Gondola Servizio

We enjoyed a leisurely gondola ride after dinner at Lake Chalet next door. It was a great way to celebrate our anniversary and make it memorable. Our host was courteous and friendly. The ride paired with Lake Merritt lights and sunset was truly a great way to end the night. I highly recommend it for the experience. For the price you can’t beat it. Oakland has such a bad reputation, but this certainly makes the city with visiting!

I was really excited to go on the Gondola ride after reading all the Unilocal reviews. After I made my reservation, I received an email from them asking me to change the reservation because it had suddenly become unavailable but they were nice enough to compensate me with a free bottle of wine. After we got on the boat, our gondolier gave a very brief overview of gondola history but I think I learned more about his eating habits and the diet he was on than I did about the history of gondolas and Lake Merritt. He was also on his phone the whole time, although I’m still not sure if he was looking up lyrics to his songs or he was texting. It was a lackluster experience but the main reason I’m writing this review is the owner’s response and lack of customer service. I emailed her immediately after our ride and let her know how it went but she didn’t even apologize or follow up with me. Many other individuals obviously had very different experiences from me but unfortunately I do not recommend this place based on my personal experience.

This review is not based so much on the actual service while on the gondola (we never got to that point), but on how we were treated by the staff.
My boyfriend had planned a trip this past Valentine’s Day /​night with a gondola ride. We got a call an hour before we were scheduled that there was in fact no availability and that he had given us the wrong time, and that the slot that WAS available was early and we were too late now. We were disappointed but kept busy prepping for Vday night romantic dinner preparations. We got a call at the time of our initial appointment that there was a new opening in an hour. After receiving multiple confirmations, our excitement builds and we show up 5 minutes early, only to find that he had given us the wrong hour for a second time and that the moment he had called us was actually the hour that was supposed to be available. So, he expected us to be there at the exact time he called apparently for no reason whatsoever and, upon our arrival, proceeded immediately to accuse us of being late.
Amidst all of the forgotten appointment times, they did not forget to charge. My boyfriend is currently waiting on the refund.
The way this was handled was extraordinarily shady and I will never come here again. Me and my boyfriend made our own Valentine’s day lovely. I’m sure the ride would have been a wonderful contribution to it. Instead, we were lied to, scolded, and turned away. Oh, and charged for that.

Gondola Servicio was a lucky find on Unilocal.We booked the Casanova package (Gondola 2 Available Weekends) for 60 min at 9:30pm. I wanted to see the lights around the lake and the dark night added to the romantic ambience. We had wine and cuddled underneath the blankets provided. The gondolier was very accommodating, and sang a bday song in Italian (it was my bf’s bday). The ride itself was short and the service expensive. Buttt, it was a good experience overall. We don’t ride gondolas everyday… This is one of those activities you experience once, go big, and then choose something else the next time.

Surprised my fiancé with this great experience & it did not disappoint. Angelo gave us a really great tour (& it was nice to know that he is actually from Italy not some local guy dressed up in a costume) & he really knows his stuff about the history of both Venice & Lake Merritt. He was also kind enough to work with our photographer who was taking candids of our experience, posing & positioning the boat at convenient places to create great pictures. 30 minutes was just the right amount of time to enjoy the view. It was also fun literally being the center of attention with the Lake Merritt park goers & guests seated outside of the Lake Chalet restaurant watching. The ride was smooth & pleasant (this is coming from someone who usually gets motion sickness). Angelo also serenaded us & yes, he’s a great singer! Highly recommend & will definitely do it again. Thanks Angelo!

My fiancé isn’t big on singing and all the extra bells and whistles so the ride itself was a perfect surprise to make him feel special on his bday. We bought a bottle from Lake Chalet & brought our own blanket and simply enjoyed the ride. Our driver did stop a little more often (5+ times sitting still for 3 – 5 mins each) than we wanted but maybe he did that so we’d enjoy the views? Would’ve preferred to coast most of lake instead of less than half. Nonetheless it was a great way to end the night. Romance, something unique, and a relaxing stroll on the lake. Thank you!

Took my man for his birthday it was seriously awesome fun! The gift shop was really cute too I wish we had more time too shop around before dinner…

We’ve talked about taking the gondola ride around Lake Merritt for two years and finally did to celebrate our anniversary. The staff are very hospitable and accommodating. This was a lovely way to see the Lake and surrounding community, something we drive by and take advantage of. Just breathtaking and beautiful. We highly recommend a night ride. Angelino is there on the weekends-​this is his business. He’s very passionate and genuine about being able to share it. He sang to us, Michaelo and Connie in Italian, about love, life, the beautiful moon and Venetian Victory after battle. Aaahhh Venice. Oh wait… thanks Gondola Servizio. (Expect to hear some reception music from a couple of wedding venues-​this doesn’t take away from the experience though)

This was nothing short of magical! You really do get to see Lake Merritt and the surrounding area from a different perspective. I never thought Oakland could be this romantic. Cosmo was a wonderful host. We will definitely do this again!

We had our wedding with Gondola Servizio, and it was absolutely perfect. The staff worked with us to plan the experience that we wanted, and they were very helpful with all of our intricacies and requests. Our wedding was truly a unique and memorable experience, and we would recommend anyone to get married on the Gondola Servizio pier at beautiful Lake Merritt!

