Villa Portofino Hotel

My husband and I stayed here for our honeymoon and we really liked it! We took our daughter and they gave us a crib to use for our stay. Their deck view is amazing, and we loved the location. The only bummer was the breakfast selection– just a few pastries, coffee and juice. The staff was nice and helpful, and we would definitely stay here again.

So I was going to give 4 but my girlfriend says 5 stars. Everything was very nice and clean. The things that bump this place up are location and view. Right on the main street. Within walking distance of everything including the ferry. Staff is friendly. Breakfast is continental. They have a great deck on top for sunsets. Would definitely come here again. Nothing against this place. I just thought it was great while I reserve 5 stars for something truly incredible.

My husband and I try to stay here each year on our anniversary. The hotel is very nice, clean, and comfy. This staff is very friendly and helpful. (Bill could soften a little bit though). I really appreciated the chairs and beach towels to take right across the street to the water and just relax and read. We were even given a bottle of wine for our anniversary which was super nice. The only thing I would like to see different is that the upstairs patio area is opened a little earlier so that we could enjoy the mornings up there too. The bed was really nice and the hotel itself was very well maintained.

Super cute place. The staff here is very nice, they made sure to accommodate my every need and even a assisted us after we checked out. Luis went I out of his way to make us feel welcomed, and made sure we were completely satisfied. I really appreciate it.
Also they have a beautiful terrace that over looks the ocean. They have complimentary chairs and towels and the rooms are also nice and clean.
I would definitely stay here again!

If you choose this hotel, ask for Villa de Este! We are a family of four and the room was HUGE!!! Another amazing plus, was that the room looks out at the ocean. It’s excellent people watching… We almost felt like that was what we paid for… the entertainment of the room’s view.
The room is stocked with coffee for the AM, the room had air conditioning, it’s close to everything without being in the middle of it… And one of the best things… A rocking, jamming, fun beach bus stop was right across the way. The driver, Freddy, flashed his huge smile and all the guests waved as our family danced and waved back with each pass-​by!!!

I am a Unilocal snob and searched for a place to stay on the Island that had the best reviews and best deals. I choose this hotel because out of search this one did fit the needs I wanted. I was surprising my girlfriend for our one year anniversary with a little getaway. So, I booked the Pardiso Package that this hotel offers. Right when I completed my reservation I did not receive an email, so I called the front desk and a very nice lady helped me out and said she was working on my reservations as we spoke, should be getting an email soon. Since it was our anniversary she also asked whether I would like a complimentary white, red wine, or champagne when we checked in! About 15 minutes later I received my email confirmation for the Boat ride and hotel reservation confirmation. They have different packages as well that you can book together and save. We just did the basic package.
Walking up to the hotel, I was definitely excited and stoked to see that the pictures do not deceive. Very quant, and located beach side was definitely a plus! As soon as we walked into the small lobby we were greeted by the friendly staff (most friendly staff out of anywhere we went on the island), and helped ourselves to some complimentary water that was set out. We received our two sets of keys and went to our room. From the outside the hotel was well maintained, clean and quite. From the girlfriend’s point of view all she could keep saying was how cute the hotel was. The rooms all had slider doors, which was different, but definitely gave it an italian feel. The room had a large bed, good size bathroom, and the necessities for showering. The room was clean, and comfortable. We put down our belongings and headed for the sun deck, which was amazing. It overlooked the harbor with all the boats, you could see all the people walking around, and it was quite up there as well. We sat up there at night people watched, listen to some music, and drank our champagne after dinner, and it was fantastic. We first got to our room, and I noticed that the champagne that I had requested was not there. Not to worried about it all, we changed and went kayaking. Upon return we had a cold bottle of champagne with two glasses and a note from the staff.
The hotel is steps away from the beach and they offer you towels and chairs to use at your leisure. I would definitely stay here again, it would be very difficult to venture off to another hotel and try somewhere else!
Thank you Villa Portofino! Don’t know how I will top this surprise trip!

My friend and I decided to do a girls getaway weekend in Catalina. Given this was our first time booking travel/​excursions ourselves, we decided to take advantage of a package deal Villa Portofino offered. We were really pleased with the cleanliness and location of the hotel — it’s at the end of the busy strip along the beach, so it’s within easy walking distance to everything, yet, it’s quiet. The rooftop deck was a bonus, as was the complimentary canvas bag we received the first day. The staff was always professional and helpful, and the continental breakfast, while small, was very nicely done! Overall, I’d definitely stay here again!

