Hotel Mac Rae

The weekend we were on Catalina, Hotel Mac Rae was nearly the cheapest room available. While no hotels on Catalina are a good value (sadly), the Hotel Mac Rae is an excellent choice. Room was not at all tiny despite being over 100 years old. Room was a bit spartan but very clean and well-maintained. Bathroom also clean and well-maintained. I had zero complaints. The patio could use some more plants and more shade but I sat out on the comfortable patio furniture often during our stay. Front desk staff and housekeeping staff were very friendly and helpful. They don't have a locked area for luggage before and after checkout but they do have a storage area that was obviously safe and worry-free. If you plan on being a beach bum during your stay this is an ideal choice. It is just one flight of stairs from the beach to the rooms. A room facing Crescent would be an awesome choice. Just know that evenings and nights can be quite noisy on the street below. Fortunately, the noise will end late at night as Avalon has no late night venues.

The hotel was perfect for our trip to Catalina. The location is amazing, you see a view of the ocean the second you hit the bottom stair heading outside. Very close to all the bars and restaurants, with a gift shop and convenient store below it. We stayed in one of the older rooms inside the courtyard, and so we were isolated from all the noise below. Would definitely stay here again.

My husband and I Stayed here for our 10 year anniversary in October 2024. The location was perfect with everything right below and all around us. The bed was SUPER comfortable. Everything was clean and tidy, and all the staff members we encountered were very kind and helpful. We stayed in one of the rooms that has a window of the inner courtyard and we had no disturbances throughout the night or at all during our trip. We enjoyed it so much that we just booked the same room for our next anniversary trip this October 2025. We can’t wait!

We chose this hotel mainly for its location, being on the main street of Avalon, and its close proximity to the restaurants. Our courtyard-facing room was small, but the room was equipped with a mini fridge, a desk/chair, and some room for the luggage rack. Since we were only there for one night, it wasn’t a big deal. The decor overall was very 70s, but with a bit of a beach vibe. Breakfast was simple, with pastries, yogurt, and whole fruits.

Me and my friend went for just 1 night. They have a really nice ac and heater. The view was awesome. We had the closest ocean view and you can hear the ocean waves as you fall asleep. When we checked out we were able to store our bags there for free so we could enjoy the rest of the day without having to carry all our stuff around. Just until they closed the office for the night. My friend said that the guy working the counter made her feel safe with his hospitality and he was so polite and helpful and knowledgeable. All the staff were friendly and amazing. It also has a nice lounge area and vending machine. It was a great experience and place to stay overall. 10/10 will be going again

We loved our stay at Hotel Mac Rae. The location cannot be beat. And even though the rooms are small, they are full of history and character. There was a little courtyard outside the rooms that allowed time for reading or socializing with other guests. We also enjoyed the coffee and pastries every morning. Would totally go back!

The location was perfect ..right on the boardwalk . Not noisy at all. Jackie and everyone at reception were fantastic - provided beach towels for use during our stay. She was so pleasant and also allowed us to use the shower room after we had checked out foĺlowing a day on the beach. Room had comfy beds - a little dated but excellent value for money. Breakfast was continental - fruit yogurt pastries juice and coffee . Will be back when we visit Catalina again

Hotel Mac Rae is in a lovely location with so much historical charm. The price we paid was absolutely worth it. It’s walkable to everything, which made exploring easy and convenient. Breakfast was simple but perfect to start the day. I especially loved the front desk staff—she went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. Highly recommend!

I absolutely LOVED this hotel. Me and my boyfriend went for the first time to Catalina to celebrate his bday, we chose the Hotel MacRae because it is literally by the ocean. Amazing location! When we arrived, a very gentle lady helped us in the office and told us that we could leave our bags inside of the hotel while our room was getting ready for us. We arrived at 11am and the check in was 3pm. It was very nice to start enjoying the island without a lot of big bags in our backs. We went back to the hotel to get my jacket around 1:30pm and the lady said that our room was ready and they could let us in early. That was so nice! The room was small and beautiful , super clean and organized . We got a room with ocean view and queen bed. AMAZING! the bathroom was super clean and it smelled great! I loved every detail. The bed was very comfortable, we opened a little bit our windows and we could hear the waves breaking outside. So relaxing. In the morning, they offered a little breakfast with some fruit, pastries, juices , coffee, yogurt. After the checkout we could (again) leave our bags there and wait for the boat to go back home. Our experience was so amazing. We had such a good and relaxing time , very necessary. We would definitely go back to the island and staying in the same hotel. Great hospitality!

