I went for my birthday and it was great! You must try zip lining when you are there and I recommend staying at the Buena Vista Hotel for the spectacular views. It's a very modest hotel though, no bells and whistles, just the basics for $100/night. Also, remember to check out their website for discounts on restaurants, hotels, and activities on the island (catalinachamber.com/spec…).



I recommend making reservations 24 hours in advance if you plan on using the discount from Parasail Catalina. However, I would never recommend them to anyone without that warning below because I had a pretty horrible experience with them and I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone else on their birthday.



Anyway, I told them it was my birthday and their ad said I could go parasailing for a discount ($20 instead of $75). They said to go ahead and put my name on the sign-up sheet & come back after an hour and a half. I thought, no problem...I've never tried this, so it'll be worth the wait. I come back and there were only 2 guys signing up for it; They could fit up to about 10-15 people. I was excited to try it until the girl said, "Sorry, the manager says you would have to make a 24 hour reservation for the birthday discount."



What? You couldn't have told me that an hour and a half ago? Horrible! I opted to not go kayaking because I was afraid I wouldn't make it back in time and now, not only did I not get to go parasailing, but now it's too late to go kayaking. I was there for only a day & had to leave the next morning and the time wasted on them on my birthday cannot be taken back.