Is avalon uphill from the pier

From the pier there are some uphill stretches to get to the first set of shops, then it's mostly level to the storefronts along Ocean. Heading away from the water is definitely uphill. There are taxis easily available

Depends. There are large swaths of Avalon that are fairly flat as they're down along the waterfront. From the express, there is some transport to/from hotels. As you get farther inland, though, the land does rise and get hilly (up AND down). It all depends on what hotel you're staying at. I'd suggest looking at Google Maps to check location and/or Street View (within Maps) to see just how hilly it is. Like I said, though, most hotels have shuttles to/from the Express.