If you don't stay at the Mac Rae, you're missing out. We stayed this last Friday, for my son's 7th birthday, he really wanted to go to Catalina, and we found this spot. We were greeted by awesome staff and a nice cozy room. You can feel the history in this place, it's really cool. They have a continental breakfast in the morning as well. We'll definitely be back, now that our 8 year old wants to come back for his 9th in October. Thank you Mac Rae for making my sons birthday "epic" in his words

I love this hotel! It's an older spot, but that definitely adds to its charm. My husband, toddler, and I stayed 3 nights and it was a great stay. Staff was great! The location is perfect. It's walking distance to everything you could ever need. The only thing that was a little annoying was that our room was right by the staircase so it was a little loud when people were stomping their way up and down stairs, but not a big deal. We will definitely return!

We have stayed here since 1989. We get the same room every year because it is sentimental to us. This is where my husband proposed to me. We have a standing reservation every year for a week and we remake the reservation every year when we leave. This year we showed up and our room had been given away and the hotel/manager was extremely rude and unprofessional. We have never stayed here because it is luxurious. It is outdated and the rooms are extremely small. We love the location and we love the view from the ocean view rooms. Unfortunately, the hotel is going downhill and it doesn't look like it will be improving anytime soon. I would definitely not recommend staying here. We moved down to the Metropole and that will be our go to hotel for the years to come. Sayonara Hotel McRae.

Stayed here for the Catalina wine mixer at a very last minute trip. I was grateful they had an open room and pleasantly surprised on the cleanliness of the hotel due to it being over 100 years old. The bathroom was clean. The shower was just recently renovated, and even though our room was very tiny it met all the amenities that were described. If I could give it a 4.85 stars I would - for the amount of money that we paid it was advertised everywhere that breakfast was included - there was no breakfast. Right outside of the check-in area is a small table set up with coffee and a cake platter that had some danishes and muffins. I would not necessarily call that breakfast nor would I advertise that being breakfast. Absolutely great location you are walking distance to everything. I would be back here for sure. I wish it wasn't so expensive, but there wasn't too many options and they were all about the same price.

NEGATIVE 1000 STARS for this place and their horrible staff...specifically night staff!!! My husband & and I went down to grab some hot chocolate from Lloyd's with our four month old baby, but then when we came back literally less than 10 minutes our keys no longer worked!!! It's a very cold night and my baby started crying. We literally waited for almost an hour calling and knocking but there was no night staff. The door to the office was locked and all lights were off. They have an "after hours number" and a doorbell that says emergencies only but no one answered. I tried their "air phone" near the entrance and still no luck. We finally decided to call the cops because everything else was closed but they couldn't help us either. They said they'd try to find someone or an owner. I was literally about to loose it! How could there be no one available??? Finally my husband decided to go to the nearby hotel and ask them if they knew of anyone that worked here that could help us get into our room. The lady called a friend over and then she told us Hotel MacRae apparently lets their staff sleep in room 217. So she knocked and after a while longer the worker lady finally emerged. She claimed "to have been sleeping". It's barely 9 PM and we heard your buddy in there with you...I doubt they were sleeping. Don't stay at this place unless you don't mind getting locked out of your room and then waiting hours til the night staff decides to show up. None of the phone numbers provided were picked up. Oh and the lady who helped us out from the nearby hotel said a couple last night also couldn't even check into their room so they had to stay at another hotel due to the lack of professionalism at this place. FIND BETTER RELIABLE STAFF!!! The hotel itself was descent and had a personal keurig which we liked plus it's right by the water. But they really need better night staff. *note This all happened Saturday December 2nd.

This hotel is right on the waterfront but that is about the only plus. The rooms are extremely small, bed and pillow are awful and black mold on the shower door. The girl that works at the front desk is rude and very unhelpful, she's more concerned about her dog.....

