Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa Reviews

The Catamaran is the type of venue I dreamt of all my life. The hotel sits in front of mission bay with breathtaking views. The minute you walk into the lobby, you feel like you’ve been transported to a tropical paradise. I strongly recommend you tour the reception halls in person. We did and we were blown away at how beautiful they were. We got the Aviary room and it had a patio that overlooked the bay at night. Our guests cannot not stop talking about how beautiful our venue was! Shoutout to the catering manager Rae Anne who was a pleasure to work with. She takes care of the reception and ceremony details and will ensure everything is to perfection. I would choose this venue over and over and we plan on celebrating our anniversary there this year!

We could not have picked a more perfect venue for our wedding day. The staff is all incredibly helpful, they didn't only go above and beyond for my husband and I, but also for our guests. We had so many of our friends and family rave about how great the service and how attentive the staff was not only during the wedding festivities, but during their entire stay. Brenna was truly incredible to work with and was so accommodating to put together a wedding package that was completely customized to our wants and needs for the most perfect day. The Catamaran just makes it so incredibly easy as they handle most everything for you, it limits the about of outside vendors that you need and if you are looking for simple in terms of planning and logistics, look no further, they've got it covered! Also lets not forget about the venue itself, its incredibly beautiful, and they do a fantastic job of making your outdoor events intimate and private even when its on the sand!

Catamaran
My now-husband and I got married at the Catamaran Resort almost now a week ago 9/6/19. We couldn’t be more happier with how everything turned out! We are from Las Vegas and didn’t want to have a traditional “Vegas Wedding” so we decided to go to our favorite city (San Diego). With only 7 months to plan a wedding, everyone thought things were hectic but it really wasn’t! Sylvia, the catering sales manager and her staff helped me thru the process from start to finish. We would communicate by phone and email all the time and Sylvia was able to answer all my questions, even if they were repetitive questions! Lol!

We only visited the resort twice —-when we checked out the property and during our menu tasting. The customer service was outstanding from start to finish. The property is beautiful having that tropical feel to it. The food served at the wedding was absolutely delicious. I was told by many guests that they enjoyed the food especially the strip steak.

I had a very intimate size wedding (approx 50 guests) and the south lawn was the perfect area for a semi-beach ceremony. Also, having the ceremony at the south lawn gives opportunity to walk a flight of stairs that isn’t bad at all!! It gives a nice wedding entrance. the board room for the reception was a perfect size for my intimate wedding. Great view of the bay especially when sunset. From the food, decorations, and service received. Everyone was very impressed with how great everything turned out! I could seriously go back and relive my wedding day if I could. My husband and I plan to make it a tradition to spend our wedding anniversaries at the Catamaran because of how convenient it is to the bay/beach.

The Catamaran is a wedding factory. Drop by on any given Saturday and you are bound to see ceremony chairs set-up or a newly minted couple taking photos by the bay. However, from day one Stephany treated us like we were the only wedding of the year. That personal experience stuck with us every step until the big day arrived. Stephany is not only knowledgeable about the policies, options, and limitations of their venues, but is eternally patient during your decision making process. When we arrived at the reception, before we even entered the Aviary ballroom our Banquet Captain Dave Hoper introduced himself and set the tone for what would be an unforgettable afternoon. All of our guests were enamored with the food and service. We received many compliments from guests how their glasses were always full and food brought continuously. Dave personally and continuously checked in with us throughout the event to make sure every expectation was being met. If you are hesitant to choose the Catamaran because they do a high volume of weddings and you are worried you will just become a number, forget about it. They will make your wedding day special and deliver a personal experience equivalent to the high-end names in the resort game.

