Going up in a hot air balloon has been on my bucket list since I was a child. I've had the opportunity to travel all over the world and still never had the chance. I grew up watching the balloons soar over my house every morning; therefore, I may have had a bit of a high expectation for this adventure. We arrived to a coffee shop in Calistoga around 6am where we met our pilot, Shane Robinson. We then picked up another couple and headed to the Santa Rosa Airport to begin our balloon adventure. At the airport, we had the opportunity to see another balloon be filled and take off right before ours which was awesome since as we were in the sky that balloon was always in our horizon. (Pictures attached). Shane was extremely knowledgeable, charismatic, and overall made the experience one to last a lifetime. I feel extremely fortunate that I trusted my first experience with Calistoga Balloons and even more specifically with Shane himself. I would recommend this experience to any and everyone. I will be honest I was a bit hesitant due to the price but in comparison, it was $30 less expensive in comparison and they didn't try to over squish us into the basket/ oversell the tour. Cheaper isn't always better especially when it comes to your life! IN THE END, 1000000000% recommend P.S. Remember safety is first and if they cancel for the weather to just trust them because they are the experts! Your life isn't worth the gamble. read more

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Beautiful. Romantic. Relaxing. Got swept away on this surprise date. You have to arrive at 6:30am for the weather. They only do a.m. Flights. The ride and view was worth it. Weather was perfect, I was expecting a windy rocky ride up there but you literally just glide with the wind all while having a panoramic view of Calistoga. Now I saw several more hot air balloons floating over the Napa area which seemed more popular, not sure if the views may be more better on that side since this is my first ride but it is worth checking out. After the ride brunch is included. We were taken to SolBar for brunch with a preset menu. I was so impressed. When they mentioned we'd have food after the ride I was thinking coffee and pastries but this was a full on sit down brunch. I would definitely do this again. read more

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Being huge lovers of both wineries and beautiful landscapes, when we learnt that we could enjoy both of these things at the same time from above.. in a HOT AIR BALLOON, we looked into booking our morning in the sky immediately & after finding Calistoga Balloon's online, we were able to make our reservation via email quite simply. As ballooning is heavily dependent on weather and wind conditions, their friendly staff assisted us with choosing a day in advance where flying was looking quite promising & were very accomodating of our travel dates. We received an email confirmation which included all of the information that we needed for the day - including what to bring, wear, and the meeting point location. The morning of our ballooning experience, we arrived at a historic railway depot in the gorgeous town of Calistoga at 6.30am where we were warmly welcomed by Peter and Daniel. Daniel would be our pilot for the morning, and Peter had prepared for us a delicious pre-flight snack - coffee, tea, and an assortment of sweet biscuits. After a brief orientation we all jumped into a van with Daniel where we drove to the nearby location where we would be commencing our balloon flight! With the sun starting to rise over the valley, we watched and had the special option to assist in the setup of the balloon. Daniel and the crew involved us all in the process, with lots of photo and video opportunities of the impressively large balloon being slowly inflated and attached to the basket. Before we knew it, the basket was upright, we were all jumping aboard, and ready for take-off! Daniel was very friendly, professional, and informative during our flight, answering any questions that we had about the history of ballooning, how it all works, and about the towns of Calistoga, Napa, and the wineries below, whilst also ensuring that we were all feeling safe and comfortable. When we weren't taking photos of the gorgeous views below and around us, we were enjoying how relaxing the entire experience was. The flight lasted for around one hour before Daniel gracefully landed us nearby a golf-course. We jumped out of the ballooning basket, everyone with big smiles on their faces.. but it wasn't over yet.. back into the van we went and we were driven a short way to our brunch spot. A restaurant that was attached to a five-star resort called Solage, we were greeted with champagne, fresh juice, french coffee, and a menu that spoilt our hungry bellies with choice. We all sat and enjoyed some seriously delicious food while reliving our morning ballooning experience - wishing we could do it all over again! Once breakfast was over, Daniel drove us all back to the historic railway depot where we said our goodbyes. We could not recommend this experience enough, and are so thrilled that we chose to fly with Calistoga Balloon's! Their attention to detail, friendly staff and pilot, professionalism, and all their special little touches is what helped make the day so incredible and memorable. read more

