Catalina Golf Carts

March 19, 2005 11:21 AM

The About.com page says that golf cart rentals on Catalina Island go for about $30 plus an hour. Is this right? So a couple hour tour of the botanical gardens and Avalon would cost me over $100? For some reason this seems a little high to me. I remember when I was a kid it was about $25 for the afternoon, but that was years ago. Anyone been to Avalon recently who can remember the rate?
posted by luriete to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

I haven't been in a few years, but can't you pretty much walk to the botanical garden? I know you can easily walk Avalon.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a half-day or full day rate in addition to an hourly rate. There are a few different rental companies listed here, so you can call and price compare if you'd like.
posted by willnot at 11:57 AM on March 19, 2005

That's sounds roughly like the hourly rate if I recall from a year or two back... Not surprising. The island has become increasingly pricey. But you may save a few bucks with a different package as willnot suggests.
posted by drpynchon at 12:14 PM on March 19, 2005

That's the right price. I wouldn't rent one to drive to the botanical gardens though, it's probably cheaper to take a taxi, or rent a bike. People rent the golf carts to take a scenic tour. You can see pretty much all of Avalon in less than two hours and there is a restriction on where you can drive the (noisy, smelly) rentals anyway.

What I'm trying to say, is only rent the golf carts for the amount of time you want to be moving. If you're just looking for transportation, take a taxi, walk, or bike.
posted by jonah at 1:58 PM on March 19, 2005

Thanks everyone. Depending on the weather (it's supposed to be raining this coming week) we may decide to forgo the bike/cart route and just taxi around. We'll see. I just wish there was an easier way to get onto the interior of the island. I kind of wanted to visit Toyon Bay, where I went to summer camp many summers as a kid, but I think it's only accessible by boat.
posted by luriete at 4:10 PM on March 19, 2005

Toyon Bay isn't that far from Avalon. We rented kayaks for a reasonable price and Avalon to Toyon sounds like a fun paddle. You could also ask around the marina for someone willing to ferry you the short way.

The most fun I've ever had on a golf cart was on Catalina. There's a nice hill on Chimes Tower rd or St Catherine where I discovered if you fully stop the golf cart it disengages the governor and motor braking so you can coast freely. Don't touch the gas, you have to coast from the stop. You can get up to some scary speeds and the handling that a heavy golf cart offers just makes the sharp corner at the bottom of the hill more fun and exciting. Needless to say, be careful of pedestrians and try to avoid flipping.
posted by roboto at 6:13 PM on March 19, 2005