We looked at several locations, all similar in style and setting, before we looked at the Catamaran. I mean we live in San Diego; there are plenty of beautiful wedding venues to choose from. We wanted a beach wedding so we primarily looked at venues that would give us that feel. The Catamaran was the last place we looked at and we didn’t need to look anywhere else. From our first meeting with Sylvia to our wedding day she made us feel comfortable and excited to have our wedding in such a beautiful location. Sylvia was just wonderful, she answered all my 100’s of questions promptly, she worked with our budget to make sure we had everything we wanted and did such an amazing job of helping to facilitate and make sure everything was perfect for our wedding day! We decided to get married on the south lawn in the early evening and have our reception in the Aviary Ballroom—the venue could not be more beautiful! Our service was gorgeous, and the cocktail hour food was AMAZING!!! One thing I really enjoyed, and didn’t expect to, was that because we were married on a public boardwalk we shared our day with people we didn’t even know. When my husband and I walked past the restaurant after our ceremony the whole restaurant clapped and cheered for us. One couple even told us they were married there 20 years ago. I just loved that!! In addition to the venue being beyond beautiful, and the rooms (the bridal suite especially) being amazing, our banquet manager Dave was simply the best. He was there to help us with anything we needed from getting my husband and I a beverage to enjoy while taking pictures, to getting a wheel chair for my grandmother, to making sure our wedding party and I had champagne and appetizers immediately following the ceremony, to the most important part of all…making sure my husband and I actually ate our fabulous wedding meal of Sea Bass and NY Steak. He made sure we ate first which allowed us to greet each table while our guests ate.

We had our wedding on the South Beach, cocktail hour on the lawn, and full service dinner reception upstairs in the Boardroom. Everything was perfect. I was a little worried because the hotel banquet coordinator we had been dealing with told us on Thursday (while we were driving down there) that it was her last day. But she assured us that her replacement was well briefed and the event went off without a hitch. The venue was perfect and the food was awesome. Plenty of time allowed for each course and the staff was responsive. If you're looking for a beach wedding, this is the place to do it!

As a fellow event professional coming from out of state for a destination wedding for a client. I have to say that the Catamaran and the staff surpassed my expectations. They were accommodating, professional and flexible. The grounds were kept well, the food and beverage service was pretty decent for a banquet event and they allowed for other event professionals to participate in my clients day. They do take multiple weddings a day so be sure to ask your contact (Most likely Amber or one of her sales staff) how many weddings are taking place the day of your wedding and at what time are those other weddings? It may depend on the time of year as well as my clients wedding fell in the middle of peak season. I would recommend this location for those looking for a destination hot spot with a beautiful bay view, that is centrally located to many wonderful attractions that San Diego has to offer.

We worked with McKenzee Paddock and she was phenomenal. Any questions we had were answered quickly, any concerns were addressed. She was so flexible and easy to work with.

The venue itself is gorgeous. We chose the garden Gazebo, and because an event was canceled we got to use the south lawn as our cocktail hour space. It was amazing to have use of the space. The wait staff was friendly and professional and the food was delicious.

We had our wedding on the beach and Boardroom early August and it was absolutely perfect. All staff onsite were extremely nice and friendly. We were lucky enough to get the Orchid Suite and it was more than we could have asked for, we even added on an additional night! The Catamaran went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of. Even after the wedding, we had plenty of special arrangements waiting for us back at the room. We looked at several beach venues in San Diego, and The Catamaran Hotel and Resort had the best inclusive packages and value compared to the rest. All of our guests had the best time and it was absolutely beautiful. All the staff that helped during the ceremony and reception were so helpful and friendly as well . Unfortunately, I don’t remember his name but the bartender we had for the night did a great job and our guests really enjoyed having him. We can't wait to come back and celebrate our first anniversary here.

I wanted to give a special thank you to Cathy. From our very first visit to The Catamaran Hotel and Resort until the day of our wedding day, she was terrific to work with. She was very friendly, responsive and communicated well, which was important to us. She always went out of her way to help us or answer endless questions. She went above and beyond for us on many different occasions, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have worked with her. We had some initial concerns with it being a Friday wedding and having a Luau going on directly next door, but she managed to address everything and the ceremony/reception went flawlessly.

Beautiful location for a wedding! Chose this place due to Steven the head valet guy took us on our first tour, gave us information and was so kind and professional!
Loved this venue for our wedding!!
April was a pleasure to work with as our resort coordinator!
Amazing staff and the food was top notch!!

Amazing Venue!!!!!!! Couldn't have been happier

I love love love love this place!!! I fall in love with it over and over again every time I go back and look at our photos. We live in Arizona and I planned this with Sylvia without any issues. She was great to work with and very professional. The Catamaran has a beautiful view of the bay and also has beautiful grounds within the property as you can see in our photos. There are not enough words to describe my love for this place and I am a very picky person but this place just gives me all the feelz.

Planning a wedding at the Catamaran while being in Arizona was a bit of a challenge but Amber made it so easy and was so kind to work with! The resort is filled with luscious tropical greens that surround the gazebo where we got married. The food and beverage were amazing! The entire Catamaran staff are absolutely amazing! Having a suite allowed us to enjoy the beautiful views of not only the resort but mission bay which is footsteps away and the ocean. The ocean is just across the street from the resort! The area surrounding the resort is amazing as there is so much to do! We will definitely be back to stay again!

