. I was charged way over price and I was willing to let it go until I being woken by inconsiderate people that should never have been put over head, Yes I would retract my negative comments if you would have had the common industry courtesy to remove a nights charge? you find this odd? as a Photographer for the Marriott and many other chain hotels for there websites and print material also with my wife in the hotel industry, it is common when a customer has a legitimate case you make it right !
not offer a insulting Lousy $ 30 of your next crappy stay with us?
why the hell would I want to go back there ?
You charged me just for the 2 nights in the room $ 577 I can stay in a pretty nice room for that price anywhere else MGM grand in Vegas even would have been comparable
No wonder the place has a for sale sign on it, trying to unload it fast ?
Ps the owner is claiming I was only Charged $ 350 for 2 nights?
load of crap !! oh I was under by $ 1.00 the hotel rooms cost $ 578
they charged my credit card $ 746.12
deposit $ 271.60 Aug 12^th
on arrival $ 474.52Aug 25^th
Total of $ 746.12
of that was $ 168 for extra add ons
added 2-​$ 30 concert park tickets
and safari adventure tickets $ 79.00
child $ 59.00
EXPRESS BOAT $ 133.50
so the hotel with there fees was $ 444.50 equals $ 222.25
a night for the garbage room !!!
Time to call my credit card company

It’s a bit of a funny layout but it’s more affordable than many of the other locations on the island so that alone earns this little place some kudos in my book! The staff was very friendly while making the reservation and also during check-​in. They were attentive when we asked for more towels… (although: If a room is booked for a party of 4 you should stock it with at least 4 towels).
Cute rooms, nice décor, loved having the kitchenette (which comes stocked with basic supplies like silverware, bowls, plates, can opener, etc). We saved money by making breakfast and snacks in the room each day (there’s a Von’s nearby to grab some goods). I thought it was a bit odd that they charge a $ 20 cleaning fee if you leave the dishes dirty… for the size of the kitchenette they should just not worry about this and let the staff clean up. I can’t think of any other hotel that requires you to clean up the kitchen area. Apparently they don’t check on this all that well because the plates we pulled down had bread crumbs all over them (no biggie… but a little disappointing none the less).
I think I’d give them 3.5 starts, I’m taking off 1.5 stars for these main reasons:
(1) The mattress was pretty awful, old box spring style things, they made so much noise every time you shifted or moved! I came to Avalon after being on a remote part of the island camping on a foam pad for five days and the foam pad was more comfortable than this bed. Pretty much the only reason you pay for a hotel room on the Island is to get a good nights sleep after a full day of island activities… When the beds suck it can really ruin the whole trip to not feel well rested.
(2) The bathroom is TINY! I guess Boathouse is an appropriate name because the bathroom was more like a head on a boat, while sitting on the toilet your face is practically in the sink… The bathroom layout was awkward too absolutely no way to share the bathroom space (you know one person is using the toilet and one person can still use the sink type thing… won’t work here) which in a room that sleeps 4 people is awkward. (The room itself was spacious and well laid out highly functional for four people.) **Not all the rooms are laid out like this so you might not have this problem.
But it was cute, friendly people, lower price point and I’d probably book it again, so settling on three/​four stars.

So they finally got back to me. It was a tough journey to reach out for the management. However, after posting my one star review regarding the 6-​day-​long wait for a response email, Mindy, Mark’s daughter emailed me. So I had a chance to tell her my feedback about my accident of the shower door dropping onto my foot and how a new intern handled it.
She was understanding and easy to work with. I upgraded my review because of her. She offered us $ 150 discount for our stay and 20% off for our next visit plus a sincere hand-​written note. Even though the damage was done, I appreciated her effort.
Switching to shower curtain from sliding doors is an effort of Mark to avoid this accident to happen in the future.
I will save the last 2 stars for my next visit.

My husband & I stayed here 4^th of July weekend. The place is cute & the staff were very nice. We were given a ride to drop our luggage off at their sister hotel until we left the island. I loved the guy’s golf cart that he gave us a ride in. The hotel has a cute beach theme.
Pros:
— Good price & no restrictions on minimum days booked
— Cute rooms with a mini-​fridge & mini stove
— Nice staff
— Less than a mile from the Catalina Express
— They offered to hold our luggage after we checked out until we left the island & gave us a ride to the Catalina Express.
Cons:
— The A/​C was on a timer, this is weird but we were only in our room sleeping so it wasn’t to bad.
— The hotel is uphill, which can be a downfall if your lugging all your stuff to the location

Three and three quarters stars.
We love this hotel.
You have to understand that most, almost all hotel rooms in Avalon are small, and none the worse for wear. You won’t find a Las Vegas size 15’X30’ room anyplace in Avalon.
This is Catalina, and the Boat House has all that character.
Priced accordingly and fair. If ya want to spend more on a room elsewhere in town more power to ya, we think it’s decent here. It’s always our first choice.
If you’re picky, you’ll pay dearly for it in Avalon but not here.
Also know that all the hotels in Catalina are built on former tent sized lots. Any plans filed to change anything about a property in any way is met with very stiff opposition from 6 or more activist groups. If you don’t believe me just Google what the Von’s market is going through.
Comfortable and relaxed, BBQ’s, outside areas to hang out and Von’s market just a short walk away, a couple neighborhood cats occasionally stop by to visit, the Boat House, formerly the Summerhouse works for us.