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My fiance and I booked our balloon ride with Calistoga Balloons because it was part of our Getaway Package. It was really nice because the hotel that was part of the package was literally across the street. We met at 6:15am. The balloon pilot greeted us and provided us with pastries and hot coffee. It was a pretty cold morning with barely any wind, but the pilot was very cautious for our safety, he suggested an alternate route. So we were shuttled 30 minutes out to an area with less wind. It was really cool to see the crew set up the balloon. It took about 30-40 minutes to set up. Our balloon ride was about an hour long and went as high as 3000 miles in altitude and were going about 20 mph. The view from above was breathtaking. My fiance and I had a wonderful time. One more item scratched off my bucket list! :) After the ride, we had brunch (see review for Solbar) with the pilot and the other passengers. It was nice to sit down and get to know the people we shared our experience with. read more

Amazing flight! We lifted off in the early morning. The air was crisp and clear. We floated up over Calistoga and the wind took us down the Napa valley, over the mountains toward Santa Rosa and Sonoma, and through the valley of the moon. As we floated across the wine country we marveled at the views of San Francisco, Mt. Shasta and the snow on the Sierras. Yes, it was that clear. The photos are incredible! We touched down in the front yard of a guy who was not expecting us. The neighbors came out to watch the spectacle of a balloon landing and then being folded up. Then, back to Solage for a fantastic hot breakfast complete with mimosas and really good coffee. We couldn't have planned a more perfect flight! Lastly, the pilot and crew were experienced and professional. They ensured we were safe as we floated above the wine country. Highly recommend! read more

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Riding in a hot air ballon is one of the coolest things I've done in my life, next to bungie jumping and skydiving. I guess this is the 30+ version of that? Hmmm... The aerial views in Calistoga are heartbreakingly beautiful in the morning, and riding in a balloon is a whimsical and old-timey experience. And once you finally land, you're treated to a private (usually) outdoor brunch with champaign. My ONLY complaint is that the experience would be so much more romantic if you didn't have to share your part of the basket with another couple. I've gone twice now, and each time it's been full to the brim. Maybe you'll get lucky. Still, I'd say it's worth it for a big event - a birthday or anniversary trip, say. read more

Calistoga Balloons - About to lift off - Tours Near Me - Calistoga, California

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We had a beautiful flight over Calistoga today. Breathtaking views and wonderful narration by our fantastic pilot Daniel. A spiritual experience to be soaring thru the air like a bird. Thank you Daniel and the crew of Calistoga Balloons. You deserve a round of applause! Oh yeah, you got one! Big fan. Fly people Fly! read more

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First time up I'm a balloon and it was worth every minute of the wait. Our lovely pilot, Daniel, did a fantastic job talking with each of us, pointing out highlights during flight, making jokes and even story's in the car ride. Definitely recommend this tour. It's worth getting up early dark morning read more

Calistoga Balloons - Tours Near Me - Calistoga, California

If I could put 0 stars, I would. I was horribly disappointed with the entire experience. Instead of flying over beautiful Napa and wineries and estates, we were driven to 45 minutes to another launch site due to weather conditions (which is completely understandable). However, the alternate launch site consisted of a dry, dead valley with a waste water treatment facility. We spent a total of 15 minutes flying over the area before we landed. Also, our tour was booked with 10 people to a balloon, and as such, they needed a pair to be split up for equal distribution in the balloon. My friend and I spent the entire ride on opposite ends of the basket, where we had to use hand signals to communicate. Majority of our time was spent either being driven around to the launch sites or waiting for the ground crews to set up & clean up. I called to express my dissatisfaction with my experience and I was treated horribly. The company was completely unapologetic for the entire experience, claiming we were in the air for 45 minutes and that these are standard practices. The only way they could conclude our tour was 45 minutes, was if they included the time spent on the ground in the basket, waiting for the ground crew to start deflating the balloon. I would not recommend this company to anyone and would highly suggest you find another company. Update: 07.28.11 I failed to receive a response in a letter of complaint written to the company. I have filed a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs. I urge all those with similar experiences to do the same! read more

