The 4th generation Mac Rae family invites you to our centrally located beachfront hotel. Our hotel features panoramic ocean view rooms, continental breakfast, an open-air courtyard, complimentary beach towels and DVDs, after check-out shower facilities and luggage storage. All rooms are non-smoking and offer air conditioning, wireless internet, cable TV/DVD, and hair dryers. Come and enjoy our relaxing, quaint Mediterranean atmosphere right on the beach, in the very heart of Avalon.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Rate is 5, October 2-4, 2024. We like the service and our room & bathroom were clean… Front desk personnels were polite.. We expected for a buffet breakfast but we are also thankful for coffee and pastries every morning.. Highly recommended..
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have been coming to Catalina/Avalon for decades. Used to be on my Birthday when Catalina Express gave you free round trips and many businesses gave you discounts & freebies, which ended several years back. Now I come the third week of September during the long-running Festival of the Arts. It's always hard to get a hotel room at all during this weekend, let alone an ocean/harbor front room on the main drag (Crescent St or 'Front St'.) You basically only have The Mac Rae, and then there is The Edgewater, plus there are two other extremely pricy places such as The Vista Del Mar and Snug Harbor. All three are great but you'll never find a better place than the Mac Rae. One of the original hotels in Avalon and still in the control or that same family. I have stayed with them three times over the past six years, most recently just last week, and have always stayed in one of their four rooms which overlook the harbor and front street. I have never had a problem and the staff is always friendly. Like 90% of all hotels it is up a flight of stairs. If you're coming for an 'event weekend' as I did you need to basically book several months in advance if you want an oceanfront room. These rates are the best for this type of room and when you walk out onto the street you are dead center in the middle of anything happing. One thing about Avalon some people complain about is the noise from bars on the front street. I can tell you I had my windows open and, yeah it was a bit noisy up until roughly 11 pm. Catalina is an early to bed town, most everything dies down in the 8 o'clock hour and the few bars/cantinas open are quiet by 10-11 pm. This is a great, economical spot to stay for a night or even multi-days. Due to Covid, they do not do daily room service, but anything can be requested from the front desk and easily accommodated.
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Date of stay: September 2021
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Yes, you will have to make it up a flight of stairs with your suitcase, but the rest far outweighs that drawback. We went at peak season mid-July, so average room rates were $350 to $500 a night. We got a king sized bed, huge closet, sitting table and across from the beach, the view was amazing! Short walk from the ferry and in the middle of all attractions for about $225. I was worried being across from beach might be noisy at night, but it wasn't. Room didn't have a coffee maker, but they had coffee out before 7 am with all the creamer and sugar options, so I didn't have to make it, along with continental pastry to pass on to my daughter to hold her over until we were ready to go out. There is a big patio area in the middle courtyard between the rooms that you could lounge at during the day and evening. They have nice A/C units, but we hardly used it except once after hours on the obstacle course in the sun, really helped us to cool down. They also have a suitcase storage for arrivals before check in, or those spending the day there after check out. I was leery about this because it's open, so upon arrival, we left our suitcases at the terminal storage area, however, upon checking out, I decided it's right beside the office in view of the manager, so we left our suitcases there while doing another tour and found them untouched on return to take them to the fairy. Great trip!
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Date of stay: July 2021
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This hotel gets 5 stars for its location - hands down. It's one of the oldest hotels on the island. When you walk into the dated rooms you feel like you are at a discounted motel. The summer prices are high especially for the weekend and this hotel sells out. The bed is comfortable and the air conditioner works really well. The bathroom has a skylight so you get plenty of light with flicking the switch.
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Date of stay: July 2020
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Right across the street from the beach and pier, easy flat walk from the ferry port area. We stayed just one night (Wed 8th Jan 2020) in a Courtyard view room. Reception is up a flight of stairs and through the main Courtyard, with a lower level past reception where our room was located. The TLC (Tender Loving Care) relates to the rather old feel the room had and the strange box wood draws our TV sat on. It is quaint though and we liked the simple, relaxed, seaside vibe the room gave off. Toilet and show worked fine, bed comfortable, linen and towels crisp and clean. Lean breakfast of tea/coffee/orange juice; pastries on a help yourself table by reception. Cost was fine for Catalina Island and of course any refurbishment would most likely means a price hike. Would we stay there again; yes!