Stayed here for 3 nights and 4 days this summer and we had such an amazing time. Perfect location. We took the ocean view room. The hotel is perfectly situated on the Main Street. About a 3 min walk from the ferry gate. It is surrounded by restaurants and the beach is literally just right in front of it. The rooms are small but we were comfortable because Avalon is such a small city so I expect the hotels to be smaller. We didn't mind at all. At night, we had the AC running and shut all the windows and couldn't hear the hustle and bustle downstairs. Customer service is really good. There is a place to store your luggage if you arrive early for check in or if you have to catch your boat later. Elena was super helpful and gave us a late checkout since no one was staying after us. It helped us out a lot on our last day on the island. We went swimming at the beach and wanted to shower in the hotel, but they do have guest showers as well. All in all, we would totally stay here again. To us, the location meant everything!

Comfortable, clean, and convenient! We had a great one night stay. The room was cleaner than most rooms I've stayed in and the staff was incredibly helpful. We arrived before check in and were able to drop our bags and change into our cycling clothes. When we asked for food and drink recommendations, the desk attendants were friendly and helpful. Would definitely come back!

My husband & I were satisfied with the service. Front desk personnels were nice... I expected for a buffet breakfast not a continental one but it's alright... Dates- From October 2- 4. 2024

Livery historical hotel in Avalon. Very nice and clean room with a beautiful view. Nice service. Perfect location

The building is old, and most fixtures have seen the light of day. The rooms were small, and the carpet was worn out. The bathroom is tiny. The one thing I like about this hotel is the location. It sits in the middle of all the shops and restaurants. It's also located in front of the beach. I'm unsure if the other room has a view. Our room faces the walkway. Irbis unfortunate that the building is not accessible for handicaps. There is no elevator, and the stairs are steep.

Great location. Keep in mind it's an older place, so the bathroom was small and there is no elevator. Great in-room coffee amenities and a nice little continental morning offering. Nice to have water nearby for refilling bottles. Very clean. Nice patio area. I really appreciated the cleanliness of the patio, and was able to walk barefoot and stay clean. Affordable. Would stay again.

No Wifi!! I really enjoyed my stay here- the room was clean, it was an excellent location, the staff was nice and the pastries they offered for breakfast were fresh and delicious. However we stayed for two nights and, unfortunately, the WiFi did not work either night in our room!! It only worked in the Patio area but one of the nights it didn't even work there. We, along with at least one other guest, let the office know about the issues on our first night but nothing was done unfortunately. I would recommend much more highly if there had been WiFi because otherwise it was a great stay. Edit to note that our room was a right next to the office and router so if we weren't getting WiFi I doubt anyone else was.

I would give no star if possible. Do not waste time or money at this place. The long hair Hispanic lady was rude and unprofessional. We checked in and complained about the room being next to ice maker, tv not working and she told us to go find another hotel if we do not like it. . The courtyard view was facing another door. Their idea of breakfast included was coffee and bread. It was my husband's birthday and it was beyond disappointed.

My daughter and I had the privilege to stay at Hotel Mac Rae recently. We loved the hotel. So convenient, located right on the boardwalk. Our room view was the best. Near shopping/restaurants/great coffee places. We decided to come in January to avoid the crowds but did not end up avoiding the rain. Everyone was so accommodating. Providing excellent restaurant choices. Checking in to see if we needed anything. We were able to leave our luggage after checking out since the boat didn't leave until later that evening. Highly recommend.

My wife and I came to Catalina for our 30th Wedding anniversary and the 4th Generation Daughter of the Mac Rae's made our stay so special. She made us feel like her only guests @ her house! Ms. MacRae made us feel so special and was even able to upgrade us sealing the deal for our return visit to the island next time! The accomadations were great but our Host was the best, Ms. MacRae was everything you could expect and honestly made us feel like we were @ home away from our home! Everyone coming to the island should stay here, you will not be disappointed! David and Rhonda Weaver

Really enjoyed our stay at hotel mac rae! Check in/out was super easy and the location is unbeatable. There are beach towels available so we didn't need to bring any.