The Catamaran was amazing!! Our guests joined us for the week leading up to our wedding and it was better than we could have imagined! The resort was the perfect location for fun water sports on Mission Bay, sand volleyball games, walking to adorable coffee shops and fish taco stands, and just a couple blocks away is the ocean. It's the perfect location for a little bit of everything!

Our wedding day was completely perfect!! Amber and the wedding coordinators were so helpful through the entire planning process and so responsive to emails. The ceremony location on the sand, cocktail on the lawn, and reception in the boardroom were perfect! The staff was super friendly and very professional.

We had the most Amazing wedding on Friday 7/14/17 at the Catamaran Hotel. Very private, small and lovely setting at the gazebo, followed by the Luau. We had a destination wedding there, so wonderful to have entertainment of the luau for our guests. Then we finished the night off with a cruise on their Bahia Boat! So glad we chose the Catamaran! The food and staff were absolutely spectacular! We would highly recommend the Catamaran! Thank you - Claire and Matt Miller.

I got married a week ago at the Catamaran Resort, and I could not be happier with how everything turned out! My now-husband and I planned the wedding from Arizona, with a few visits in person to the Catamaran to check out the venue and complete our food tasting. From the first email, Sylvia-the catering sales manager-was extremely helpful and prompt in all of her responses. I asked so many questions during the year-long planning process, and Sylvia never made me feel like I had too many questions! She was also an incredible host during our venue visits!

We loved the Hawaiian theme of the resort from the very first visit! We got married on the Beach South Sand and had our reception in the Aviary Ballroom, and we got sooo many compliments about both settings from our guests! The bridal suite had amazing views, and the size of the suite made it so roomy for all my girls to get ready in. The food for the wedding was so delicious; my mother-in-law said multiple guests asked especially about the delicious lobster bisque soup. :)

I would highly recommend the Catamaran Resort to anyone trying to decide on their wedding venue! The planning experience, the beautiful grounds, and the food at the wedding are just a few of the reasons why the Catamaran now has a special place in our lives!

I got married at The Catamaran on 7/22/2017, and could not have asked for a more perfect wedding venue! I am originally from the East Coast, and hosting 150 of our out-of-town guests there was an absolute dream. Everyone kept saying how beautiful the scenery was, and how they can't believe we live here! Practically everyone I told I was getting married there raved about the location, and said they had attended some of their favorite weddings there. The bay was a perfect setting for photos, and it really cleared out by 7/8 pm when we were doing sunset photos. The Catamarans in the background were the perfect touch to our beachy theme!

Jayna Prest was amazing to work with in the months leading up to the big day, and was very responsive to communications between my coordinator and I. She was able to address all of my requested changes, and was very organized!! Dave Hopper, our banquet captain, was unbelievably nice and attentive the day of. He brought my husband and I a plate of our passed h'orderves because we were taking photos during the cocktail hour, he brought us drinks from the bar during dinner, and he brought me over to check out every station and every detail to make sure it was to my approval. My parents appreciated him checking in with them throughout the night, too!

As part of the wedding package, I got 2 nights in the honeymoon suite in the tower. My girlfriends and I got ready there the morning of (after eating brunch at their restaurant Oceana on site), and the view from up top is unbeatable. The Catamaran staff sent us champagne while we were getting ready, and sent my husband and I chocolate covered strawberries as well!

Thank you Catamaran for making it the best day ever!!

If you are looking for the perfect beach wedding location, you've found the right spot! My now husband and I worked with Amber for our June 10, 2016 wedding. As soon as we toured the resort, we knew we found the perfect location. Amber was so responsive with all of my questions and last minute changes. Everything was perfect on our big and the food was spectacular, our guests still bring up the Lobster Bisque en Croute. We could not have found a better venue. If your choose the Catamaran you will be in great hands!

