- Reservations: Call 888-446-6365
- Cost: Depends on type of cruise
- Location: W.Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, directions below
- How Long: Depends on type of cruise
- Best Time to Visit: Most romantic at sunset
After helping us into our sleek black gondola, Phil steered us into the fairy-tale world of Newport Beach's hidden canals. The gondolier is very discreet. He sees nothing, hears nothing and mostly says nothing. With him behind us, the boat moved as if by magic, gliding quietly with nothing to disturb the soft music except the occasional "splat" of a fish breaking the water's surface.
Floating so near the water's surface, almost every sense was touched: warm evening sun the sweet smell of clean water, lapping waves. It looked as if the houses along the canals were deserted, vacated especially to give us complete privacy. I would have dangled my fingers in the water, but I was too relaxed to make the effort.
As the sun set, we passed other gondolas, one carrying a wedding party, and another with a couple snuggled up to their chins under a warm blanket. The romance was spell-binding, and no one wanted to break it as we passed each other silently.
Before we left the dock, Phil related that public displays of affection were not acceptable in ancient Venice, so lovers would ask the gondolier to go under as many bridges as possible, providing them a brief chance to steal a kiss. We only went under one bridge, but as we neared it on our return trip, our gondolier broke his silence. "O Sole Mio" resonated under the bridge, and our serenade was finished just as our gondola slid back into its berth.
Getting to Gondola Adventures
Gondola Adventures, Inc.3101 West Coast Highway, Suite 110
Newport Beach, CA 92663
888-446-6365
Visit the Gondola Adventures website or reserve your gondola ride and other fun things to do all in one place.
The Gondola Company also does Gondola tours in New port Beach, but we toured with Gondola Adventures. As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary tickets for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