Hotel Mac Rae on Catalina Island was a wonderful place to stay. A friend of mine and I recently stayed there for 3 days, and we were very impressed with their quick check-in, hospitality, reasonable price for Catalina, and cleanliness. The hotel is located on the main walkway and was just a short walk from the ferry landing. Although their morning breakfast was very scant (mini sweet rolls, scones, and muffins and orange juice), it was sufficient to get the day started. The bedding was very comfortable and fresh smelling. We were within walking distance of everything, including the one and only grocery store. It was especially nice to come back to the hotel and relax on the courtyard patio and listen to the waves rolling onto the beach. Another bonus was the quietness of the bustling city street- no cars, just people. You have to go up 2 short flights of stairs to get to the hotel area. I highly recommend the Mac Rae.

Rooms are nice - clean and cute. But size area is small. Feels little congested. Best part is the location. Infront of the green pleasure pier and attached beach. No road traffic goes through infront of hotel and only pedestrian allowed. Very near to the Catalina ferry arrival point. They us check in early around 1 pm once room was ready. We reached too early in morning around 10:30 am when room was not ready and hence they had to ask more time. Although they had luggage room to keep everything. Cleaning Staff are sweet but the lady at checkin counter was little rude in talks, although she was sometime nice on checking on us for our toilet flush issue. Overall nice hotel. Also FYI , this hotel is one of the most economical on island.

Clean and accommodating - super friendly! The hotel is right on the main drag and a stones throw from the ferry.

We really enjoyed our one-night first-time stay here. It's an old retro-place on the second floor with no elevator. There are two flights of stairs to climb up or down in or out of the place as all rooms are on the second floor. It has such great character and the interior to at least our room was nicely renovated and looked great. The bathroom has a clear ceiling, the shower lip is low for a person with walking disability (it's not flat, though), but the shower is a one-person affair that had very consistent water temperature -- maybe there weren't many other occupants to compete for water. Anyway, the design and lighting are great; the blackout curtains actually work (but keep the bathroom door closed or the morning light will stream in). Everything was clean and comfortable, staff were friendly. There was a small fridge but no microwave. A little pricey, but it was summer tourist season, so I suppose it's to be expected.

Thank you so much!!!! This place was amazing,we had such a great time on the island and at the hotel. This hotel was incredible and right off the the front of the island. We will definitely be coming back!!!!

Great location! Wonderful customer service! I had an amazing and peaceful weekend getaway at this place, couldn't ask for more. Definitely will stay here again.

My husband and I stayed here for the first time last night, and we were very happy we did. The room was comfortable and clean, and the staff was very helpful and kind. We were in town for the Catalina half marathon/10k and were wondering about the 11 a.m. check out time, but the man who checked us in said we could have until noon if we needed extra time. We ended up getting back in plenty of time to check out before 11, but we were grateful for his understanding. I'd definitely recommend this hotel and plan to stay there again in the future.

Great option to be on the Main Street. This place is PRIME location!! Pros: - affordable - location is the BEST -let's you keep luggage there before and after check in times when waiting for your boat ride back to mainland and/or if you get there early u can leave your luggage there before check in - free beach towels to use! Cons: - old and outdated - rooms are very small and plain - our room had black mold in the shower.. yikes! - if you have a disability or elderly I wouldn't book here, the lobby is upstairs and you have to walk up 30 stairs before even getting to the lobby. Overall: we would prob stay again. If you want to spend all your money doing fun things on the island rather than a fortune on your hotel- this is the place. Just don't expect a luxurious stay. It's not bad- just not a fancy place. You get what you pay for- and we were very happy with our decision! ***If you want a super nice and fancy hotel this place is not for you We wanted to spend our money on activities like zip lining. It was our anniversary so we wanted to spend time out on the town and on food and drinks and activities. Def recommend this place if you have the same plan as us- to get a cheaper place but spend the money on activities rather than a nice hotel room.

The rooms are small and basic, and way overpriced for what you get. Continental breakfast consists of cheap rolls, coffee, tea & orange juice. Again, very basic for the price of rooms. Very weak wi-fi that does not reach the rooms in front. Thse staff blamed it on the system in Avalon, but why would the area around the office receive receiption? Appears to be a weak router.

Old school since 1920. This hotel gets 5 stars for its location - hands down. It's one of the oldest hotels on the island. When you walk into the dated rooms you feel like you are at a discounted motel. The summer prices are high especially for the weekend and this hotel sells out. The bed is comfortable and the air conditioner works really well. The bathroom has a skylight so you get plenty of light with flicking the switch.