Amazing amazing amazing! 50 stars! Amber Lighty, the Director of Catering, is the best, bar none. From the beginning she was super friendly, professional, responsive, flexible, and genuinely excited to be a part of our day. The Catamaran Resort is a beautiful, classy, fun, friendly, tropical paradise. All staff go above and beyond to make you feel welcomed. Our Banquet Captain, Dave Hopper, was incredible. We missed our appetizers during the Cocktail Hour since we were taking photos so he made sure to save us one of each and bring them to us during dinner. That was just one example of the small details both he and Amber attended to so that everyone was happy. The food and drinks were delicious, the table linens and settings were perfect, the view was unparalleled… We were looking for something romantic and intimate yet able to accommodate the needs of over 100 guests and this was the perfect balance. They can make your wedding into everything you imagined - I would recommend this venue to everyone!!

Planning a wedding from 1,500 miles away can be quite daunting however not with this reliable team! Amber made it so simple to make our decision to host our wedding and reception at the Catamaran, from her flexibility and variety of options, to her pleasant personality and immediate responsiveness. No to mention the entire event staff that executed every detail flawlessly, particularly Dave Hopper the Banquet Captain who was by our side to ensure we had everything we wanted / needed each time he saw my husband and I on the move throughout the evening!
I cannot put into words just how stunning and flawless our wedding was in addition to our stay; from hosting our ceremony on the beach and reception on the lawn, to the design and feel of the resort and comfort of our room, it was terribly hard to leave. The resort is like a paradise oasis, as if San Diego is not beautiful enough, stepping into to resort is like staying at a secluded tropical destination. To put the icing on the cake, our final two nights were spent in the honeymoon suit; from the ground floor to the 11th floor, the views cannot be beat!!!

We had the most BEAUTIFUL December wedding reception at the Catamaran Resort. It started with an evening cocktail hour on their lawn space outside overlooking Mission Bay. This was followed by dinner and dancing in the Kon Tiki ballroom. Our catering manager Amber Lighty was AMAZING! She helped with all our venue planning and made the evening go smoothly. The banquet captain, Yewbe, was also very attentive during the reception. Everything was just perfect!!! Most of our guests were from out of town and it was a great place to make them feel like they were at a destination wedding. Everyone was impressed with the clean rooms and the views :) Our honeymoon suite was AMAZING!!! I would definitely recommend the Catamaran Resort for your wedding or your next vacation!

We chose the Catamaran Resort for our wedding in November 2015 and it was the absolute perfect venue.

We had mostly out-of-town guests and we wanted a hotel in a central location where it would be easy for guests to get out and explore the area. Our families loved whale watching, paddle boarding, Belmont Park, and going to the beach and boardwalk while visiting for our wedding. The Catamaran has a beautiful property filled with gardens and backs right up on Mission Bay with rooms that fit many budgets (especially with the discounted wedding rate!).

We had our ceremony on the beach north lawn (surrounded by 4 palm trees) and our reception in the Kon Tiki Ballroom. Amber Lighty, the director of Catering, and Dave Hopper, the Banquet Captain, made sure everything was exactly how we envisioned. Dave checked on my husband and I continuously throughout the night to see if there was anything additional he could get us and went above and beyond to even providing the recipe for the delicious mango salsa so we could get a taste of our wedding at home!

The honeymoon suite (we were on the 7th floor of the tower) had the most amazing view of Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It was the perfect place for my bridesmaids and I to sleep the night before the wedding and my new husband and I to spend the night of our wedding. Amber even surprised us with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne in our room after the ceremony!!

We fell in love with the Catamaran Hotel the first time we visited and can not recommend it highly enough for a vacation or the most perfect wedding!!!

Excellent venue for our beautiful beach wedding. Customer service was exceptional, food was delicious, we had an amazing day and our guests did too! Can't say enough good things about the Catamaran!

We had our wedding at the Catamaran on 10/11/14 and our day was beyond amazing. I seriously cannot say enough good things about Amber Kelly, the catering coordinator there. We had a very long engagement (16 months from the time we booked the venue to the wedding date) and that means she got A LOT of emails from me during that time period. She was always super fast at responding and was really easy to work with and so nice. We were really upset when 5 weeks out from our wedding we were told that there was going to be construction at our ceremony and cocktail hour site to update their restaurant. The news really blind sided us as we picked the Catamaran for its aesthetics both outside and inside. Amber completely understood our concerns. She was able to reassure us and in the end delivered a beautiful ceremony and cocktail hour space despite the construction that you didn’t even notice was there. (Except for our family who was staying there all week and had to hear the jack hammers and drilling on the week days.) She also helped to set up the ballroom with our homemade centerpieces, kept all my supplies overflowing in her office for a week, and snuck down the stairs behind me without anyone seeing to fix my train and veil as I came down the aisle.