Tour Catalina

These guys saved our day! We had a reservation that went REALLY BAD at «Brown’s Bike rentals» and we luckily found
. We called them — no answer — but just walked over. They rented us three GREAT, new Pedego electric bikes for a great price and we had a great day on the island. A little hard to contact but just leave a message and go! Side note: I think some of these reviews are for other companies with similar names. Tour catalina is awesome:)

What can I say? The electric Bike rental is amazing. These bikes are so powerful that you dont even need to pedal. The also have enough juice to take you up the steep roads to the scenic lookouts. Golf carts are expensive, noisy and the electric bikes provide a far more eco friendly alternative. The owners here are extremely friendly and made sure I knew everything to have a great time, showing me maps of the island and pointing out some great spots. If you go to Catalina, make sure you dont miss out on renting the electric bikes from these guys. You wont regret it as the experience is both economical, environmentally friendly and a ton of fun.

These guys were amazing! My girlfriend and I did a last minute trip on a weekday to Catalina. We didn’t have a reservation, but were able to get a couple bikes to cruise around the island when we walked in. We had a blast! This is THE BEST way to get around and explore Avalon. Let Grandpa ride the golf cart! Awesome customer service and bikes. Can’t wait to come back. Aloha!

About a month before or arrival to Catalina we began planning our trip. We chose Catalina Tours because they also rented bike trailers for young ones and we have 2 two and under. It was reasonably priced for the 3 hour rental and everything was taken care of reservation wise through email. When our cruise pulled into port we walked to the Catalina Tours location downtown. It was closed. Not a problem — we called the office and they directed us to their main location perhaps Quarter mile down the road and told us that was where we needed to be. This was at 1040am for a 1045 reservation. When we arrived at the shop everything was locked up and it looked closed. Strange since we talked to someone less than 10 minutes prior. We knocked on doors and called repeatfind. After 5 to 10 minutes sometime answered the phone. Apparently the office phone line also rings to the owner/​managers house. We were told the girl who works there had an upset stomach and she overslept. Keep in mind it is after 11am at this point. She arrived 20 to 30 minutes later and said, «no need to worry. I’m here now.» Maybe I was expecting an «I’m so sorry.». It seemed like no prep had been done for reservation. One we explained what we reserved she made some phone calls and told us we can’t have 2 kids in 1 trailer. That would have been nice to know when we explained that was our intent in our reservation.
She told us 2 kids is usually fine but it looks like together they’d be to heavy. Our 2 y.o. weighs 30 pounds (with a full diaper) which is pretty average of not small. 15 minutes of discussion and phonecalls went on before the lady agreed to put both kids in one trailer. The trailer still needed to be installed but it wasn’t configured right so she called someone for help. I suppose I expected our bikes to be ready to go upon arrival. Why have a reservation if they aren’t going to do anything in preparation, to include open the shop? We finally were able to bike away a bit after noon, more than an hour of our short day on the island lost. There was no offer of a discount or free upgrade to a nicer bicycle. Just a couple of, «sorry for the delays «by the gent called in to help with install. During our ride I discovered the gears on my bike were stuck in third (of 6). Unfortunate considering the trailer was on my bike and Catalina has some serious hills. The seat also wiggled back and forth as I peddled. I attempted to tighten the clamp but still had trouble.
Between the poor customer service and somewhat broken bicycle, I can’t recommend anyone use this company. The island was beautiful, but the experience was somewhat soured by Catalina Tours.

Brought my family of 4 here for my birthday, for a morning excursion. My email confirmation states checking 9:15. We were early, waited 45 minutes, and nada. We can hear the phone ringing inside when we call, and hear our frustrated voice leaving a message. Not much else to say, but buyer beware.

I came to the island on my birthday. I bought 5 tours using Catalina Tours. Two weeks before my travel date they called and said the tour I purchased was full and demanded $ 35 more per person or my trip would be canceled. We paid so we could still make the trip as planned, but we felt bamboozled. They said Catalina Express would give me a refund on the day of my trip and I registered with them for my free birthday ride on the boat. When I arrived Catalina Express would not refund me because they had not yet been paid by Catalina Tours. At first Catalina Tours acted as if they would be issuing the refund, but then they stopped answering their phone and do not return my messages. Today they e mailed me and said they will not give me my refund. Don’t buy a tour from them!
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We rented electric bikes from Catalina Tours Bike Center this past weekend & could not have been happier. We rented the bikes for half a day for $ 45. It was plenty of time to ride around the Avalon area & up into the hills to see other sights, as well as the breathtaking views from above the harbor. Unless you are a very experienced biker, who rides hills frequently, I can’t imagine climbing the hills without the electric motors, The employees at the shop were very friendly & helpful in setting us up with helmets, seat height, & the operation of the bikes. Having never ridden electric bikes before, we were encouraged to try the bikes out under their supervision until we were comfortable with the operation. The rental included helmets, an island map, tips of where to go, including the easiest routes to take and a bottle of water. A great way to spend an afternoon and see the island.

