Catalina Island activities package: Enjoy unlimited free tours, movies, golf, ferry transport with your hotel stay

Feeling bored lately? A quick trip to Catalina Island can cure that for you. Visitors who are looking to sail, snorkel, hike, golf, kayak, shop or just kick back and enjoy the view of everyone else having fun are welcome. Now that the summer crowds are lightening up, Catalina is ready to pamper guests who prefer the quiet of the off-season. Visit Catalina Island is offering a brand-new travel package that includes hotel accommodations, ferry transportation and unlimited free access to more than 14 activities including boat tours, golf, movies, backstage historical tours of Avalon Casino and more.

Deal: The Catalina Island Unlimited Free Activities package, which includes accommodations at Pavilion Lodge or Hotel Atwater and round-trip transportation aboard the Catalina Express or Catalina Flyer, starts at $117 per person, per night (midweek) and $175 per person, per night (weekends) with a two-night minimum. But they’ve tacked on more free things to do on the island than you could possibly take advantage of. Based on a la carte pricing, it’s more than $350 savings per adult if you could do them all, including the ferry ride. More importantly, the package introduces you to numerous ways to explore and have fun on the island — and will keep you super-busy. Even if you just want to escape to the island to relax, there are activity options suited especially for chill-axing.

Tested: I tested dates at Pavilion Lodge and found the package available the first weekend in October (Oct. 1-3) for a total package price of $713 including taxes for a room with two double beds. It was the same price for a room with a king bed. I was drawn to this hotel over the Hotel Atwater because the Pavilion has free high-speed Internet in the rooms, and photos of guest rooms on the website seemed to be more upscale than Hotel Atwater. However, the Atwater is only half a block from the beach. Unlimited Free Activities package rates for the same weekend at this hotel were $373 for an exterior queen bedroom. To compare, I tested prices on TripAdvisor (via Travelocity) for the Pavilion Lodge on Oct. 1-3, and the rates were $194 Thursday night and $324 Friday night, pre-tax, or $575 for both nights after tax.

Free tours & activities included in the package:

Note: Descriptions come from Visit Catalina Island. Normal a la carte pricing is listed next to the tour. Get more information about the tours by clicking the connected links.

>Behind the Scenes Casino Tour - New! Get an unprecedented look at the off-limits rooms and backstage areas of this history-rich building and feel what it was like during Avalon’s golden age. (Adults $29.50, Children $22)

> Avalon Scenic Tour - Our highest customer-rated tour takes you through the heart of Avalon and into the surrounding hillsides where our knowledgeable guides tell you the stories of Avalon’s past and present. (Adults $18.25, Children $17.75)

>Skyline Drive - A scenic two-hour tour into the island’s interior along impressive vistas to the Nature Center at Catalina’s Airport-in-the-Sky. (Adults $40.50, Children $30.50)

>Classic Inland Motor Tour - Journey deep into the island’s rugged interior to see native plants and wildlife, incredible scenery and the Wrigley’s Rancho Escondido Arabian Horse Ranch. (Adults $82.75, Children $62.25)

>Glass-Bottom Boat - Visit the Lover’s Cove Marine Preserve, where colorful fish and marine plants thrive among the kelp forests. (Adults $18.75, Children $14.25)

>Undersea Tour - Cruise five feet below the surface of the ocean in our spacious semi-submersible to get up close and personal with the aquatic wildlife in Lover’s Cove. (Adults $40.50, Children $30.25 (children’s rate for Undersea tour applies when the Glass-Bottom Boat is not running)

>Casino Tour - Tour the world-famous Casino Ballroom and Theater with its fabulous murals and art-deco elegance. (Adults $18.25, Children $13.75)

>GPS Ranger Walking Tour - Beginning midsummer. Stroll through the streets of Avalon at your own pace with your own handheld multimedia guide. (Has not yet debuted)

Additional free activities include: Free movies at Avalon Theatre, located in the Avalon Casino (Adults $8, children $6), as well as weekend organ recitals on the antique Page Theater organ; unlimited rounds of golf at the historic  nine-hole Catalina Island Golf Course located in Avalon Canyon (Nine holes, $32; 18 holes, $55; weekends, add $5 to each price); Unlimited rounds of miniature golf at the newly renovated Golf Gardens (Adults, $8, children $6); unlimited rounds of tennis at Catalina Country Club ($15/person); Unlimited admission to the Descanso Beach Club ($3/person), Avalon’s only beachside restaurant and bar (open through mid-0ctober).

Tip: Make sure you book your tours and activities at the hotel front desk on the same day or no earlier than 6 p.m. of the day prior to the tour or activity.

When: Valid until Nov. 1, 2009. It’s important to note that the Pavilion Lodge will be closed for remodeling Nov. 15 – June 15, 2010

Contact: Visit Catalina Island, (800) 322-3434

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Photo: From the hills, the harbor at Avalon on Santa Catalina Island spreads out below, with the Casino Ballroom in the distance at right. Credit: Jane Engle / Los Angeles Times]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18, 2009 at 5:59 am by Jen Leo and is filed under Catalina Island, Deals, Fall, Family & Kids, Hotels, Last Minute, Los Angeles, Tours & Cruises, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.