This house is a great location. It is only a 0.3 walk from the ferry terminal, about a 7-minute walk. We had a lot of luggage because this was our first stop on a multiple stop vacation. Everyone coming off the ferry has luggage as well so we didn't feel awkward. Check-in went smoothly but had to message the host for the wifi password. I feel that should have been just given in the instructions. We had a family of 5 adults staying in the house and the cleanliness of the house was the first thing we all noticed. With everyone being hypersensitive about cleanliness due to COVID-19 we expected the house to be sparkling. There were dirty handprints and fingers prints on every wall surface even on the beam over the living room and over the vaulted second story overlook down to the living room. The kitchen sink and dishwasher had a sour smell and the pillows and sheets were a little musty. We felt like the family that lived there just packed up and left so we could stay there a couple of nights. There is also an ant problem all over the house.
On a positive note, the location is superb. We walked to dinner and shopping and the little beachfront each day and night. Von's grocery store is within walking distance as well and we picked up some groceries to have for our couple day stay. We loved that the house had beach chairs, towels, and beach umbrellas to use. We rented a golf cart on the first day. It was buy-two hours and get a third free. We did the tourist loop and stopped at all the points of interest. We took the time to tour Wrigley Memorial and Botanical garden-which we enjoyed. We were able to see the chime tower and beautiful views that we wouldn't have seen without the golf cart. Catalina is a beautiful place. The water and boats just make it so scenic. Our second day we walked over to Desconso Beach and rented kayaks for 4 hours, the not-so-early-bird special. We provided our own lunch, but they provided everything else-Kayaks, wet suits, snorkel gear, cooler, and dry bags. Jake and Aurora, brother and sister, were excellent and so nice. We saw the famous Garibaldi fish, and some sea lions on our way to Willow Cove.
Restaurants we loved, Antonio's, Maggie's Blue Rose, Eric's on the Pier, Luau Larry's, and Scoops. Catalina is an expensive place so be prepared to pay more for food. One thing I do on every vacation is to look for a Christmas ornament for a souvenir. I loved the colorful tiles that houses and businesses used to decorate. I learned at the Wrigley Memorial that Wrigley Jr. started the tile company to attract tourists to the island. So, my souvenir from Catalina was a couple of mini tiles that I will make into Christmas ornaments. There is a cute tile shop on the main beachfront that I found the perfect souvenir. The people working there are so friendly.
Check out was a little early for us considering the long list of checkout items, 10 am. There was no direction for checkout on what to do with the house key so we left it how we got it and messaged the host.