We went pedal boating here and I really enjoyed it, it was something different for us. It was me, my husband, and my daughter and we got to pedal around the lake together, which was really nice. The staff was great, very informative and made sure we understood everything before we got on. They had different types of boats too, not just regular ones, but fun ones like ducks, swans, and even dragon boats, which made it feel more exciting, especially for kids. It's very family friendly and I felt like everything was safe. They provided life jackets and made sure everyone was good before heading out. We'll definitely come back, probably on a warmer day so we can enjoy it even more. read more

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4 Stars for El Estero Boating + 1 additional star specifically for the very chill, handsome dog & the young gentlemen handling this joint. First and foremost, thank you to my Little for planning a fun day out in Monterey for our monster!! We honestly couldn't have imagined a better FUNtie!! Located across the way from Dennis The Menace Park, El Estero Boating is a family owned business offering paddle boat rentals. They are open 7 days a week aside from rainy, heavily foggy, or extremely windy days. Rentals are available for half hour rentals or hour long rentals. The regular paddle boats will set you back $27 for 30 mins & $35 for an hour. The fancier boats [swan, duck, dragon] are rented by 30 min increments and cost $45 for each half hour timeframe. Life jackets are conveniently included within the listed pricing. Please be advised that a $2 card transaction fee will be applied if you pay via card. The lake is spacious and that leaves you with plenty of room to roam freely and not have issues running into other boats. BUT!! Don't get the bright idea of racing any other guests bc WHO REALLY DOES THAT?? LOL!! My legs absolutely felt the burn bc ya girl doesn't do any kind of running unless it has to do with my mouth. Lmao!!! The boats work well and they go in the appropriate direction you want them to- this is not always the case for paddle boats in general! Side note: I agree with some of the reviews regarding customer service being dry and unfriendly depending on the person you're dealing with but I'll chalk it up to it being really early. By the end of our visit, our entire party was really happy with the kindness & helpfulness of the staff we encountered. Overall, picking El Estero Boating was great. Coming here was lots of fun for both us adults and a 5yo toddler. read more

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A fun, low key activity. Hubby and I rented a 2 person little pedal boat, $28 for 30 mins. More than enough time to peddle around the little island and the side of the lake. There is lots of hyacinth so you are limited to where you can go. There's lots of different birds that hang out on the little island. The gentleman who helped us was friendly. Free parking. Got to pet the boss dog Cody. Also walk around the lake. There is a restroom nearby. read more

El Estero Boating - So many birds on the island - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

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I came here with my 3 year old on a slower day. The gentleman helped us out was quick thankfully and he seemed friendly. He set up a little chair for my 3 yo to sit in the middle. Overall nice experience. read more

El Estero Boating - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

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Of course we take our grandkids here! Such a fun time peddling a purple-ish dragon around the lake on a beautiful summer afternoon. First time for the grandkids who helped us steer. Lots of laughs and I hope many good memories. Service was helpful and ever present, plenty of parking and clean boats. Prices may seem steep for a half hour but really that's all you need. Last word...memories. read more

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I forgot how fun paddle boating is! My kiddo had a blast, perfect activity for small children. Life jackets are provided, you can choose to paddle for 30 minutes or an hour... 30 minutes goes by so fast, next time we will do the hour. They have a small parking lot, a small selection of snacks for purchase, the park bathroom is a short walk away. It is located behind Dennis the Menace park and across the street from the beach & McDonalds. We will definitely return. read more

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Awesome , very fast service! My kids loved it . Definitely something to check out when you're around.

I grew up occasionally paddle boating here as an activity. They've come a long way since the ones I rode on as a kid/teen. Came here on a weekday afternoon with family. Parking lot still had space. We picked the swan. The staff was helpful and friendly. They made sure to give us tips for out on the water. The lady who got us our life jackets was sociable and chatty. Our time on the lake was pleasant, not strenuous for 2 middle-aged adults pedaling 2 teens and a kid. The variety of birds around must be used to the boats because they will swim alongside to give a neat up close look at them! Several other boats were always on the water with us. The lake is peaceful and you can simply enjoy the kind of experience you want--cruise around, speed/distance challenge yourself, take a lap around the island, or float & take photos. This kind of experience isn't available just anywhere, so it's something to enjoy if you have the opportunity. read more

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This was super fun! We paid for the 30 minutes one and they were chill about us going for an extra 10 minutes if we wanted to. They were super nice and a fun experience. They were very safe (like wearing lifejackets). read more

El Estero Boating - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

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This is such a fun activity to do! I had no idea this place even existed until my husband and I drove by it on our way to our hotel. We thought it would be a fun and spontaneous activity, so we made a u-turn to check it out. It's a bit pricey at $40 for 30 minutes (for the duck/swan), but we both enjoyed being on the lake and paddling around. It went by really fast and for that price, it would be nice if we could at least get a picture of us on it. You pay upfront and lifejackets are provided. read more

