Hotel Catalina Beach Resort

Excellent service all around. My family has stayed at this resort for decades and it is still our number one. Great food, great cocktails, and extra good service. Eleazar and Hector have treated us like family. We have a big group with a lot of quirky requests, and they delivered. We especially loved the tamarind margaritas, dorado, and garlic shrimp. The coconut flan and carajillos are the perfect dessert. It’s the best place to watch a sunset. We will be back next year!

Be informed before you stay at Catalina Beach Resort Hotel. Likely a lovely hotel at one time, it now is substandard and run down. The bathroom tile has been grouted--and re-grouted--over the years, and is dark with age. Water from taking our shower leaked out onto the balcony (which we reported to the hotel). The shower curtain fell down while we were there. The lighting is poor; there are no comfortable armchairs (only 1 plastic one) in the room where you can read a book. Curtain loop hooks were missing. The mini-frig was noisy and frosty inside. These are partial comments. However, the beds actually were quite comfortable and clean. Built on a hillside, there are many, many, many steps to get anywhere. We have stayed at Catalina 3 times, but this was the worst condition.

A few glitches when we checked in, but they really did take care of us and upgraded us to a beautiful, suite. A family and historical hotel ,charming ! Bernice the sales manager is on site and helpful. One day she drove us down to the beach just to be kind. Wonderful staff, very attentive, and very professional and helpful . Every single room faces the ocean, the hotel is actually carved into the mountain . Breathtaking views ! They have their own private beach which the public cannot use unless they pay for a day pass. There is a restaurant/on the beach, as well as a swimming pool on the next level . The panoramic bar has happy hour from six till eight and then becomes a dining room or you can eat during happy hour. It gets quite busy. Be careful what drinks you order …. make sure that they are on happy hour specialty We took the option that included breakfast, which is lovely. We have fresh fruit, coffee, fresh squeezed, orange juice any kind of egg you like or yoghurt and granola . They bring a freshly baked bread basket each morning. Breakfast on the ocean is really quite something . This morning we saw whales as we ate our breakfast. This truly is a gem. From the beach to our room, it is 280 stairs and there is no elevator . Not every room is that many stairs. We are in a suite on the highest level. There are many many rooms that are much lower. At first we were overwhelmed, but now, three weeks in , my legs are tight & my heart is strong and I love the stairs ! You don’t forget anything in your room on your morning outing !! Some of the rooms have been upgraded and you do not get a choice. We have stayed in upgraded and regular and both were lovely. It is a charming place to stay. Don’t expect The Four Seasons . This is old, but very charming. We absolutely loved our stay here. Each night there is a dinner special, and we found the coconut shrimp to be scrumptious. We even shared ours there were so many !! The food is fresh and very tasty. They work hard .The kitchen staff are so friendly and make fantastic meals. Alfreth is buzzing around helping guests. He’s friendly and most helpful and completely bilingual. Eddy , Adeline & Gustavo our waiters are fantastic. Every morning remembering us and helping with our Spanish. The bartenders at the beach are attentive and precise . If you order your lunch on the beach, he has to run up all those stairs to get it.!! Guillermo and David were the bartenders . They are very professional and efficient. So finally. We both say it was a wonderful vacation. Mostly adults. Quiet and relaxing

We were told this was a good place to go. I’m am not a complainer at all and we didn’t stay here but we spent the day here. Minimum charge 500 pesos flwhich is included in your food and drinks. Would have been good but the service is ****** and had a hard time getting anyone to serve us all day when it wasn’t really busy. Food was good but took an hour to get. There is a little place at the south end the locals call the “shack” doesn’t even have power but has spectacular service. Go there instead of you are ok with great service and food.

Very old hotel not a "resort". Needs a ton of maintenance. Electrical issues everywhere, burned out lightbulbs, shaky railings, terrible doors nd locks. What’s the point? Breakfast good enough, staff was very nice and accommodating. Beach bar staff could do better with service on beach. There was none. TONS of stairs that are in disrepair, drinking water=small pitcher in the room that we refilled in the dining room which was up 3 flights of stairs. Great location, no AC in our room, was not a big deal because we had a fan. Did have to move the bed to stay cool all night though. Overall this place is just OK. We won’t stay again because for the money, we can do better.

We have stayed at the Catalina for years and have always loved it. It was different this year. First we were very saddened to hear that Javier, after 17 years is no longer a member of the Catalina team. To us Javier was Catalina's Ambassador. I'm sure most of the regulars will be disappointed and surprised by this news. We did enjoy several other employees, Alfredo, Alberto and Memo. Memo works so hard at the beach club...waiting on guest, and running up and down the stairs all day long to retrive the food...there has got to be a better way. I will say that when Memo is off there isn't any beach service unless you want to walk up to the bar and order. More troubling were the employees who stand around all day and stare at their phones. We do love the palapas on the beach and the beachside suites. Restaurant has beautiful views but the food is just OK. We enjoyed cocktails at the Sunset Bar and conversations with Salvador the barman. The Catalina is under new management, really didn't see any obvious improvements. Umbrellas by the pool are ripped and some of the areas like in front of the beachside suites need to be cleaned up. Becuase of all that I said we aren't sure we will be staying at the Catalina again...it may be time to move on.

We've been staying at the Catalina for over 20 years for good reason. It's the best value you can find, every room has a beautiful view, it's in a great location of Playa La Ropa, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the included breakfast is delicious. Recently we had our wedding at La Perla and the vast majority of our guests stayed at the Catalina. They hosted our welcome party and went above and beyond to make it extra special and did so many nice things in general for us and our guests. The small details made a big difference. We also really like some of the changes they have made including building the massage area by the pool. EVERYONE loved the massages and the price was right. I could keep rambling but I think y'all get the point. This place is extra special and we would recommend it to anyone looking for a more authentic Mexico experience. If you want to pay 4x as much for an unnecessarily fancy/bougie experience, go stay at the Thompson...

We stayed in one of the Linda Vista rooms, and it was very nice. The room was big, very clean, had good air conditioning system, and everything we needed. The balcony with the amazing view of the bay and hammock was a great spot to hang out on. We purposely didn't leave any food out to ensure we didn't attract bugs, and just kept everything in the refrigerator. Yes, there are alot of steps at the resort, but I took it as a way to get a little exercise. The steps are well marked with yellow lines and sturdy handrails, so no issues with feeling unsafe. The beach front is huge, easy to find a comfortable lounge chair, has an easy access bar, and all the basics needed for a relaxing day.

This hotel of 3 or 4 stars maximum its a classic from 50’s or 60’s . You will easily notice old parts with poor maintenance and some areas refurbished . Rooms were newer or refurbished, minimalist, functional , with big spaces , hammock, and great ocean views from rooms. No hair conditioner nor body lotion are available in rooms. ! Take yours! This hotel is on a ladder equivalent to 10 stories building with no elevators. Not recommended for elderly, wheelchairs, etc. You will easily go down more than 100 steps on stoned stairways with different sizes, heights of steps. I strongly recommend the use of handrail to avoid accidents. One of our friends didn’t use it for seconds and felt down. She had to stay at room for the rest of the stay with excellent room service. Breakfast it’s included with limited good mexican dishes and excellent service. Amir & Betzy ( La güera de rancho) gave us great and friendly service. Beach towels are available only at beach level 100 steps down. Those are old towels thanks to tight control on towels. Shadows to lay down by the beach are the best I’ve ever seen in Mexican Beaches since they are bellow huge trees. Food and service by the beach are easily forgotten.