Much like the review by Fritz P. my girl and I weren’t there to stay indoors, but we did anyway and the Catalina Boat House was a great little place to stay, but it really is little.
Our room was nice and cozy, and offered all of the amenities that you could need for a little 4 day vacation. There was a 2 burner stove, a mini fridge and all of the pots, pans, and dinner ware you could need. unless you’re like a chef and wanting to make crème brulees (I apologize to the french for any mispellings) for a banquet or something? There is a VONS about 2 blocks away to buy anything you might need if you want to make your own meals. We used the gas grill that was in the common area, and right outside our room to make dinner! The hotel really is close… considering that Avalon is like 10 mins from A to B.
The bed was cozy and fine. The place is a little dated on the inside with the decorations and other accents, but overall it was nice and quaint, and contributed to their overall theme. I don’t know why you would expect something like the W on Catalina. The staff was super friendly and willing to pick us up and drop us off when they were around. My girlfriend and I went there for scuba diving, so we had to haul gear up and down the hill to get to the hotel, but quite frankly, we’re pretty active so it wasn’t that big a deal. Did I consider renting a golf cart? Yes. Did we? No. Would we go back… hell yeah.

The wife surprised me with a weekend getaway to Catalina Island and we couldn’t have been happier with our stay at the Catalina Boat House. The Boat House is located on a steep hill about a block from the middle of town, which made it easy to grab a bite to eat or to walk along the boardwalk area. If you have problems walking up steep hills or inclines you might want to steer clear of Catalina Island, the hills are everywhere!
Anyhow, the rooms were clean and well laid out. The small kitchenette, coffee maker and microwave came in handy throughout the weekend. We weren’t on the island to stay indoors, so the size of the room really didn’t matter to us. However, the size of the room was perfect for the wife and I.
The best part of the hotel was the top notch service we received from Kayla and Charlie. Both were very accommodating when we asked for the best local eats and activities. They recommended zip lining, a few restaurants and bars. All were perfect for what we were looking for. They made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed for our stay. Charlie even gave us a ride back to the boat docks at the end of our stay. If not for these 2 I may have given the place a 3, but the service alone puts my review at 5 stars.
As long as the Boat House keeps folks like Kayla and Charlie on staff, you should go to Catalina Island and stay here.

Wow I’ve stayed in hotels fitting adjectives ranging from Bad to Awesome. Well, sad to report our room at the boathouse was Awful.
My poor hubby had to stay there for 10 days while I arrived at the tail end of his stay.
We had to walk downstairs a couple flights then turn left at the junkyard. The only maintained part of the exterior was the «lobby» aka front porch. The room was as small as small gets which wouldn’t have been so bad if it were at least renovated — per their claims. The room’s flooring was only partially wood and it wasn’t finished wood either. In fact the floor wasnt even level. The door opens immediately into a smurf size kitchen area which holds a fridge and a two burner stove. The two beds’ comforters were dusty. The microwave was oddly in the middle of the room with a box of kleenex on top that was literally had been pulled out and re-​stuffed.
The bathroom was dingy and tiny, with a permanent yellow tinge in the toilet which definitely wasn’t pee. The hot side of the faucet pushed out rusty orange water which resembled burnt Tang. And the shower was so tight, even I had trouble not bumping into things.
The a/​c was temperamental. The window drapes didn’t close fully and we had to tape em shut with e-​tape.
They had a handwritten sign saying basically that WiFi sucks so don’t call the front desk about it, instead you can hang out in the lobby ²⁴⁄₇. You are SOL my friend.
Yes it was a place to shower and sleep but wow, this was easily on my list of worst hotel rooms ever. I know that sounds very elementary but I can’t articulate it any other way.

Super Bad hotel service, bad hotel room environment and irresponsible for loosing customers items. Strongly not recommended.

Nice staff. The staff run back and fourth to the 2 hotels that are owned by the same owner. We stayed here a night. The worst part is its a workout to get there on foot. Steep hill to walk up. Scuba diving while staying here is rough if you own your own equipment. But the bed is nice. The air condition is on a turn knob so I woke up every hour to turn it on. If it’s winter im sure it’s better to stay here. But I mean for the price compared to everywhere else it’s worth it.

Got a great deal from living social. The hotel was nice, clean, great customer care. Its close to the dock. The only thing that was a bit annoying was walking up that hill.
Overall a wonderful experience.

I have to say, when I booked the room online, wasn’t sure what kind of room we would get! We booked 2 rooms and everyone loved it! The room are simple, but have all the necessities you’ll need and more. We also love the view from the patio on top and the BBQ area that we used on our second night! Great place, great price great people, we’ll definitely go back again! Thank you Catalina Boathouse!