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Wonderful family-friendly paddle boating spot. The regular paddle boats can fit up to 3 adults + 1 child with a weight cap at 500 lbs, the duck ones can fit up to 5 adults with a 1200 lbs capacity. Renting the boats is simple, $40 for 30 minutes on the duck vessel. Life vests are provided. 30 minutes is more than enough to take a couple rounds around the lake. Lake is nice and serene with lively views of the Dennis the menace park on one side. The boats seem more on the newer side and function well. Boat is safe, lake is small and not too deep making this great for all. Little snack shop also located at the boat rental shack and plenty of parking nearby. Even though they have their hours posted, I'd call in advance and check as the day we visited they closed at 5:30 PM instead of as expected at 7 PM. read more

El Estero Boating - Lake - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

Paddle boating in the winter amid a rainy weekend? Sign me up. It wasn't. the plan but we were visiting the charming El Estero lake after a nice morning downpour and when we saw Swan paddle boat emerge with passengers we quickly left the overlook area at the lake and drove an almost complete circle to park next to the paddle boat booth. Our 'ranger' was nice and did confirm that paddle boating was available. His assistant prepped with the rules and the life jackets and then our ranger wiped down our seats within the swan with his outstretched leg and his sneaker anchored to the pier. It was quite the balancing act and my brother had asked if he ever lost his balance and fell into the lake. To which he replied, 'not yet'. Well done sir. Navigating the swan was easy, even a caveman could do it, or perhaps the skipper from the Minow. We toured the lake and made sure to stay off the island! There are quite a bit of birds in and around the island so make sure to hold your phones tight while taking pictures as our ranger told us that he has quite a collection of phones, wallets, and keys that were amassed as sunken treasures. If you're in the Monterey area, and the weather is permitting, get on a Swan or a Sea Dragon paddleboat in Lake El Estero. It makes for a magical time and get memory. read more

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Across from Dennis the Menace Park on Lake El Estero you'll find the paddle boats. They have regular ones and the giant rubber ducky or swan. Price for regular $25 half hour or $35 for an hour Swan/rubber ducky $40 They provide life jackets and also have drinks and snacks available for purchase inside. read more

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Awesome part of me and my lady's anniversary. Super helpful staff and time FLIES on the water shoutout Luke super helpful and nice guy!! read more

El Estero Boating - Boating Options - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

I've driven by this place multiple times and have always wanted to stop. Well yesterday was the day to make my little wish come true. As we drove by, Ron asked, "you want to ride" and without hesitation I said "YES!" So we parked and I was a happy adult kid. To our luck, there was parking readily available and no line to rent our ducky. We were given quick instructions, life vests, and assistance to ride and off we went. It was a fun little 30 minute pedal ride around a miniature lake. We saw plenty of swans and weeping willow trees. Such a beautiful day for this experience. Will definitely stop by again. read more

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The guys working were great. I left a good tip. They are quick and nice professional/helpful. We did 1/2 hour rental on the bigger paddle boats for $40. My two teens and my baby enjoyed it. Clean boats beautiful water and park. Fun and cheap. read more

El Estero Boating - All my girls - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

My kids couldn't decide whether they wanted to go on the dragon or swan, but when we got there it was suggested to us to get a small boat due to the bigger ones being harder to steer, and more of a workout. I am so glad they suggested this! The small boats were still quite a work out. We had a lot of fun and it was nice that the life vests were provided. Friendly and helpful staff, no boat issues. Such a fun time! 30 minutes is definitely long enough. read more

10/10 I was vacationing in Monterey with a puppy we had trouble looking for things to do with a dog. So glad we did this! My dog had fun looking at all the geese. If you do go with a dog they going to make you ride in the old paddle boards not the ones that look like a swan, dragon or rubber duck! read more

