Pavailon Hotel
on Catalina Island
513 Crescent Ave.
P.O. Box 737
Availon, Catalina Island, CA 90704
The Pavilion Hotel, Avalon, Catalina Island
The Pavilion hotel is located east of the island Catalina in the town of Avalon. Obviously, the only way to get there is by ferry. There are a quite a few ferry companies to choose from and the one you select will most likely be determined by your desired departure as well as arrival location. The ferries leave from Dana Point, Long Beach, Marina Del Rey or Newport Beach and will take you to Avalon or Two Harbors on Catalina. All of the ferries are accessible and I have provided the links for a few of them here Ferries.
As noted above, Catalina has two main towns, Avalon and Two Harbors. Avalon is main town on the island and this is where most of the ferries dock. Back in the 20’s & 30’s Avalon was a hot post for vacationing Hollywood stars and to this day, they still arrive in their yachts and moor in the Avalon harbor and go ashore for dinner and cocktails.
Avalon is surprisingly accessible for such a small town and only a few of the shops are inaccessible. There is an accessible tour of the old Casino which houses the famous Avalon ballroom and an active theater. You remember the Avalon ballroom right? Tommy Dorsey “coming to you live” was the world-famous introduction to the live broadcasts from the ballroom back in the Hollywood heyday.
Although there is accessibility, I would recommend you make this trip with a companion if you are confined to a wheelchair like I am. Although there is lots to see, and there are many sights in Avalon that are accessible by power chair (if your chair is robust enough for road travel), the accommodations are a bit lacking and I would have had a hard time if my father had not been traveling with me. Also, there are no accessible buses or golf carts (the main mode of transportation) on the island, so I would recommend a 2 or 3 day stay at the longest.
The Hotel Accommodations
The Pavilion Hotel is the only hotel in Avalon that has accommodations for those traveling by wheelchair. It is just 14 steps (or a 2 minute stroll) from the beach. It is a two-story structure with 71 rooms. The elegantly landscaped garden includes a large fire ring and an open-air ocean-view lounge area near the front lobby. There is also an indoor lounge area where you can enjoy your complimentary continental breakfast in the morning while you say good morning to Catalina. You can also enjoy the complimentary wine and cheese pairing in the late afternoon to recharge your batteries.
The Room
After a day cruising around town it’s nice to return to your very comfortable and accommodating room. I stayed in room 303, which is the room I will review here. The entrance to the room has a private patio and the front door is easy to get in although you may need a grabber to help you close the door from the outside, when leaving. I was not able to close the door without the help of my Dad or a staff member. The peephole is positioned for a wheelchair which I thought was a nice safety feature. The room has two beds, a twin and a queen. They are both low enough to the ground to accommodate easy transfer from a wheelchair. The room also has a nice desk at the perfect height to simply pull in and comfortably use your computer or write a nice post-card to the jealous friend that had to stay at home. The room has other amenities including a HD flat screen TV, in-room coffee/tea service, iHome MP3 players, and complimentary use of a new iPad.
I would be remiss if I did not point out a few of drawbacks about this room. First, it has just enough room for one wheelchair to maneuver, so if two are traveling in wheelchairs, it would be a tight fit. Second, the light switches were difficult to access and as a matter of fact, I could not even reach the wall lamps by the beds to turn them on. You might want to bring a flashlight for maneuvering in the dark at night if you have to get up! Lastly, all the electrical outlets are hidden behind the beds so if you need to plug in you battery charger, be sure if traveling alone, to have a hotel staff member help you setup your battery charger when you arrive.
The Bathroom
The height of the sink is perfect for a wheelchair and the sink space is more than adequate for you to lay out all of your toiletries. The bathroom lights and electrical outlets are easy to reach and are located to the right of the sink for easy access to your shaver or hair dryer. The toilet does have grab bars but the toilet area itself is very narrow so I was not able to position my chair for easy access to transfer. The roll-in shower has a fold-down bench and an adjustable showerhead and the shower controls are conveniently located within easy reach. It would have been nice if the shower was a bit larger. The leg space was cramped and there was not enough room to store my shampoo or soap and it was difficult to get my chair close enough to be able to close the curtain after I transferred to the bench. I did make it work, but it was a challenge.
