Thirty-six rooms on Metropole Avenue with the only ground-floor king patio rooms in Avalon, fireplaces, harbor-view suites on the upper floors, and the island's only properly designed ADA-accessible guest room.
"The only Avalon hotel that solves the ground-floor question. Five king patio rooms with fireplaces and private outdoor space, a properly designed ADA room, and a harbor view from the upper suites. Quietly competent."
Catalina Island Inn occupies a half-block of Metropole Avenue between Beacon and Crescent, a four-story masonry-and-stucco building with rooms arranged on the ground floor and the upper three storeys. The hotel sits one block off the boardwalk and one block from the public beach, in a slightly quieter pocket of Avalon than the Crescent Avenue waterfront line, which is the location's defining trade. Returning guests choose it for exactly this reason: the harbor walk is sixty seconds away, the boardwalk noise after 10:00 PM is not.
The room product splits into three categories. The five ground-floor king rooms are the property's headline and the booking that distinguishes it from the rest of the Avalon stock. Each has a private patio with a small outdoor seating area, a working gas fireplace inside, a tiled walk-in shower, a king bed with a quality linen package, and the warm-textile colour palette (oatmeal, ivory, soft grey) the owners installed in the most recent renovation cycle. The standard rooms on the upper floors run from twin and queen non-view units (the value entry point at around $189 a night) to king harbor-view rooms with a slice of Avalon Bay across the rooftops. The suites add a separate sitting area and the property's strongest line of sight onto the bay; the corner units are the booking for a small celebration.
The hotel runs a properly designed ADA-accessible guest room, with easily accessible thresholds, widened doorways, a roll-in tiled shower with a bench, and lever hardware throughout. This is the only purpose-built fully ADA-compliant accommodation in Avalon and remains a meaningful differentiator for travelers with mobility needs; the front desk handles ferry-side coordination for golf-cart transfers to the property door. There is no restaurant on site, but the location places guests within a three-minute walk of Bluewater Grill, the Avalon Grille, Steve's Steakhouse, and the harbor seafood line. A small lobby breakfast is set out from 7:00 to 10:00.
Service is unobtrusive and capable. The front desk is small, returning, and recognises returning guests without performance; activity bookings (Casino tour, glass-bottom boat, snorkel, Buffalo Safari) are handled at the desk and the staff is well-versed in the standard one-day Catalina itinerary. The property is the value pick on the island for couples who want a king-and-patio combination at a Metropole-rather-than-Crescent price band, and for families who want connecting rooms on the upper floors without paying the Crescent Avenue waterfront premium.
For an anniversary that wants a fireplace, a private patio, and a king bed at the Metropole-rather-than-Crescent price band, the ground-floor king patio rooms are the right booking. Each opens onto its own small outdoor seating area with a small fountain; the fireplaces are working gas inserts, and the bathrooms are full walk-in tiled showers. Pair with a sunset Casino walk and dinner at the Avalon Grille for the textbook one-night anniversary loop.
For families, the upper-floor connecting rooms handle four to six travelers without forcing a suite booking, and the slightly off-boardwalk position means the children sleep through the late summer waterfront din. The ADA-accessible ground-floor room is the only properly designed mobility-friendly room on the island and matters for multi-generational families. Pair with the glass-bottom boat in the morning and the public beach in the afternoon for the standard one-day rotation.
125 Metropole Avenue
Avalon, CA 90704
United States
One block back from Crescent Avenue and the harbor; Catalina Express terminal 7 minutes on foot
36 rooms across four floors
Twin or Queen non-view from $189/night
King Harbor-View Rooms from $279/night
Ground-Floor King Patio Rooms from $339/night
Harbor-View Suites from $399/night
ADA-accessible ground-floor room available
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Four-story building, elevator to upper floors; ADA-compliant ground-floor accommodation
Five ground-floor king patio rooms with fireplaces
Tiled walk-in showers throughout
Lobby breakfast service 7 to 10 AM
Family connecting rooms on upper floors
Activity booking at front desk
Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi
From $189/night. The five ground-floor King Patio Rooms book four to six weeks ahead for summer Saturdays and Buccaneer Days; standard upper-floor rooms are usually available within two weeks even in peak.
Check Availability →The 1920 Wrigley hotel, reborn in 2019 as a 95-room boutique a block off the waterfront on Sumner Avenue.
The 1891 Victorian, oldest hotel on Catalina, sister to the Hotel del Coronado, recently renovated suites.
Twenty-four oceanfront rooms run by the same family since 1920, directly on the Avalon boardwalk.
Off peak pricing, suite upgrades, and subscriber only offers, flagged only when the value is real.