The hotel manager/owner was very rude to me during our call. She did not have great customer service and if the leader of a business does not have great customer service I can only imagine how the staff is. I would never stay here , I wouldn't recommend anyone staying here. Unprofessional, and unwelcoming.

Hotel Mac Rae is all about location - location - location. It's right in the middle of the action on the strand, and though it doesn't have an abundance of harbor view rooms, when you leave the property you walk right onto the sand. Given the location, HMR's prices are very reasonable. Check-in was easy and our room was ready at 2pm. The rooms are nothing flashy - they're quite dated - and can feel a bit cramped but they have a nice seaside charm and completely satisfactory for a night or two. The bed is decently comfortable and the shower has plenty of pressure. The walls are a bit thin and all of the rooms share a courtyard with a noisy door, don't don't expect a silent night, but you don't hear the traffic on the strand. The rooms have flatscreen TVs with a good amount of channels if you happen to be spending time in the room, and there's plenty of closet space to spare. Check out was a snap and they have a luggage storage space if you want to explore after check out but before your ferry. The space isn't secured but it's in direct view from the reception window. The continental breakfast is certainly nothing noteworthy, but I did enjoy a fresh muffin. Save your money for Catalina's slew of fun activities and get a budget-friendly room at Hotel Mac Rae.

Small rooms, but it does the job and clean. Would have given it a 3 or 4 star, but because Frankey was so nice and helped look after us during our stay, I am giving this place a 5 star. Thank you Frankey!

If you are looking for quaint and charming, this is the place. Our room appeared to be recently remodeled, was clean, and basic. I found the staff at the front desk to be helpful. Breakfast was basic, hot tea, coffee, orange juice and pastries. If you are elderly or have difficulty with stairs, beware that the only way to the hotel is a long flight of stairs. We had an ocean view room, and the view was wonderful. The hotel is walking distance to restaurants, shops, and Vons. My only suggestions for the room is it either needs a coffee pot in the room, or they should have coffee and tea available at all times of the day at the front desk. A small refrigerator in the room would be nice. While we were there the ice machine was out of order, so we had room temperature beverages, not ideal. After reviewing some of the reviews of the hotel on Yelp, those that rated the hotel poorly, were apparently expecting a different type of experience. This is not the Embassy Suite. It's an old hotel, which means it is small and simple. If you are looking for a marble entryway, & room service, look elsewhere. If you are wanting a great location, history and charm, this is the place.

This hotel gets a 0/10. No I take that back -10/10. They lack basic customer service skills. Please if you are going to work in the hospitality industry you need to at least know basic customer service skills. Maria and Karen were rude and unprofessional The rooms were dirty and old. Just like the other reviews say, this hotel is compared to a motel 6. Do not stay here even if this hotel is your last option. Your better off renting a golf cart and sleeping in that.

We had set up a reservation with this hotel in August. They called us the day before our vacation telling us that we did not book two rooms. We told them that we did and then front desk receptionist Maria LIED and she told us that only OUR room pipe bursts. How could only one Room pipe burst? Then she finally told us the truth and that she gave our room away to someone else and tried to fit my whole family in ONE room with two twin beds and one full bed. Mind you were a family of 11 and we had family flying ALL OVER to come and visit Catalina. The manager KAREN would not pick up her phone or return our emails. Very unprofessional. We had agreed to take the room and thought everything was handled. Later on the day our booking agent called us and told us that they had not handled the issue at all. The manager Karen and the front desk receptionist Maria would not pick up the phone to help us. We told them to hold on to our reservations to see what we can do. Not even after 5 min later and they completely canceled our reservations. This establishment is horribly managed and the employees including Karen and Maria were very unprofessional with a nasty attitude. This booking experience was the absolute worse. They first made the mistake, lied about it, try to cover and ended up canceling our whole reservation and completely ruined our vacation. Another thing: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO RUN AN BUSINESS AND NOT HAVE A MANAGER PRESENT? IN CONCLUSION I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND BOOKING HERE.

Buyer beware this hotel is equivalent to a motel 6 on the beach. We paid $386 a night for a 2 star hotel at the very least it should be clean. There was mold and an awful smell in the shower. Yes the room is outdated nothing has been done since the 1960s which means everything is old. The lamps didn't work properly and there was no working fan in the bathroom. Terrible customer service due to the owner only accessible through email.