I came to visit Monterey from LA for the week and had an extremely unpleasant experience here on 5/28/2021 around noontime. To start - the young (maybe early to mid 20s) guy who checked us in was extremely unfriendly. He was skinny with long dusty blonde hair. When I arrived, he was casually standing around and eating chips in the shop, not watching the paddle boats at all. He told me that I'd have to wait about 15 minutes for the yellow duck if I wanted to rent the duck instead of the swan so I said ok. I paid in advanced and waited in my car until it was time to come back. When I came back, he told me my two small dogs were not allowed even though it says on this Yelp page q&a that dogs are allowed. I had already paid and he was giving me a difficult time about it even though I said the dogs would be on our laps the entire time (they weigh like 10 pounds so very small dogs) but didn't offer to refund me. After about 30 seconds of starring around, he finally said that he would let me this time to bring my dogs. Ok???? If they are truly not allowed then just refund me!! Well, then he handed me and my boyfriend's life vests and tells us to hop on the duck boat. Literally handed us the life vests and had us hop on. LITERALLY while trying to hop on, he tells my boyfriend "you gotta put the life vest on. It's not a purse bro". Ok BRO you literally handed it to us 2 seconds ago. Give us some time to put it on. That was an extremely passive aggressive comment that was absolutely unnecessary. After that comment, our entire mood was changed and we only paddled for 35 minutes out of the 1 hour because that guy really set us up for a great experience (sarcasm). When we came back, another guy docked us and helped us get off. He was MUCH more friendly. He was tall and had shorter dusty blonde hair and possibly a bit older (maybe mid 20s). He was friendly. He asked us if we and the pups had a good time. A tremendous difference with the passive aggressive a$$hole from earlier. I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1 star because of the friendly guy who helped us at the end and the duck paddle boat itself was cute and clean but I utterly can't believe how rude the first guy was. He literally ruined our experience. I'm truly disappointed. read more

El Estero Boating - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

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Great little spot! I appreciated it not being outrageously expensive. Also, having a 1/2 hour option was wonderful. I thought my youngest would have been bored after 5 minutes but he enjoyed the entire 30 minutes. Cute spot to try out :) read more

Do NOT believe what they say about closing. They may close early without warning, even well before the posted time. My kids were very disappointed. read more

This place is a joke. I was standing there at 10:05am ( it opens at 10:00am) with my wife and daughter and the guy who's supposed to open the place is just washing everything and ignoring me. When I asked him, he said sorry washing. What a joke! read more

Seen this boating place many times when I drove past El Estero. Last time when I was there, we couldn't get a boat because of the rush. But we were lucky this time. We just managed to get a boat - their last customer of the day. Kids wanted a Swan - it's $40, slightly higher rate than the ordinary pedal boat. You have to pay upfront in the office. They accept cash and credit cards. Staff were very friendly and helpful. They insist that all the riders must we life jacket. They will help you board the boat; also give instructions on how to navigate, what to watch out for etc. It's a 30 min ride around that small lake. With an average pace you will be able to do couple of rounds. It was a fun ride. Having said that peddle that boat is not very easy. But we had fun! It was an evening well spent. Entry to this place is on Camino El Estero, only the exit is on Del Monte ave. There are parking in front of the office. Or you can find street parking. Try it out! It's fun! read more

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Seas the day when you get an opportunity to ride on a boat...even if it's not in the sea! My sister wanted to go boating and because I'm a good sister I agreed. When I say boating let me be clear, I mean pedal a boat around a lake. She saw some cute swan boats in the lake and insisted we should get on one. While in Carmel/Monterey there's not a tremendous amount of things to do so we had some time. I believe the boat ride was around $30 for 30 minutes but give or take a little bit since I didn't pay. You might be thinking 30 minutes isn't enough time but it definitely was. Surprisingly this boat ride ended up being quite a workout, good thing it ended up being lots of fun too. We weren't the best drivers and steering was a little difficult for us. I'm afraid to say it might have been us because it's pretty dummy-proof. I don't know how easy things still are difficult for us. Eventually, we got the hang of it and didn't hit anything so that was good. I was pretty satisfied with our time on the boat after about 20 minutes but as you might have guessed kids might enjoy the ride more, hence want a longer boat ride. I think if you're in Monterey it's not a bad thing to stop and do, and the staff is really helpful. They were very friendly and helped us on and off the boat so no one would fall in. Even though you have to wear a life jacket I had no intention of going swimming! read more

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Staff was super friendly! I did the hour long rental and I'd say it worth it. Half an hour is enough to do a lap around the pond, but the hour is nice if you want to just paddle around and do random little "donuts" around lol read more

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Fun and cute boat ride but the customer service is awful. The staff is condescending and they won't even take pictures. Too overpriced for them to be that rude read more

DO NOT TAKE KIDS HERE The guy on the dock has no manners or respect. Our 2 year old wanted to go, they put him in an adult life jacket and said its fine. When we tried to get a kids life jacket and he said "put that back you already have a jacket." We explained that the jacket was too large and not safe and he "he is fine, the one you grabbed is dirty, you might be fine with your kid wearing a dirty life jacket but we are not" mind you, the rack has no labeling or anything. We didn't know that the jackets on the end were dirty. Do not take your kids here as they don't care about the safety of children and will talk down to you if you care read more

This place is first-come first-serve. We got a swan paddle boat. The back seats have a nice area for the kids to hang out. The pond is big enough to go around. We had a fun time. read more

