Just 20 miles off the coast of LA is the island of Catalina and its little town of Avalon. Here, the golf cart replaces the car and super-clean beaches surround the natural bay. It's a little island with a lot of soul - 86 per cent of it is a nature reserve - and a fabulous getaway that's just a one-hour boat ride from San Pedro port near Long Beach.

Originally bought by William Wrigley Jr (the chewing-gum heir), Catalina was the playground of movie stars in the '20s and '30s; indeed, the bison that roam the island were originally brought over for a western film and then left there. More information can be obtained from the Catalina Island Visitors Bureau (Avalon, Catalina Island, CA 90704, +1-310 510 1520, www.catalinachamber.com).

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