Exploring Catalina with Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions
When I think of traveling to a remarkable or secluded location, I sometimes fret over the cost of travel, the hassle of flying, the time necessary to get away, and all the research that goes into figuring out where to stay and what to do. Then, every once in a while, I’m lucky enough to have a trip fall perfectly into my lap, like this little weekend adventure to Catalina with Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions. It reminded me just how exciting it can be to go exploring closer to home! This trip turned out to be one of the most fantastic and memorable 48-hour experiences - full of luxury living, marine education, site seeing, and adventure.
On a clear day you can see the island of Santa Catalina from Los Angeles. At just 22 miles off the coast of Southern California, Catalina is subtropical oasis in plain sight. It’s one of eight islands called the Channel Islands. An unspoiled natural beauty, this rocky island is home to an extremely biodiverse ecosystem. Dave and I have loved our time spent on Catalina. As a matter of fact, we spent our very first anniversary in the small town of Avalon, on the island’s southeast tip. So, imagine our delight when we were contacted by a representative of Hyatt to see if we’d like to join them for a collaborative Catalina experience they were hosting in conjunction with Lindblad Expeditions, a company I hadn’t yet heard of. We immediately answered yes, and then we did a bit of googling. Turns out, Lindblad Expeditions is a premiere expedition travel company specializing in remarkable, authentic, and exhilarating ship-based voyages.
Oh no, a cruise ship! 😱 I have been prone to seasickness my whole life, so I’ve actively avoided vacations and experiences that require too much time spent aboard a ship. Also, my preconceived ideas surrounding cruise ship travel bring to mind visuals of 24-hour buffets, overcrowded pools filled with screaming kids, and tiny, claustrophobic cabins. It doesn’t exactly scream “relaxing” or “luxurious” to me. 😂 Well, my fears were quickly assuaged upon researching the ‘expedition ship’ we’d be traveling in. We would be aboard a world-class ship called the National Geographic Venture. With only 100 guests on the boat, panoramic views from the lounge, beautifully and thoughtfully well-designed sleeping quarters (22 of the cabins with their own spacious step-out balconies), this trip shattered my prior notions about water-based travel.
The kind people organizing this trip provided us with private transport from our home to the group meeting spot - a hotel near LAX. From there, we took shuttle buses to the departing port in Long Beach. Once in the water, the actual travel time to Catalina was only a couple of short hours, which is nothing considering these expedition ships are built to traverse to Alaska, Antartica, Patagonia, and other far-flung areas of the world.
The most profound difference we noticed traveling on a ship versus flying to a land-based destination was the camaraderie felt by all aboard. The buzz of excitement and the sense of human connection was unforgettable while we loaded our luggage into our living quarters, roamed the deck, and sipped a few cocktails together as we set off from the port at sunset. 🥂
Our expedition ship served as a moving base camp. Surrounded by biologists, naturalists, and knowledgable staff, the conversations easily flowed into research, environmental issues, preservation of species, and the types of hands-on, experiential excursions we would have the opportunity to participate in the following day. We dined on a steak dinner in the panoramic lounge, enjoying the chitchat with some newfound friends - a couple of travel bloggers from Orange County, and a very friendly biologist from New England. Most people who travel to Catalina from Los Angeles the traditional way, via the ferry, are dumped off at the beautiful (yet touristy) town of Avalon. This is where the historic Catalina Casino is located, along with the majority of the population of Catalina. The National Geographic Venture would be docking near Two Harbors, a cove on the other side of the island, giving us a chance to see a part of the environment not commonly explored.
Considering that our trip was just a quick, one-night sampler of the longer voyages that typically last one to two weeks, we knew we had to take advantage of all that was on offer during our short adventure. Our first morning waking up in Catalina, we were out before sunrise to explore the ship and take photos of the sights as the golden light rose over the horizon. We cozied up with some coffee in the lounge and munched on a delicious breakfast (with lots of vegan and gluten free options!). We were given a list of activities we could sign up for. The options were hiking, paddleboarding, canoeing, zodiac tours, or snorkeling. We opted for the paddleboarding, a chance to get a little exercise and cruise through the cove with a higher-up view of the diverse sea life. And boy, we weren’t disappointed. We saw seals, sea otters, many varieties of fish, kelp forests, and even a leopard shark. Our trip was in November, and the waters off the coast of Catalina can be brisk (aka downright frigid), especially in the fall season. Lucky for us, due to a late fall heat wave, mid-ninety degree weather made our falls off the paddleboard into the bay feel rather refreshing. After our paddleboarding session, a zodiac shuttled us back to the expedition ship from the Catalina coastline, but not before taking several breathtaking laps around the ship. We felt a real sense of pride from the crew. We got the impression that they were enjoying the journey just as much as we were.
Thinking the day couldn’t possibly get any better, as we returned aboard the ship, we were reminded of all the benefits of luxury living when we were greeted with mimosas and apple fritters! It’s like they were able to anticipate our every need moments before we knew we needed it - and there’s nothing like a sweet snack to restore your strength after some physical activity out on the water! Shortly thereafter, a delicious brunch was served in the main dining area, where we were able to swap stories about all the different excursion experiences with our newfound friends.
This trip was just a taste of the much longer expeditions, and we enjoyed every minute. We would love to spend more time on a longer voyage in the future - to get to further explore the ship(s) and all of Lindblad’s offerings, including, on the Venture, a cozy lounge area equipped with board games, and to drink in more of those panoramic views. Other notable things I loved aboard the ship and can’t go without mentioning were the fully stocked espresso/coffee area (Dave’s favorite!) with plenty of dairy-free cream options, and bowls full of delicious ginger chews and dramamine for those of us prone to queasiness. 😂 Also, I want to remark again on our truly lovely sleeping quarters! The rooms were so spacious and well designed, with a comfy bed, small desk area, and built in storage cabinets. At no point did we feel crammed into a boat, as some ‘cruises’ would have you feel. I loved that a hardcover NatGeo World Atlas waited for us in our cabin, along with a few of the latest issues of National Geographic Magazine (my favorite since childhood!), and that our cabins were decorated with breathtaking NatGeo photography.
On our return voyage to the mainland from Catalina, we spent some time exploring the bridge where Captain Cook (yes, that’s his real name) helmed the ship. The bridge is always open for passengers to explore, with binoculars available for spotting wildlife, and an interactive touch screen feature built into the controls panel for studying the surrounding topography. It was fun recounting some of the afternoon’s adventures with the crew as we relived our paddleboarding experience, and we loved their enthusiasm for helping us to identify the different species of wildlife we had seen - like the leopard shark I managed to capture on video, known to reside in the area where we were exploring but rarely spotted. In another stroke of remarkable luck, as we cruised towards home, the ship was met by a massive pod of dolphins - swimming, playing, and showing off around our ship by the hundreds. We were able to really soak in what an incredible weekend we were fortunate enough to get to experience, and to get some great photos of these beautiful creatures too. The dolphins followed us all the way back to port in Long Beach, wrapping up our short, yet truly extraordinary and unforgettable trip with Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions. We can’t wait for next time!
Until then, I hope you’ll check out my HyattxLindblad Instagram Stories highlight, and this little YouTube video we put together about our Catalina weekend getaway. 👇
