Top Reasons to Stay at Casa Mariquita Hotel

• The hotel features Spanish-style architecture and is set in the tranquil hills surrounding the city of Avalon on Catalina Island.
• The property is located a short walk from the bustling shops and restaurants on the front street, Crescent Avenue.
• You can look out onto the town and the Pacific Ocean below from the common area on a pair of patios with terra-cotta tiles and outdoor furniture.
• The garden serves as the trailhead for the Garden to Sky Hike, a gently sloped climb that leads to outlooks with spectacular views of both sides of the island.
Standard king and two-queen rooms have refrigerators, flat-screen TVs, and views of the hotel's courtyard.

Catalina Island, California: Desert Foliage and Secluded Coves in the Pacific Ocean

The rocky Catalina Island is only about 22 miles southwest of Los Angeles, but it’s a world away from the crowded metropolis. For starters, there are hardly any cars here—golf carts are the preferred mode of transportation. Much of the island’s interior is unpopulated, leaving room for abundant desert foliage and wildlife. Visitors can hide away in one of many secluded coves for sunbathing or snorkeling in temperate waters among starfish, sea urchins, and bright-orange garibaldi. Travel + Leisure called these coves “ready-made for romance,” naming Catalina one of the world’s most romantic islands in 2010.

Much of Catalina is accessible only by challenging dirt trails, but you can see many indigenous plants in town at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden. The memorial was designed to incorporate as many local materials as possible, including quarried Catalina stones, blue flagstone rock from the harbor, and hand-painted tiles from a local pottery company.

You can get to the gardens by catching a taxi or trolley from nearby Avalon, the island’s only major city. This small village is set against a backdrop of steep, amphitheater-like hills. Avalon is where most visitors spend the majority of their time, thanks to a popular beach, a lively harbor, and a surprising variety of restaurants. The most famous landmark is the art-deco Casino building. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, the circular, 12-stories-tall structure houses an art gallery, a museum, and a theater.

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