Riva di Polline

This place is pretty terrible, please avoid and listen to other reviews. Positives first: the setting is nice, picturesque and peaceful however the entire lake has places just as good. I don't mind paying for a sunbed for a day, but an extra €8 for an old parasol is excessive. It's 2021, they should be promoting skincare not charging for it, given that you're not allowed to take your own parasol or sit under trees, I find that disgusting and backwards. The sunbeds were dirty, and this part of the lake certainly isn't the best area. It was €28 for the two of us for the day. The staff are rude and judgemental, the clients that it attracts seem to be fairly lower class, mutton dressed as lamb. A real shame as it could be nice. For that price I would expect sunbed service, a standard fixed rate for sunbeds for the day including basic safety measures like parasols, cleaner toilets and staff that actually care about their customers. My advice would be to charge less for the beds, get some waiters and then they might make more money by people purchasing drinks and food. A lot of people had bought their own food and I don't blame them. Avoid at all costs and spend your money elsewhere until they improve this place. It was pretty empty for a Saturday. It's a great shame that they seem to be very greedy and yet the quality doesn't match the price.

Contrary to some of the more recent reviews, I have always found Riva di Polline to be a pleasant place. There aren't too many places where you can access Lago Bracciano, and when Riva di Polline opened some years back I immediately tried it, and have consistently come back. The water is clean, and at this part of the lake usually clear and pleasant to swim in. I have always found the staff to be pleasant and polite, the place to be quiet and peaceful, all the equipment (loungers and umbrellas etc.) to be new and in good working condition, and importantly, thye leave plenty of space between clients. The clients, to address one particularly strange comment, well, simply other people who wanted to spend the day at the lake. I have not witnessed any antipathy or rude behaviour towards non-Italians, and I'm obviously not Italian. There is a seperate beach area for dog owners, much appreciated by those of us who aren't dog owners, a small restaurant and bar. The food is good. Service can be a bit slow on a busy day, but the kitchen is small so you just have to take it in your stride. The music is nice, and not too loud. You are not allowed to bring your own food to eat, and they don't sell sandwiches, which would be my only suggestion for improvement. It does close at 6:00, which in August is a real shame, but you can stop for an aperitivo and lounge around on bean bags to watch the sun go down. I've always found it a pleasant experience, and will continue to go back.

The place was beautiful and tranquil. The service staff were nice enough, very obliging. The management, however, gave a greedy vibe, we had a party for 25 people but due to covid and other reasons, most didn’t turn up. We were happy to pay for the food that were cooked however they also charged for the drinks that were not consumed and the location rental for the ‘private’ party - the place was empty on a Friday morning. I fully understand the need to run a business but a little understanding during this challenging times would ensure repeat business. We ended up paying close to EUR200 per person for water, Coca Cola, 4 Peronis, Lasagna and a couple of canapés and 2 gelatos. A bit excessive in my opinion.

Nice spot, thanks to its geographical positioning (obviously). I found it unfriendly yet unusual that we were told to vacate the beach at 6pm (after we had lunch until 5pm and asked for 3 sunbeds... which we paid in full) but we were allowed to continue our experience in a separate area (that is the beach next door, literally) for an aperitivo that of course is at an extra charge. I wasn't expected this to be for free (nor it was mandatory) therefore we very happily left and went at my friend's villa where we were able to enjoy our aperitivo the magnificent panoramic view of the lake with no time constrains. Obviously this is only my personal opinion, based on the experience. Both the front of house team and the owner seemed rather friendly and welcoming, always a very pleasant bonus.

We have been visiting this place with our friends quite often but I am beginning to observe a bit of rudeness specially by 2-3 management people who Stare at you if you occupy lounge space with kids. The stares are unnecessary and excessive when all you are doing is trying to have a good time. They would come and point out small issues like don't touch this or touch that even if it's a rustic furniture in the lounge area. It seems they are looking for a certain type of clientale and they don't like outsiders specially foreigners or non Italians. Beware. We will try couple of more times to go there to see if the attitude changes. If not we might rethink before visiting again.