Our balloon was beautiful, and it was a lot of fun to watch the set up. We had smooth floating and a gentle landing. However, I am writing a 1-star review for a few reasons. First, our pilot could not provide a straight answer to save his life. All of his responses were dark, snarky, and inappropriate failed comedic attempts. He joked about crashing into police stations, being in jail, and accidentally killing children via balloon. Secondly, he was incredibly rude and racist to his Latino staff. He yelled at them, spoke to them in a condescending tone, and alluded to their laziness when someone in our balloon commented on how hard they were working. This was not okay. Everyone in our small group identified as a person of color, and we all left feeling very offended. Finally, we didn't get to fly over any vineyards. We had to drive to another launch site because of the fog and the terrain there was very dry, typical NorCal terrain, which I see all of the time. read more

0 STARS: STAY AWAY FROM THESE THIEVES. RUINED DREAMS. Imagine paying $400 dollars in December, booking your balloon flight a month early, confirming 3 times that you are good to go, driving more than 200 miles, paying for an expensive hotel room, confirming in person the day before, and arriving early at 5:30am ONLY to be told by the balloon owner that "Sorry the trip is overbooked. We decided to take some extra people yesterday, and they took your spots. You can come back tomorrow, Monday." It makes NO SENSE! Calistoga Hot Air Balloon rides cancelled my parents from their morning balloon flight, for no reason except that it was overbooked. I do not comprehend how this situation COULD have happened, and am appalled that it did. They paid months early, booked a month early and confirmed three times. When they got there at 5:30am, the owner simply told them to come back on Monday. What a bunch of unprofessional thieves! They refuse to call us back to discuss a refund of the $400 dollars we gave them and the expenses incurred for the ruined trip. The way my poor parents were treated, being singled out and embarrassed among a dozen people as the only ones who were cancelled from their flight with no explanation and no apology, also speaks to harassment. The weather was perfect. Everyone took off except from them. What a ridiculous story for what was supposed to be a trip/gift of a lifetime! My mom's side: Our son purchased two gift certificates for Ballooning/Brunch (2x$200) for my husband and me on 12/11/2011. We scheduled our flight for June 24th on May 6 and received 3 confirmations that we are on the list for that Sunday - one on May 22, one on June 7, and one on Saturday, June 23 at 11 AM. The last one we received in person from Bob when we came to Calistoga to confirm our excursion. Since the ballooning event starts at 6AM, we drove from San Francisco on June 23 (100 miles), stayed in a hotel in St. Helena for $250 (this was the cheapest room we could get for this weekend), woke up at 5AM to get to Calistoga on 5:45AM only to hear that Bob is sorry he overbooked his Ballooning/Brunch excursion and cancelled our participation. We thought it was some sick joke. He gave us no reason why he dumped us since our name was the second one on his list and he confirm us just a day before. All he could say was "I am not going to argue on this with you". He offered to take us for a ride maybe on Monday, maybe some other time. He promised to reimburse the value of our certificates to our son. But we had it with him. How can you trust a person who lied to you 3 times? We are going to take Robert Allen to court to get reimbursed for all our expenses related to this Ballooning/Brunch fiasco. But who is going to reimburse us for our ruined dream of flying a balloon on June 24th? read more

6/14 Experiencing the hot air balloon ride was such an amazing experience ! However I was disappointed with this company's service. We almost got involuntary denied boarding at the launch site 90min after searching for the right launch site for safety and preparation for the flight . When we were about to board, we were told that there were no space for us on the balloon ride ; told to take the ride the next day for free. Good thing that there was a couple who volunteered to give up their reservation so we were able to take the ride as scheduled. After we were all boarded, the pilot asked us leave purses and backpacks behind due to weight ( should have informed us in the advance so we would have left our belongings in the car). I was little concerned. I took out my walls and gave my purse to the staff. The ballon ride was supposed to be about an hour ride. When we took off it was 805am and when we landed it was 840am so actual ride was only 35min. I got my purse back but my husband's shirt got lost in their van. We notified the staff who transported us from the office to the launch site and also informed the staff at the office. No one called us back on my husband's shirt. read more