Fantastic service, really clean and cheap room, right on the beach, and really good pastries for breakfast. I cannot recommend this place enough.
VERY satisfied!

I paid $ 140 for one room with King bed. The room is clean and not old looking. The front room door is a sliding door which is cool. It has a Sun deck open from 10am-​10pm. Continental breakfast is served from 7:30am-10:30am. It is across the street from the port. Really close everything, including the Vons supermarket. It’s worth the money, probably best bang for your buck. It takes a seven minute walk from the Catalina Express port.

Great hotel, nice rooms, pleasant staff. Would have given it 5 stars but when I called the wifi issues to the staff on 2 occasions I was just blown off

For my 1,100^th review I wanted to write about this very simple, cute and amazing trip that I took for the first time to Catalina Island. We first took a boat from Long Beach to Avalon it was I believe 1 and half hour long boat ride which went by really quickly. Once we reached the docks the hotel and the island is small soo everything is literally walking distance.
We checked into the hotel drop our bags and stayed here for a few days. I like the how the hotel room doesn’t really have the regular type doors but the sliding ones and this place was pretty quiet.
In the morning they do have fruits, bread, coffee, tea and OJ for your meal. You can also sit outside and look at the ocean view. What more do you want? Service was nice and didn’t have a problem at all with booking the hotel.
The rooftop deck is also pretty nice to do some sun tanning if you’d like. I can’t wait to come here again and try some other activities and food ! :)

We stayed here 3 – 6 to 3 – 8. The location is great of course. Easy to find and welcoming.
Service: Front desk hostess was friendly. Check in and out was super quick. Less than 5 min.
Amenities: Complimentary breakfast was delish. Eating on their patio which was about 200 feet from the shore was one of our highlights. Homemade muffins. Not much of a breakfast just fruit, muffins, scones, coffee, tea, and O.J. But still good. We didn’t eat at the Italian restaurant but maybe would have if there was some kind of insensitive for staying there. Even if they would have delivered to the sun deck.
Room: Can’t really say anything bad aside from the uncomfortable bed. My complaint was the rough comforter.
Would highly recommend (:

Scenario — we had free champagne given to us on friday which we didnt use… saturday comes and we have to check out… we do so. yet the people their are so kind that they still allow us to use their upper deck to relax… we ask for champagne cups even though we are checked out, and open that sucker that was given to us the day before… this hotel will make you feel at home even after you have checked out… their amenaties availabe… and their wifi is the best on the island… this is the hotel for those that want good service and a great vacation experience…

I just booked a room through the phone since it doesn’t provide the booking online. During my talk, I was thinking about something else, and probably stopped by 5 seconds. I just stopped in the middle of saying my full email address, and the operator who’s a old lady asked «ARE YOU DEAD?». I have seen comments on other website saying this hotel has the worst customer service which is rude and hell. I haven’t started yet, but I have already felt that. It’s just a pity that the other hotels are sold out.

Absolutely the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I have EVER experienced! Completely ruined our vacation! The most unhelpful staff you have ever encountered! Rude, inept, and argumentative! Wendy Hernandez was the rudest person I have ever dealt with in my life!
They literally THREW us out of the suite we prepaid $ 335 for because I am a disabled person with a service animal. On top of that they called the police even after I tried to educate them on my rights and inform them they they are breaking the law by discriminating against customers with disabilities. I currently have a lawsuit in progress against their conduct. I am utterly appalled at their disgusting conduct.