My boyfriend just proposed to me last night with the help of the talented staff at Gondola Servizio. This was truly an amazing experience and we felt like we were in Italy!
We boarded the gondola at 8pm and the gentleman who guided us on our tour was so nice! A blanket was brought out to keep us warm, and we were allowed to bring Champagne. I had no idea this had been planned for some time, so they worked with my fiancé to make it truly a special occasion. The lake was beautiful and the singing was just romantic with the two of us taking in the moment.
Thanks so much for making our special day a memorable moment. I will never forgot this! And we will be back for future tours and recommend to all who want to surprise a loved one.

Angelo was wonderful!
He took us on a smooth ride around Oakland’s Lake Merritt. It was a bit cool this evening, but he offered a blanket for the chilly weather which was great.
You can choose to bring your own srinks if you’d like.
As we toured different parts of the Lake, Angelo gave us historical facts about how the lake was built, how deep it is and the fact that the lake is really a different name that I can’t recall at the moment
I appreciated the fact that he knew so much about the area. It helped us enjoy the experiemce even more.
Thsnk you all so much for a wonderful ride around an Oakland gem!

Very nice! Make sure that your gondolier sings and specify importance to you! Our last gondolier was very nice but his voice is not what you would expect from a gondolier. And he only sang 2 or 3 songs.

I took my wife here as a surprise for our 6^th anniversary. She loved it and I loved it.
Angelo was our gondolier and was awesome. He even sang in Italian and set the mood.
I highly recommend locals and residents to go here.
Thank you again.

I would recommend this to anyone who has never traveled to Italy. It is a fun, unique, romantic experience.
I brought my boyfriend here for his birthday as a romantic prelude to our evening…
Our Gondolier Angelino was very nice. He gave us some history on gondolas and information about the one we were in.
The lake is nice, but I wish I would have done a bit more research and remembered we were in Oakland. There were lots of loud people… kids skating and doing tricks on their skateboards and the worst was the incredibly loud house party music coming from a building on the lake. Our Gondolier wasn’t able to sing to us much because of the loud reverberating music and although that was clearly not his fault, it did effect our ride. We were eventually able to laugh about how horrible it was :)
When he was able to get far away enough from the music to sing to us, it was divine… very romantic and peaceful. Our issue would not prevent me from recommending it to others. Also, I would recommend the longer ride. I paid for the 50 minutes and it was just right… I think we any less would just not have been enough.

This was a real treat for something different to do on a date. The gondolier Angelino was great, gave a brief history of the gondola then was quiet except for a few Italian songs. Very romantic after dark with the lights around Lake Merritt. Only downside was returning to the restaurant docks with loud people partying outside, kinda killed the mood. But overall a great time.

Came here to surprise my boyfriend with a spectacular evening to celebrate a late valentines day and in appreciation for everything amazing he does for me the rest of the days of the year!
We started off with dinner in the Lake Chalet restaurant and then came down here for our 7:30pm appointment. I got the chocolate dessert tour which offered a 50 minute gondola ride around Lake Merritt with «decadent house-​made mini desserts such as chocolate chip cannolli, brownies, Italian artisan cookies, Sicilian Torrone candies, and seasonal fruit, with a bottle of Prosecco.» My dessert box didn’t have any brownies, candies or seasonal fruit (well I guess chocolate covered strawberries would count), but that didn’t make the experience any less amazing.
We got to our appointment early and they let us wait on their private dock and drink our alcohol. They offered us blankets in case we got cold — which was super sweet. When the gondola arrived, Angelino was so nice, welcoming and accommodating. I was a little nervous about stepping into the boat (I was scared I was going to fall in!), but he assured me that he’s been doing this since he was 14 so I’ll be okay.
50 minutes riding around the lake went by fast. Splurge for the 50 minute tour! It’s totally worth it! Angelino sang us a few songs in Italian and even gave us a little history about the gondola we were riding in, which made the experience feel a little more authentic. The night was beautiful and perfect.
This is truly a hidden gem in Oakland!!! A must try!

We did a afternoon ride it was just perfect. Loved seeing the views on the lake. History all around, pelicans, and more…
Lovely boat and umbrellas provided. Go sometime you will enjoy, take the hour ride.
Great Valentines date!

Had an amazing experience! Beautiful handmade boat, right around sunset, so we got all the beauty of the light, then the darkness!
Angelino was so nice, warm and inviting! We got there a little early, and he was ready and waiting! His singing was perfect! And customer service with April was super helpful and incredibly quick to respond! I didn’t realize when I clicked on the time slots, I would block them from being usable for 15 minutes, and eventually all that was left were mediocre time slots (being that I really wanted sunset). But when I read the FAQs, it explained that, and she was able to easily change our reservation to a preferred time. Thank you both so much for making such an unforgettable night even more memorable!

I couldn’t have timed my experience with Gondola Servizio better. Not only were we able to go out early, we also went out right as everything was aglow in the sunset and the water over Lake Merritt was calm.
You’re damn right it was romantic.
Our gondolier was great — he sung to us, he told us about Italy’s history and things to see in the area, and he improvised when Oakland’s world of sirens and hecklers tried ruining our outing. If you’re looking for something romantic, you’ve found it.