Fodor's Expert Review Catalina Beach Resort

There's a B-movie quality to this old hotel, constructed in an angular 1960s style and now surrounded by tall trees and thick vegetation; it was last renovated and expanded in 2011 and 2012. Guest quarters are plain but well maintained and priced according to the quality of the ocean view. The cheapest, boxlike rooms on the first floor have no view; the spacious ones on the top floor scan the entire bay from hammock-equipped terraces. Furnishings are nothing special; bathrooms are tiled in blue and green; and the quality of mattresses varies from room to room—give 'em a bounce before you decide. The crashing waves below may lure you down more than 200 stairs to beach level, where there are lounge chairs, a pool, and a bar.