A wonderful hotel with great views if you get the right room. Initially we had the room on the ground floor #102 which was clean but rather small and in all honesty, sucked.
It seems management thought it would be a great idea to have some coffee tables and chairs right outside of the window by the bed so I could be woken by early morning chatter of other guests sipping coffee and noshing on muffins — not good. Worse yet, the second floor walkway was right above our heads so when the thundering herd of buffaloes (small kids and big ones too) decided to run or jump between levels it felt like the ceiling was going to fall down on us. This would go well into the night and be our wake-​up cLl in the morning.
Fortunately, the second day there our shower drain failed to perform and we got moved at no charge to a very nice room without a room number but rather a Mediterranean inspired name «Capri». Well what a wonderful change this was, a very nicely appointed room with a balcony, great ocean view of the beach and harbor, fireplace, awesome bathroom etc.
BTW, the restaurant downstairs is not bad, but I think the chef needs to embrace the use of salt is some of the dishes. I ordered scallops with risotto and the risotto was prepared sodium free, I saw another guest order the same dish and we both were liberally sprinkling salt to punch it up a bit. I believe the other reviews I read later mention the same thing about lack of salt. Desert was pana cotta which was nicely presented and tasty. Service was a bit slow but pleasant. Overall a good experience and hats off to the hotel staff for the room upgrade.
One final comment, although the coffee in the hotel reception was not too good, it was a nice touch to have complimentary fruit, muffins and juice in the morning. Also I loved the cucumber and Lemmon water served all day long, very refreshing, well done. Oh, I almost forgot, the rooftop deck is an absolute treasure. Lots of cabana style lounges, small tables and chairs to enjoy well into the night. Bring a bottle of wine and some snacks and a candle for an end of day treat.

On Wed. August 27, my wife and I was supposed to arrive back from Avalon to San Pedro at 3:00pm PST on the Catalina Express. At 10:30 am, we went to their docking port office and they mentioned that there are no ferries running at this time until around 5:00 pm to attempt to dock whereas earlier this morning a ferry arrived in Avalon and was unsuccessful in docking due to the large swells from hurricane Marie. The Villa Portofino Hotel staff accommodated us knowing that we were stranded here until swell subsided and gave us a good rate for an extra night of stay. That night, I was supposed to return to work and the receptionist was willing to write a letter of excuse to show for. Thanks VP

We stayed here in late May for my girlfriend’s birthday, and Villa Portofino was a terrific choice. I wasn’t sure about the location just from looking at it on a map, but it’s almost ideal: at the end of the long row of shops, restaurants and other hotels on the crescent, it’s a stone’s throw from the beach but enough removed from the hustle-​and-​bustle that we found it to be very quiet and relaxing. (And the walk from the ferry wasn’t bad at all, even with bags.) The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the patio deck is VP’s best feature. We found a slice of cake, went up there after sunset, and had a wonderfully romantic view of the nighttime harbor while celebrating the birthday girl.
(By the way, VP helped the celebration along very nicely by chipping in a small discount on the room, and providing a free bottle of wine. A nice, very welcome touch.)
Our room was on the ground level, attached to the small courtyard. This area might get noisy in the high season, but we were there right at the end of the off-​season and had no trouble with sound at all. The room wasn’t spectacular, but we found nothing at all to complain about and it served our needs perfectly. Everything was clean, the bed was comfy, the bathroom was spotless and well-​appointed, and we really did have a terrific time. I rarely write Unilocal reviews, but these folks earned a good one and I’m happy to say nice things. We are very likely to stay here again on a future trip.

We Unilocaled and used TripAdvisor to help us determine where we’d stay for our trip… and it is a good thing we did. Catalina’s hotels can be overpriced, but there are limited options and even less good ones in my opinion. We finally chose Villa Portofino b/​c of the reviews, a discount available at the time through TripAdvisor, the fact there is a rooftop patio with a view, and it had a decent location. We were glad we went here and they held our bags since we arrived early and after check out, welcomed us to use the restroom and such amenities, and
+CUSTOMER SERVICE: Great! Everyone was so nice! From reservation to staff on site.
+LOCATION: I thought this was perfect, because it was at the end of the walkway, so away from the noise, and still just looking at the water.
Bottom Line — It was pricey, even with a TripAdvisor discount, and worth every penny.

What a great place to stay! Charming little hotel with staff who are attentive and provide excellent service. They learned it was my birthday and were gracious enough to give me a bottle of champagne on ice. That alone will get my business again. The hotel itself is walking distance to everything and has its own Italian restaurant next door. Our room was small and quaint with all the necessities we would need. There is an awesome sun deck which is great to relax on one of the lounge chairs, or watch the sunset over the harbor. Free coffee & water are found in the lobby and you can leave your luggage with the front desk for the afternoon after checking out.
There were a few minor drawbacks leading to my 4 star review: Like others mentioned, the mattress was too firm for me and I had a difficult time falling asleep. Also, the shower is on the small side. The complimentary breakfast is limited to muffins, scones, croissants, and juice. Our room was also located right next to the sun deck so we couldn’t open our window for lack of privacy and at times outside noise was loud while trying to sleep. Overall, this place really makes you feel welcome and I love the personal attention each guest receives..