I really give them 0 stars. I'm disappointed with the horrible service from the owner & we didn't even go on the balloon ride. Our flight was canceled due to strong winds. OK, we were bummed but what could we do. I asked for a refund the same day as our scheduled flight. I spoke to several people in their office about my refund. They all said it was being processed & I should see a credit on my card in 1-2 weeks. I didn't see the credit by the 2nd week. I called back & spoke to Bob (owner, which i didn't know at the time) and he said he was processing the refund now. Be advised, he was the first person I spoke to about my refund. I said it was suppose to be done 2 weeks ago and every time I called, the staff reassured me that it was processed. He didn't even offer an explanation or apology. In fact, he was rude about it. He also mentioned, since I purchased the package with the bike tour and they were separate from the balloon that I would have to contact the bike shop for the refund of the tour. I told him I purchased the package through you guys and you should be handling the whole refund. He said he would refund me 100% as if he was doing me a favor. But before I could say anything else, he hung up on me! I called him right back and demanded he process my refund now. After getting off the phone with him, I called my credit card company. I didn't want to waste my time trying to deal with an unprofessional, incompetent, rude owner with terrible customer service. I still haven't received the credit. I would never recommend this company. read more

We were really excited for this part of our trip and woke up at 4:45 to arrive at 6am from Sonoma. We spent over an hour driving on winding roads to and from potential launch spots since there was too much wind, and ultimately they cancelled the ride. While that is a huge bummer, I understand safety issues. The problems started when we discussed the refund. Since we had booked a balloon and bike tour, only the balloon would be refunded... but it's 7:30am and nothing opens until 10. Apparently not their problem. The bike portion is booked through Calistoga Balloons yet the cancellation policy is handled through the bike company...? When we tried to get more information, Bob was really rude and hung up on us. While I'll be getting a full refund through American Express, it's bad business to: 1. Treat your customers so rudely 2. Nickel and dime your customers with refunds when you are the sole booking/billing source. You have the relationship with the bike partner, so you should be resolving refund issues. Thanks for nothing. As my dad said, the balloons weren't the only thing full of hot air! read more

I was given a gift for Christmas 2013 of a Napa Valley trip with balloon ride, brunch, and Safari. We booked our trip for October 2014. We didn't realize that the balloon ride had already been paid for. So when I booked my balloon ride I paid again. So essentially it was paid for twice. I called and spoke to our pilot Bob and owner of the balloon company. He was more than friendly and accommodating. They just credited one back. His girls in the office were so nice on the phone. We met at 7 AM and had a little cookie and small coffee, which was perfect since there's no bathrooms up in the basket. It was a fabulous flight, the view was breathtaking , very smooth up there and a near perfect landing. Champagne brunch was provided at Solage. The brunch was also fabulous. I would definitely fly with Bob again! They did tell us that we may have to drive over the hill to launch at a different site if there was bad weather or too windy up there. We were happy to accommodate considering it's our safety they care about. However we did not have to drive over the hill the weather was perfect right here in Calistoga. read more

The experience of riding in a balloon was really cool. Unfortunately our pilot was far more interested in being a smart ass than answering our questions or providing any real information about the experience. Plus he was rude to his staff. Be advised, a "romantic" balloon ride may mean that you are crammed in a basket with 20 other people, as we were. The only way I would ever recommend this is if you have never ballooned before, you really want to balloon and your staying in Calistoga. The optional breakfast at the Calistoga Inn was good but not worth the $25 extra. Calistoga as a whole has been awesome. Just this one business / group was a let-down. read more

F**k this company! They cancelled on us 2 times the morning of the flight. 4 years apart. Completely different time of the year! What are the chances of that? Apparently great judging from all the reviews! My husband booked with them for my Birthday in January 4 years ago. The night before the flight everything was confirmed. We wake up at 5 am because we were suppose to get picked up from Solage at 5:30, only to find out they cancelled due to high winds! It wasn't even windy that morning, but we believed them. Fast forward 4 years. We arrived back to Solage yesterday. Everything was confirmed and double confirmed. Today, June 25, our wedding anniversary. We wake up again at 5 am to the same message, flight cancelled. I'm honestly crushed and now pissed off not only at this sh*t hole company but at myself, for not taking charge, for not looking for another company, for not reading Yelp reviews, for entrusting my husband to take care of this himself! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on? Yep. I hope this company rots in hell! read more