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Date of stay: January 2020
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Our first surprise was you had to climb twenty steps with all your luggage.. The check in was simple and the staff was nice. We had a room with a "view". We entered the room and found it very clean and quaint...UNTIL you took a shower and sat on the toilet. A strong sewage odor immediately came out of the drain. My husband jumped out immediately. When you sat on the toilet...it moved! I went down the following morning to notify the staff and to pick up our "breakfast"(coffee, orange juice and muffin) and noticed three flies on the muffin in which the plastic container was left opened. After notifying staff of our maintenance concerns, she politely told me she could not switch rooms due to being completely booked. Maintenance could not come out til Tuesday. We finally had to place two towels over the shower drain. The hotel view was fabulous and location as well, but will be staying at another hotel in the future. Once again, the room was very clean.
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Date of stay: September 2021
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Room Tip:For a View ask for a room on the boardwalk
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Like other reviewers say, the hotel is an older property. Expect thin walls, and a very tiny bathroom. We had a very clean room with one King bed, but there wasn't much space for 2 suitcases and our beach chairs, daypacks, etc. There was a broken lamp on one of the nightstands. BUT, the room was in the back, way off the main drag/boardwalk area, and so it was very quiet at night. We didn't hear any noise from the restaurants or bars below. Quiet at night is one of our main priorities so the hotel definitely delivered on that. There is also a nice continental breakfast every morning with coffee, OJ, and an assortment of muffins, scones, & pastries. You can check out beach towels at the front desk, which was very handy, since the beach is literally 20 feet from the hotel entrance. As others say, the location is Awesome!! All in all, this is a great place to stay if you don't plan to spend much time in your room and want a very comfy bed at night, a great location, and friendly, helpful staff.
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Date of stay: July 2021
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hotel very near the Catalina Express dock. Hotel was beautiful and clean. The view of the harbor was the best. We were right in front of the ocean! Kelly and Jessica were the best and made the trip special. You are within a short walking distance of all the fun stuff to do in Avalon. Catalina Express cancelled our return trip due to bad weather, so Jessica upgraded us to the best room they had at a discounted price. They were very friendly and professional.
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Date of stay: November 2022
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Historic Hotel, over 100 years old. The old-girl still looks good!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quaint boutique hotel located in the center of “downtown” Avalon accessible to lots of restaurants shops activity all in walking distance Small beach front area by the pier located where ferry loads/ unloads form LA. Small Outdated but well maintained rooms. Sufficient for a short stay. Rooms open up into an open air patio with sitting lounge chairs to sit and talk or even hang out with family who have rooms across the patio. The staff were very friendly and helpful I would stay again
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:No cars needed or allowed , I guess unles you are a native islander. Lots of restaurants all in...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We only had one night to stay in Avalon and we decided a family run small hotel right at the beach sounded good. It was a very nice ocean view room and we found it very quiet at night and slept straight through. We are early risers and waiting until 7:00 for the coffee shop next door to open was tough so bring your own coffee maker.
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Date of stay: May 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We can give you your 10% birthday discount on the phone or we can give you a refund for your discount upon arrival if you book your reservation online.
Our availability changes quickly so it is best for you to call us toll free at 1-800-698-2266 for check our website directly or through TripAdvisor for the most current availability. Thank you.
There are more places to choose from in the Avalon area.
PRICE RANGE
$130 - $257 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
mac rae hotel, mac rae avalon
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaCatalina IslandAvalon
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Mac Rae?
Nearby attractions include Catalina Island Conservancy (0.1 miles), Escape Room Catalina (0.2 miles), and Catalina Museum For Art & History (0.1 miles).
