When planning our family trip to Catalina Island the first thing I thought about was how we were going to get to the Island. I knew that Mason would have a really hard time on an hour-long boat ride and would hate being cooped up in his stroller. I knew it would be a total nightmare if I had to chase/corral him on the boat the entire time. So, I started to research other options. If you search Catalina Island one site will keep popping up no matter what you are searching for on the Island and that is Catalina Island Company. They run many of the tourist activities, some hotels, and even a few restaurants. They also have recommendations for lots of other things to do as well. They had on their site many hotel packages that included a round trip helicopter ride provided by IEX Helicopters. So, I decided to look them up.
They fly to a lot more destinations than just Catalina Island. They do helicopter tours down the Southern CA coast, including the iconic Hollywood tour, tours of Catalina Island, as well as the round-trip flights to Catalina Island from a number of airports. You can also have a private charter anywhere in CA and beyond! I knew we were going to stay in Long Beach for a night before heading over to Catalina Island so I reached out to them to see if they’d be interested in a collaboration. I knew It was a bit of a long shot only because I was planning this trip so last minute. To my surprise, they were very quick to respond and within a couple of days we had everything coordinated.
I was totally looking forward to taking this helicopter ride with the hubby and Mason. My only concern was how would Mason do on the flight?! We’ve taken him on a plane before to Canada and he did great but he was also just shy of being a one year old at the time. Now, he’s almost 17 months and much more active. Thankfully, he did amazingly well. The other two passengers who were on our flight we very impressed. Mason kept his mini headset on the entire flight, which he looked totally adorable in BTW, and cried very little. The flight took only 15 minutes which is much more manageable than one hour. We got to maximize our time that first day since our travel time was so short. We easily were able to drive up to the helicopter take off point and without any lines were able to check in and get ready for our flight. I can’t even imagine travelling to Catalina Island any other way now. It was so convenient plus an incredible view of Catalina Island on the way in.
I highly recommend IEX Helicopters as a great way to travel. Everyone was super nice and helpful before, during, and after the flight. Next time we’re in Southern CA and have some time for an adventure I know I’ll be scheduling a tour down the coast with IEX!
Dress: Jill Jill Stuart c/o Macy’s. Heels: Steve Madden, old (love this pair). Hat: Saks Fifth Ave. (available in pink). Handbag: Gucci (love this classic option as well). Sunglasses: Kate Spade.
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Thank you so much to IEX Helicopters for taking such good care of us on our round-trip flight to Catalina Island. It was an experience we will never forget!
As always, thank you for stopping by the blog today!!