While my honey and I were driving into Monterey, I instantly spotted the ducky which I was like "Omg is that a ducky out there?!" As we were passing by the place, my bf said that we should go here after lunch, and I was so excited! Originally, we were going to go with the ducky, but up close--the ducky's face expression wasn't as cute as I had thought. It seems like the ducky looked confused-sad? So I chose the swan instead. $40 for the ducky or swan paddle boats for 30 mins while if you go with the ordinary ones--it's much cheaper. But we were all for being a little extra with the character ones! Hehe :D The lake is definitely small with an island towards the left that has different types of birds and turtles that reside on there. The playground next to lake was very nice! If I had kids with me, I would definitely love to bring them there cause it's like a modern looking playground! I'm not really a fan of the life jackets, but I can see how it is helpful to individuals who can't swim or extremely clumsy, I guess. Haha.. I wish Stow Lake in SF had these cute character paddle boats cause then that place would be perfect. read more

Lovely nostalgic visit. Every time we would visit our grandparents we would stop at Dennis the Menace Park and ride the paddleboats. Thanks, Jason for the great conversation about the family history and for letting me reminisce. read more

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My family and so had a great time at El Estero Boating this week! The lake and surrounding park is beautiful, the boats and equipment is in great shape, and the staff were friendly and helpful. There are several options between many attractive colored standard pedal boats and even a selection of spectacular looking pedal boats shaped as huge rubber ducks and dragons, ect. There are snacks and ice creams available for your journey which is offered in 30 minute or hour increments depending on the boat you choose. For an afternoon with family if you need a memorable experience to break up your day, El Estero Boating is a no-brainer for fun outdoor activity! read more

Offers a selection of leg/foot operated paddle boats to traverse the small lake adjacent to the park. A bit expensive -$40/30 minutes - in a swan or goose while some of the other boats are a bit cheaper. Life jackets are supplied and in good condition. read more

It was fun to try something new on our anniversary trip to Monterey. We got the regular boat, and paid less than $30 for 30 minutes. Staff were helpful and friendly. The boat is simple to operate. We had a fun and relaxing time. Would do this again and would definitely recommend it! read more

El Estero Boating - The lake! - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

I was skeptical about going on their paddle boat with Covid and all but decided to do it after seeing them pretty meticulously clean the boats in the morning. It was a lot of fun and a relaxing way to spend an hour. read more

Adjacent to Dennis the Menace park, El Estero Boating is a nice way to enjoy the day. The process is pretty simple, pay first and put your life jacket on and your on your way. $18 for half an hour and $23 for 1 hour. The big bird boat is $40 for half an hour. I recommend just doing the half an hour. I think an hour is just way to long especially if you have little ones. The family had a good time. It's something you do once in a while. read more

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So much fun! Prices went up from the posts on yelp. Summary below... 1. $23 for half hour; $30 for an hour 2. Boat sits up to 4 people but only 2 peddle 3. White swan boat fits more people but again only 2 peddle ($40 for an hour) 4. Can't really go far but you still get a nice workout just by going around 5. Some of their boats are not as new looking. It would have been nice to be provided the newer ones rather than an old faded boat 6. They don't really tell you when to come back so i guesstimated the time since I wasn't sure if they charge past the half 7. They sell snacks. read more

We came here to rent a paddle boat during our trip in Monterey. They have 3 types of boats, which are the swans, ducks, and the basic colored ones. We learned that the swans required a little more work to paddle, so we decided to rent the basic one. It was fun and relaxing, and pretty cool to see the goose and ducks swimming around us. I wish this lake was a little bigger, but it was still a beautiful lake. We paid $30 for one hour, which is pretty expensive. read more

El Estero Boating - Paddle boating in Monterey - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

I had a great time with my husband and dogs on a boat here. It was like $35 for an hour and I don't regret any of it, we got to see birds and have a romantic get away for an hour I would highly recommend if your just stopping into town and need a fun activity for the day read more

El Estero Boating - Boating Near Me - Monterey, California

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They were very friendly. I don't know why everyone says the guy is rude. Maybe they fired him i don't know. But i bought a swan for 4 people for 30 minutes. Had a good time! read more

Came here to have a nice little outing on our Anniversary weekend. As I was getting out of the duck boat my wallet, which I had tucked inside my life jacket, popped out & fell into the water! After the dock was clear of other customers the staff allowed my hubby to jump in to see if he could find it. Thankfully he was able to, he was in & out in less than 5 minutes! I am so thankful he was able to locate it but I am equally as thankful for the kindness the staff showed to us. I didn't get their names but today there was 1 young lady & 2 gentlemen working. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your kindness & helpfulness! read more