I surprised my wife with a day trip to Catalina with a special «secluded island beach» pkg.
Once we checked in, our quick boat ride to our day was great! As we got closer to the beach we could see two deck chairs waiting for us… only two… it looked as if we were going to have the entire beach to ourselves. Then, our boat cant said «This is also a summer camp for kids. There are 130 kids here for the week.» :(
Our «fresh cooked meal» was a deli sandwich that was also prepared for the kids. We were allowed to be first in line in the mess hall… but the offering was disappointing.
The bathrooms were shared with the campers as well.
The gentleman that greeted us at the dock was helpful and showed us around. He had even gotten the paddle boards and kayak ready for us.
We had a good time… because we chose to. But this was not what we were expecting.

We really enjoyed using the electric bikes to zip around Catalina. We still got a workout climbing the hills as well.
Catalina tours did a great job to give us a good deal and the bikes worked well for us.

Renting an electric bike is the best way to tour Catalina. The lady who set us up with the bikes gave us a map and some suggestions for our tour. We ended up renting the bikes for four hours and it was $ 45 each. This was the best spent money of the trip. We had such a blast! The electric motor makes the steep hills around Avalon easy. By far the best way to explore the epic views of the city.

This is a review for the glass bottom boat tour. It was «ok».
We did the glass bottom boat tour of lover’s cove. Bought some fish food. Watched the fish attack the food. It was difficult to see because of air bubbles under the plexiglass, and it was a bit foggy to look through. But it was a lot more than you would see just looking at the water from above.
We didn’t see a lot of variety in fish or marine life, I think we saw 2 or 3 species of fish. Saw a lot of kelp? I
I did enjoy it, but It’s not really the best way to see lover’s cove. If you’re on the island and know you won’t be doing any scuba or snorkeling then this is probably a good idea for you. Otherwise, get in the water!
I saw that they offer a variety of other tours and I think the next time I come out to the Island I will have to check some of the more exciting sounding ones out.

This is as good as it gets! My husband and I rented electric bikes a few weeks ago and had an outstanding experience. We were impressed with the friendly staff, helpful orientation, fun experience and thorough advice, but if that were all, I would not be writing a review. Back on the mainland, I discovered I had lost an earring (it was sentimental and handmade.) I left a message for the bike shop describing where I thought I lost it and asked if they would please keep an eye out for it. The very next morning I received a call that the bike shop lady who had walked to where I described, found it in the middle of the street and mailed it to the address on my rental form. Incredible! Talk about extraordinary service. I was blown away! Thank you so much! I will be sending all of my friends your way!

Had a great time renting bikes on Catalina! We got two and rode them up by the Wrigley Mansion. Absolutely beautiful ride, and we couldn’t have done it without the battery powered motor on the bikes. The guy giving the instructional speech was so on point; it was funny! The paperwork was simple, and we were riding within 10 minutes. $ 15 an hour each is nothing for the fun we had!

I’m so glad I decided to rent an electric bike during my stay in Avalon! The manager was so pleasant and made my experience all the better. I believe her name is Doe. She gave me a thorough overview of the bike and mapped out a very helpful route around Avalon. The views from the top of Mt. Ada were breathtaking! I would have booked the semi submersible submarine tour with this company if I had more time. I highly recommend Catalina Tours on Metropole Avenue.

I purchased my packages online before i arrived to Catalina… I got the half day kayaking which was $ 60. I had a blast! I had never been kayaking, I had no idea what i was missing out on! I also got the lovers cove snorkel rental for 2, which we ended up exchanging for 2 electric bikes since my bf did not want to go snorkeling… They were pretty nice and even though there were no refunds on the snorkeling, were able to accomodate us by trading our reservations in for some electric bikes… which were fun. i guess.if you know how to ride a bike (which i don’t), i asked and they said it would be easy for me… not the case lol… if you dont know how to ride a bike DO NOT RENT the electric bikes.