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March 2024 by Harry Willhoit
Amazing general store which met all of our family needs whilst visiting this beautiful place. Erin was very helpful in making our shopping experience amazing! Highly recommend to anyone visiting
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January 2024 by Fernando Gutierrez
Super friendly staff.
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December 2023 by Niko A
The only spot in town.. if you're in town you'll probably go here.
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August 2023 by Wassim Majeed
Amazing people will help you and welcome you , and let them know that Sam say Hi and he loves you all ..I lOVE G.S Catalina.
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August 2023 by Wekenderz
My wife and I have stayed here close to a dozen times over our 35 year marriage and have always enjoyed our visit. Unfortunately, this year, we had some significant disappointments with this establishment we'd never experienced before. When we saw that the prices at Banning House had jumped up this year, we weren't that surprised given what we were paying at other hotels. However, we had no idea this would be accompanied by an equal downturn in guest services. The biggest surprise is they apparently have no regular housekeeping as it took three days of lobbying the staff to get a maid to our room to change out the towels and mop the dingy floor. A $79 a night Motel 6 offers this but this $600 a night establishment evidently doesn't. One of the staff members I spoke to on the second morning said a housekeeper would come by, but looked about as enthusiastic about my request as if I'd asked her to peel a bushel of potatoes. When no one came by later that day I escalated it to the van driver/manager and still nothing happened. The third day the manager was so cavalier about our request he couldn't even remember what room we wanted housekeeping for. FInally someone came by but didn't bother to leave any soap or toilet paper, causing a very unpleasant scramble around the building later that day. Banning House has a large, truly delightful outdoor patio with a fabulous view of the town and Catalina Harbor. They also still have a generous wine and cheese hour every day. The problem with this was the patio itself hadn't been swepted or de-pooped for a while. Also, the large patio tables were caked with dust that looked like it had settled in long ago, as well as intermittent bird poop. So we grabbed a cup of water and some napkins from the breakfast room to partially resolve the issue but, hey, $500 to $600 a night for this? Don't want to seem like a whiner but when we enjoy an expensive and long-planned trip, we do expect our morning coffee will taste at least 1/3 as good as what we get at home, especially when there are no other options on the island. This was never an issue before at Banning House. However they now seem to subscribe to the "brown water" school of coffee creation. It reminded me of instant Maxwell House except that at least with instant coffee you could make the coffee stronger. To be fair, the location is still beautiful, and the town is a unique getaway you won't find anywhere else in California. We had a great time renting bikes and a kayak which we took through a sea cave! The room was pleasant and very quiet with a great view, though my wife did have a few things to say about the condition of the floor. Still, until some of the above issues are addressed, I can no longer recommend Banning House to my friends, something I regularly used to do.
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August 2023 by johnrL1790QT
We just returned from a very nice trip from Two Harbors and had to get this review in asap. Russ and his entire staff were just exceptional, with each friend being willing and able to assist us with anything from making a double shot latte to shuttling us to the harbor multiple times during our stay. Our room was so peaceful and very comfortable, too! Specifically, the king sized bed was the most comfortable my wife and I have ever used in all of our adventures! We are very picky when it comes to our sleeping accommodations, and this bed provided a truly fantastic night's sleep for both of us! The breakfast that your staff provided was definitely a step up from your typical continental breakfast offerings, with your choice of fresh fruits, a variety of milks, bagels, toast, cereals, coffee, juices, meats and cheese, hard-boiled eggs...yes, it was that good! After our meal, we were able to enjoy numerous walks around the grounds throughout the day, enjoying the wildlife, scenic vistas of the two harbors and the beautiful weather, which included a brief summer rain shower during our stay. Thank you for making our stay a very relaxing, memorable experience...we will definitely plan to return in the near future. Kind Regards, John & Carol Reilley Fillmore, CA
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July 2023 by Go829383
The lodge was charming, clean and well maintained. The views were amazing! And the staff was outstanding! Caitlin gave us a wonderful tour of the property, drove us to and from town any time we wanted, and cheerfully answered all our questions. Russ did a great job serving the wine and cheese, was friendly and very responsive and even laughed at our jokes. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends.
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July 2023 by Michelle A.
Slightly over priced but what would you expect from a store on an island, nothing unmanageable obviously you know you're going to spending money once you leave the main land. Cute store has neat trinkets.
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July 2023 by Money Penny
Everything you need if your on a yacht or camping.
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June 2023 by Lynn FitzGerald
We really enjoyed visiting the general store while in Two Harbors and were so impressed with the quality/quantity of souvenirs they had! Especially loved all the items by local artists. Great pizza, ice cream and incredibly friendly staff.
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May 2023 by Guthrie Paterson
Whatever your needs in Two Harbors - they’ve got you covered! Broad selection of food, drinks and gifts for visitors and the boating crew. Very helpful staff!
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December 2022 by Krystina Jarema
They were open from 9-1 pm Christmas day! Made our day as we came through during our trans-catalina backpacking trip. Thw store has dehydrated meals, propane for jet boils, and souvenirs.
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December 2022 by Ben A.
Chances are, you've never visited the two harbors General store; and really, that's OK. If you've been to Catalina at all, you're more than likely visit in Avalon at the other end... There's plenty to do there, places to sleep, things to drink, and eat, sites to see. Seriously, this is probably all the Catalina you're ever going to need.But a few of us find ourselves down at two harbors, a quieter spot for the most part, access to several summer scout camps, more rural experience, perhaps. Still, the place is not without its charm, or civilities for that matter. The general store is part of a building complex that includes a restaurant and bar, a boat, engine, repair store, some storage places, and some of the municipal support services. Probably a few dive tanks and maybe a lobster net or two in there also.The general store has just about everything you would expect to find in a liquor store or 7-Eleven, along with some other basic foods and sundries. Garlic stuffed olives? Yes, they have them. Frozen Salisbury steak? More than likely! Six packs of beer? You betcha.But as the only game in town, here's the thing: you ain't getting out of here for 711 prices, Charlie. The markup is substantial... After all, if you wanted a pack of hotdogs, and a can of sauerkraut, then by gum, you should've brought it from the mainland, Chester!The kids at the counter are nice though, and they hardly wince when they tell you it's four dollars for a bottle of soda. And hey... You're going to pay it. Because it's Catalina. And you're probably on vacation. Or preparing for a 2 mile walk to Cherry Valley, where the only thing you're going to be drinking for a few days is small cartons of milk and orange juice.When push comes to shove, I have never not been glad that the general store is here., and has what I need.
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November 2022 by Cristina M
AWESOME store - they have everything you could possibly need, great hours, and the staff are very friendly and helpful.I forgot contact lens solution and was multi day camping - these guys had it! Also have great selection of food, camping supplies, fresh coffee.Just watch out for the raven outside who steal coffee creamers ;)
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October 2022 by lauracC9756BZ
We had such a lovely stay at the Banning House for our son's wedding in October. Carol was so helpful and attentive and patient with our large group! The Santa Cruz Villa is beautiful!! We loved it!!