Being the cheapest rooms in Avalon your expectations will determine how satisfied with your stay. If you’re going to Catalina to go diving on a budget or want to pop down last minute on a Friday this place is perfect. Alternatively if your heading here for a romantic getaway then you’ll likely be disappointed.
The room we stayed in was small but adequate. The bed was comfortable and everything we needed worked in the room. The place could have been a tad cleaner but the staff was nice and accommodating and we enjoyed our stay.
Your results may vary.

Went to Catalina for my birthday and it was the only place I could find. Overpriced at around 175 especially for the quality of the rooms.
My room wasn’t ready when I got there around 11 am/​noon, which was no big deal as I was expecting that since check-​in is at three. But the manager said he would call me when it was ready. Never received a call from him. Checked in around 5:30 pm and had to call the attendant from a phone to come check me in.
So I go to my room which is at the very bottom and I really needed to use the restroom. The toilet had one of those paper straps on it as if it had just been cleaned. I rip it off and low and behold there is piss all over the toilet seat. So much for a clean seat. The housekeeping was nearby and I guess the daughter who was a teen was responsible for that room (go figure). So she came and cleaned it up. Later when I was in the bathroom I notice the floor was dirty too and look like someone had pissed on it.
So stay here if you want, but I would probably spend the extra 50 bucks to stay at a nicer hotel that isn’t covered in piss. If you need a place to crash it will do, but that’s about it.

Horrible, Horrible, Horrible.
Based on the reviews, it looks like the rooms vary greatly for this building. We were placed in Room (Closet) #12. Although no matter how nice any of the rooms are, the entire establishment is apparently a hoarder’s delight, full of old mattresses tucked in every corner, and piles of junk all over the place. I posted pics of Unilocal if you want to see the details.
The hill itself to go up/​down to the town is not bad at all.
But once you are AT the «Beach House», it’s downhill (in a bad way and a literal way) from there.
A steep staircase/​flat tiled surface with a rickety, non-​compliant «hand rail» «guides» you down to the rooms. I wonder how dangerous this walk way is when wet.
While going down, you pass by the ‘patios’ — more trash heaps.
Our room had a size double bed, a mini fridge, a microwave, and was STANDING ROOM ONLY.
They DID at least have a folding chair tucked away in case you wanted to sit.
Wow.
The miniscule shower had good pressure, but the bathroom was moldy and needed cleaning. FYI if you are a ‘larger person’, you will not fit in this shower.
We put the nasty duvet cover on the floor, and the maid came in and just threw it on the bed (did not MAKE the bed, just placed the blanket onto the bed in a heap — why bother!?).
The a/​c unit was on a timer… wow. Good try. So we changed up the plugs, but I unwittingly unplugged the minifridge, which leaked all over the floor, and got the nasty duvet cover wet– the maid picked UP the wet duvet cover and put it on the bed, which means they had to have been aware of the leak.
The hotel was fully booked up, I tried to get another room but because they were booked, there was nothing we could do. We tried looking around on the island.
I was so unhappy about the room situation that I left Catalina a day early. I asked if they would at least drive me and my scuba luggage to the boat, but apparently they only have that option during certain times of day. Uhm, the Catalina Express runs until about 10 PM, so maybe you should coincide your transport options with the Catalina Express, instead of when is convenient for you ?
Final conclusion? DISGUSTING, POORLY MANAGED, TRASH HEAP, CLOSET SIZED ROOM — DO NOT STAY HERE! I wish I just slept on the beach!

I stayed here last weekend and I liked it. I bought a Living Social deal for 2 nights stay, boat tickets for 2, museum passes for 2, 2-​hour bike rental for 2, passes to the botanical gardens for 2. All in all, I thought it was a great value for the money. I think I paid around $ 350 (after 10% off on living social coupon) plus you have to pay the hospitality tax on top of that. Oh and they also picked us up from the boat dock and took us there on a golf cart. We got to check in at noon since our room was already cleaned for us.
The hotel itself is a bit old and certainly nothing fancy. But I kinda figured that going into the trip and my expectations were met. I didn’t expect fancy, nor did I need fancy. The room was fairly spacious. I see lot of mixed reviews here so perhaps we got a bigger room? We had a bit of an ocean view from our window and we had two beds which we didn’t really need. But nevertheless, the extra space was nice.
The bathroom was very small with a stand up shower, toilet and sink. The sink was really low. I saw somebody complain about the size of the bathroom. Again, not a problem for me or my GF. We were both satisfied with the accommodations and didn’t see anything unsanitary in our room.
I don’t get the complaint about the hills. First off, don’t be a lazy ass. Consider it is a good thing you need to get a little exercise. I get having to lug some heavy bags up the road but otherwise, there shouldn’t be any complaining. The whole friggin town is on a hill. What do you expect? An elevator?
In the end, we didn’t use any of the perks that were given to us. They booked us our bike rental during a Kings Stanley Cup Final game which I was NOT gonna miss. That was the only perk we would’ve liked to use. We ended up spending quite a bit of the weekend at Descanso Beach Club which I thoroughly endorse. There are so many things to do over there from kayak and SUP rentals to snorkeling and zip lining. I think I even saw a rock climbing façade.
Nice staff, adequate accommodations and a good value. i’d stay here again.