One thing you should know about me is that my favorite place in the world is located about 46 miles off of the coast of Los Angeles. This sweet little island is called Catalina and it is where I have spent one week every summer for the past 20 years! Man, I can’t believe it’s actually been 20 years! My dad and his company put on a rendezvous for their customers every August over on Catalina. Back in 2001, just a few short weeks after we had made the move from Massachusetts to California, we found ourselves attending our first rendezvous and we quickly fell in love with this charming island.
Flash forward 20 years and though I have had the privilege of traveling to many beautiful places, there is nothing quite like Catalina. To my family and others who love her, Catalina is one of the best kept secrets that surprisingly not a lot of Californians know too much about. Many have heard of the town of Avalon where most crowds tend to go to due to the number of places to stay/eat/play, but just 40 mins (by boat) north is Two Harbors. Isthmus Cove and Cat Harbor stand back to back, coining the name “Two Harbors.” This is where we have the rendezvous and the part of Catalina that we have come to love.
The only places to stay in Two Harbors are either: camping, staying on your boat, or staying at the Banning House Lodge which is the only bed and breakfast in Two Harbors. This is where we have stayed over the years and is very highly recommended. The Banning House sits on a hill, overlooking incredible views of both harbors. (Cat Harbor is seen in the picture above.) There is only one restaurant with an attached cafe that is open for breakfast and lunch as well as only one general store for groceries and souvenirs. Two Harbors is very quaint compared to Avalon, but that is what we love about it.
At 23 years old, I have gotten to a point in my life where once my birthday comes around, all I really want is to travel. Last year, my girlfriends and I stayed in Laguna Beach and the year before, I went to Charleston, SC for my 21st. This year, I wanted nothing more than to be in my favorite place in the world for my 23rd. My two best friends Taylor and Ashley accompanied me as we made the two hour drive up to San Pedro and the one hour boat ride over to Catalina. Upon arriving, the van from the Banning House was waiting to pick us up and brought us up the hill to the lodge to check in. We stayed in one of the rooms that looks over towards Cat Harbor (view in picture above) and I am pretty sure we all stood in silence for a good couple of minutes as we looked at that view. Since it was February, it was off-season for the island and therefore, not very busy at all. We spent the day, laying on lounge chairs until the last afternoon when we went up to get ready for happy hour on the deck of the Banning House.
Following sunset and happy hour, we went back down to have dinner at the restaurant. The next morning, we had a lovely breakfast provided by the Banning House, took a walk to Cat Harbor, and then spent the rest of the morning on the beach until our ferry arrived. It was a quick but relaxing weekend and any chance to be in Catalina, I will always take. This lowkey weekend may not be everyone’s first choice for their 23 birthday but I could not have imagined it any better.
See you in August, Catalina!
-L
