Recapping a Szerlip Weekend in Catalina
Jenn and I have been on the movie in 2016. Jenn and I have traveled to Sonoma and Seattle together and Jenn just got back from Atlanta only two weeks ago. But that didn't stop us joining my brother, his friend Makenna, and my sister and her boyfriend Ryan from having an incredible weekend getaway on Catalina Island.
The genesis of the trip began at Christmas when Jake received a two night stay in Catalina from Amy. Somehow he wrangled all of us to join him. So he and Makenna went over to Catalina on a Friday, with Jenn, Amy, Ryan and I going over Saturday morning. We met Ryan and Amy at our place a little after 7:30 in the morning on Saturday. We picked up an Uber which took us down to Balboa for the Catalina Flyer. The ride over was pretty choppy. We unfortunately were going over the day following a big storm and the seas had not yet calmed down. Luckily we all survived and made it into Catalina around 10AM.
When we got into Catalina the weather could not have been better. A little over 70 degrees with crystal clear skies and a light wind. We met up with Jake and Makenna who met us right off the boat and directed us to their abode. We dropped off our bags in their room, got situated, and made our way back out for lunch. After doing some Yelp research we landed on Maggie's Blue Rose Mexican Food. Jenn got the cheese enchilada with a lava flow and I had their chicken tacos.
After lunch we made our way to the main beach on the island and then off to our big excursion for the trip, zip-lining. This was our second time zip-lining (our first was back in Cancun in 2010), but it had been a while. It's amazing the older I get the more afraid I get of these sorts of things. We had a 1:40PM appointment for our party of six to take on their five lines. We got there a little early and hung around the nearby area before getting our gear and boarding a bus for a quick ride up the mountain. We were paired up with a family of four and after a few safety reminders we rode their five zip-lines. The lines continued to get better and better as you got closer and closer to the ocean. The entire experience lasted a little over two hours and was a ton of fun. Sadly the group that was with us didn't seem to be enjoying it near as much as we were.
After the exhilarating ride we went back to Jake and Makenna's hotel room picked up our bags and made the trek to our hotel, The Catalina Canyon Resort and Spa. We knew the hotel was a little bit of a walk but we underestimated a giant hill that we had to climb to get to our hotel. Luckily Jenn and I packed extremely light. Sadly I couldn't say the same for Ryan and Amy who had enough clothes for two weeks. We checked in and low and behold we got a room right next to Ryan and Amy. We ended up opening up the adjoining doors, inviting Jake and Makenna over and opening a couple of bottles of wine before we headed out to lunch.
For dinner we decided to go to Bluewater Grill. The restaurant was pretty busy but somehow Jenn managed to get us a table within a couple of minutes. We all loaded up on their amazing bread and then ordering our dinners. Jenn and I decided to split their Mahi Mahi as well as their clam chowder. It hit the spot. After a long day some fish and soup were exactly what the doctor ordered. After dinner Jenn and I went back and called it a night while the rest of the gang stayed out a little longer looking for some late night activity.
The next morning Jenn and I barely could get out of bed. I did manage to get up around 8AM and take a nice walk around the island and got myself a coffee and Jenn a pastry. This was such a nice time on the Island. It was so quiet and the weather could not have been better. Jenn and I didn't manage to get out of the hotel until our check out time of 11:30AM.
When we did get out of the room we walked down to the town center, found a seat overlooking the bay, and sat there for a good half hour just taking in the beautiful morning. I got a text a little after noon that the rest of the group was at a beachside bar and grill and that they had seats for us. We met up with everyone and spent the next three hours eating, drinking, and enjoying a beautiful afternoon before our boat ride home. Jenn got a Margarita and I had a Bloody Mary. We both had their hamburgers which were spectacular. It was such a nice way to end our quick weekend getaway to Catalina.
We boarded the boat back to Newport at 4:30PM and were back in Newport at 6PM. We took an Uber back to our place and called it a trip. It was such a great quick weekend getaway. I hope we all can do something like this again soon.