Pros: Excellent location, great customer service. Cons: Bathroom had a bad smell. Carpet was dirty and there was a hole under the door. Heavy smell of cleaning spray.

So this place had me had hello but didn't have me by goodbye. This pictures advertised on the site and on hotels.com were nice and fairly honest pictures but it doesn't show a lot of anything else besides the beds. We walked inside our room and noticed a little smell, just like old hotel smell. The doors and locks were old, keys to open but the bathroom door had an oldschool lock like from the late 1800's. The closet was definitely old, the wood seemed like from 1950's as well as the dresser inside the closet. The bathroom was a bit more updated minus the sink area ( I noticed the old pipes underneath). One thing that stood out right away is when you got there, it was a flight of stairs. The hotel is located on the top of stores located below and there is no elevator or bellhop to help you up in case you brought heavy luggage. Other than the flight of stairs you had to go up and down on (a little tough if your older or have kids with suitcases) it was a decent hotel. The older man in the office smiled a lot but he I felt like he was watching my every move. When I went to get ice one late afternoon, he stood up to watch me so that he can see I was filling up an ice bucket and not an ice chest (which I never did). Just felt like I was being policed while I was there. However it is a great location, right in front of the small beach, the pier, the resturants... I mean it really was one of the best locations the island has to offer.

Pros: Excellent location, historic, nice patio area to sit and read a book or hangout, clean, price was right, nice murals / history board. They let you store luggage before or after checkin, free beach towels. A 1 minute walk to the beach. Free continental breakfast ($5 voucher per person) from the next door coffee shop. Potential Con for some Travelers: Rooms are small (bathroom is also small), compared to modern hotels. For me and my travel companion, this was NOT an issue for us. We are small-ish people (5'5" or shorter, under 150 lbs each). We did not mind the room size at all, but if you are a taller / bigger person, you might find the space uncomfortably small.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Hotel Mac Rae. We had a harbor view and we're able to watch the sunrise and boats come and go. The room was adequate with some deeper cleaning needed but all in all nicely updated. Really enjoyed the skylight in the bathroom letting in all the natural light. Would definitely stay here again. The history of the hotel and family tells a lot about Catalina Island's past.

The best part of this room is the location. It's right in the middle of everything and when you walk out you walk directly into the sand. The rooms are pretty small and outdated, but everything was clean and the room smelled of cleaning supplies right when you entered. There is a small open patio area that has lounge chairs and tables that is open to the public. There is a complimentary breakfast that consists of mostly muffins and is pretty standard. The staff was pleasant and helpful. We weren't supposed to check in until 3 PM, but we got there around 11:30 AM and the lady at the front desk had our room ready by 12:15 PM. They also have a place where you can store your luggage if you arrive early and the room is not ready yet. Check out was a breeze. We just put our keys into a slot near the office and were on our way. We utilized the luggage area since we checked out in the morning, but did not leave the island until 7:00 PM. We would definitely stay here again!

Beware of the photos you see online - this is the cubby hole we were booked into (there are no other windows). Bed is hard as a rock. Was really looking forward to a relaxing beach vibe, but this won't be where I get it. 10/10 would not recommend. Pray you are not on the ground floor. We have extremely loud guests above us but even the quietest guests would probably be beyond annoying. Also - internet connects but doesn't work. Guy at the desk was friendly enough but couldn't get us another room.

I come here every year and stay in a new hotel and I'm usually pleasantly surprised by how nice they are. This did not happen this year! The hotel room was the tiniest I've ever stayed in, the bed was so old both my fiance and I could barely walk the whole time cuz we'd wake up with sore backs. The furniture was OLD. The walls were so thin you could hear absolutely everything going on around us.The whole place looked run down and in need of love. The location was great! But even the continental breakfast was the bare minimum with some muffins and coffee. I was just grateful not to have seen any bugs cuz I really woulda flipped out then! I'd say do some much needed upgrading then maybe would be worth staying again. And make sure you can do stairs cuz to my knowledge there's no elevator!

