Finding Romance on the Water in Oxnard

Gondolas in Oxnard? It may not have the romantic sound of Venice, but the coastal Ventura County city has two gondola services that ply Channel Islands Harbor and Mandalay Bay.

The newest, called Romantic Gondola Tours, operates a 20-foot-long, 1972-vintage electric-motor-powered boat that owner Garth Abram bought and outfitted with fiberglass touches to resemble the Venetian vessels. Windows and a canopy protect occupants from the weather, and curtains can be closed for privacy. Of the 150 tours that Abram, a former landscape designer in Los Angeles, estimates he’s run since August, “I’ve had six marriage proposals in the gondola--and all the answers were affirmative.” There’s a kneeling pillow in the cabin, just in case you want to pop the question.

Tours, ranging from an hour to 1 1/2 hours, start at $79.95 for two, including a bottle of champagne, chocolates, fresh flowers and music from a six-speaker CD system. (“Nobody wants to hear me sing,” Abram says.) The boat can hold up to four ($20 extra per person). Reservations required 24 hours in advance; telephone (805) 984-7188.

For more than a year, an Italian restaurant, Buon Appetito, 2721 S. Victoria Ave. at the harbor, has offered a dinner-and-ride package on a 30-foot-long gondola, which manager Ricco Rangle says is 80 years old and was imported from Venice and restored. For $120, plus tax and tip, a couple can buy a six-course dinner in the restaurant followed by a 45-minute to one-hour gondola ride. Reservations required at least a week in advance; tel. (805) 984-8437.