2/5 Disappointing Although it was in a perfect location. They need to focus more on the upkeep of the rooms. We arrived and saw that there was toilet paper left in the toilet along with a floating fake eyelash and a long a long black hair stuck to the back of the toilet, indicating to us that it had probably not been cleaned. The shower dripped constantly. We were also told when we arrived that a Plummer would be coming to fix it that day and never did. The bathroom door didn't close properly and lock was broken. The blankets were paper thin along with a rock hard mattress. When we were checking out I politely mentioned all these complaints to the front desk attendant, she just said okay and not even an apology. I'm really not one to leave negative reviews, but for the price being paid it's a little much for the quality of the room. Very impressed with the location but so disappointed in our room. Would NOT stay here again! Pay the extra few buck and stay somewhere else!!! See review

Fantastic experience staying here over Memorial Day weekend. I would definitely stay here again. --Older hotel with a slightly historical feel, but the building and our room was very well kept and clean. --Budget-priced, especially compared to the neighboring hotels. Even though we were arriving the day before their summer sale started, they gave us the upcoming 50% discounted rate, so we paid $124 for one night in a room with two double beds. We got this rate as part of a package with two roundtrip boat fares from Long Beach to Catalina island. Whereas are you going to stay for such a price and be basically ON the beach? --Exceptional customer service and a no-bureaucracy feel. We checked in with the front desk staff several times and they were always very helpful -- even after we had officially checked out of our hotel! There is a storage area near the front desk, so we were able to keep our bags there while we gallivanted hours before leaving the island, and they didn't mind us coming and going. Also, they provided colorful beach towels and we were on the honor system to return them, even though we were already checked out. --No problems in the bathroom, plenty of hot water in the shower. No weird cracks or mold on the tiles or anything. --Beds were comfortable and the room didn't feel cramped --Free reliable wi-fi --This hotel is located above a pretty happening bar (El Galleon), and we noticed we could hear the karaoke going on from our bathroom, but if you shut the door you couldn't hear it. You have to walk up a long flight of stairs to get to the rooms and there is an outer door leading into the open air courtyard for extra security. --Cute mural painted by a Mac Rae family member decorated our room! Made us feel like we were in a 1960's Hawaii bungalow.

I came to Catalina for a senior trip with two other friends and we really enjoyed our stay at Hotel Mac Rae! They weren't providing continental breakfast because of covid but they gave us $10 vouchers for Lloyd's, which was a great breakfast spot right next door w/ muffins, pastries, coffee, etc. The room was very clean with lots of natural light! Also literally 20 steps from the beach and right in the center of town :) So convenient!!

Hotel Mac Rae was the most terrible experience we ever had with hotels. First of all, rooms were very small, old, and the shower room smelled bad, like mold. We booked 3 nights and when we arrived, our room had a terrible smoke smell so we asked for a different room. All other rooms were booked but after discussing all possibilities nothing was confirmed with us. But they gave us another room. The next day, THEY MOVED OUR THINGS TO ANOTHER ROOM while we were out hiking. This was absolutely not ok! They could have told us when they first gave us a different room, or even the morning they saw us. All I got was 2 voicemails saying that they needed to move us into a different room and that they will move it for us if we don't show up in half an hour. We were so upset how they touched and packed our stuff and transferred them. We asked for some kind of compensation but the owner Karen refused to give us anything. How rude and unprofessional is that? As an owner, she could have apologized and given us a free night or something, but we got nothing. We didn't want to spend another dollar at this hotel so we checked out and stayed at a different hotel for the next 2 days. I've since read other reviews and several mentioned how rude and mean Karen, the owner was. She's the 4th generation owner of this building and she definitely doesn't know anything about customer service. I do not recommend this hotel, and if you do, you will regret it once you get there. The rooms are super small and bathroom stinks and most of all, very poor management.

I stayed at this hotel with a group of friends this fall and we all loved it! I booked an ocean front room and it was well worth it. My two other friends booked courtyard rooms and they where very happy as well. Though we all hung out in my view room. They have a great little breakfast with delicious coffee. I can't wait to come back.

Rustic , basic, nothing fancy. Great location though. I do wish they had a refrigerator in the rooms though! It would be helpful and not a very costly upgrade

My wife and I spent two nights, we got a king room with a ocean view. The room was clean, quiet, the bed was comfortable, but the best part was the view it was spectacular!! Already planning to stay here again in September.