My husband & I took our 1st balloon ride on 10.03.12 with Calistoga Balloons. We stayed at Indian Springs Resort & Spa which is about a 2 minute walk from the Calistoga Balloons meet up spot. We arrived in Calistoga on 10.02 & chose 10.03 as our balloon day b/c you have to be there early in the morning & we figured we'd still be on East Coast time. Worked out perfectly. Calistoga Balloons has mixed reviews. It appears that people either loved the experience or hated it. We LOVED our balloon ride. But I guess I'm not completely surprised about the negative reviews b/c we commented the day of our excursion that we got very lucky. There were about 16-18 people in our balloon. You're pretty close to everyone, but we had a super fun group. So the crowded balloon was actually a plus. But I will say that a couple from Australia was split up (on opposite sides of the balloon from each other) to help distribute weight. The wife actually volunteered to move to the opposite side to ease the tension. That was super cool of her. And it was smooth sailing from there! And her Australian accent was lovely. We loved having her on our side! :) We also lucked out on the weather. It was a gorgeous day. The meet up spot early in the AM was chilly, but by the time we were up in the air (& under the heat of the fire) it was hot & sunny. But they have to test the wind before you can go up, for safety. I remember thinking how awful it would have been if it was too windy & they had to cancel our ride b/c we didn't really have any backup days for a 2nd attempt. My husband purchased the brunch package for us & I was beyond thrilled when I learned that brunch was at Solage. Score!! I had the best brunch of my life at Solage!! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience. I will never forget our balloon ride over Calistoga. What an experience! read more

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My fiancé took me here for my birthday and it was a absolutely beautiful day out! We got this package from Cottage Grove Inn and they arranged to pick us up at 5:30am in the morning. They came as scheduled and our pilot Daniel was amazing who greeted us when we walked in. When we got there we had a little bit of biscotti and coffee while we waited for others to sign in. Our pilot informed us that there is some fog in Calistoga so we will be going to another setting. It actually all worked out and we got into the van to get to the new setting near the mountains. It was amazing to see the balloon get inflated and all the men at work and seeing the sun just coming up. Our pilot Daniel was really informative too when we were up in the air as he pointed out all the things on the ground that we normally won't see. We cruised on top of the lake and over the mountains, ducking trees and chasing cows. Daniel was really good at navigating the balloon! He said he used to fly airplanes and shared some of his experiences flying balloons in Africa. Definitely we were really entertained hearing his stories and life experiences! Afterward the balloon ride, we were taken to Solbar, which has one Michelin star restaurant for a filling and delicious brunch. We had a great time there with mimosas and coffee and you could order from a list of brunch items. It was just a perfect way to end our morning! Best birthday ever!! read more

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My husband and I honeymooned in Calistoga and Napa valley the first week of June 2012. We scheduled our hot air balloon ride for our first morning of our trip. Thank goodness we did because that morning it was too windy and they had to cancel the hot air balloon ride. For those that couldn't re-schedule to the next day they all got refunds. We re-scheduled since we were still in town. This would have been a huge disappointment if we weren't able to re-schedule but it also made us feel very safe with this company. They weren't going to put their profits before our safety. The next day we got there ready for our flight and everything went off without a hitch. This was both our first time in a hot air balloon and I was a little timid about the heights. It was such a smooth ride that I felt at ease almost right away. You see beautiful sights over Calistoga, Old Faithful, and many local wineries. We bought the flight, champagne brunch, and tickets to the Castello Di Amorosa package. It was a great morning and perfect experience for our first hot air balloon ride. We stayed at the Pink Mansion and the meeting point for the Calistoga Balloons was about a 5-10 minute walk. It is nice that the meeting point was right downtown and easy to get to! On a side note, make sure to bring gloves! It is early in the morning you are watching them get the balloons ready for take-off and you are standing for a little while before they are ready. Since it was early the air was really chilly. read more

Great morning flying a thousand feet above Calistoga! It was a very green, cool and overcast but not unpleasant morning. Good thing I bought the new high tech hand warmers from Sanyo for stocking stuffers this year. The balloon ride was very scenic, good shots of downtown Calistoga, the vineyards, Castello di Amorosa, Old Faithful, Sundance Ranch, etc.! The two seasoned balloon dudes we're pretty good, seemed to do alright with navigation; "the sailing in 3D," aspect of ballooning intrigues me with its difficulty. Breakfast at Hydro was good (we had eaten there for lunch before), orange juice waiting for us as we arrived. One of the guys took pictures on a DSLR that will be available online, but we took a ton of photos as well. With the smooth peaceful ride, our group actually wants to go again next time we're on vacation, but for now check one off the bucket list! read more

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They canceled on us the night before and said it would be really foggy, so we booked another company and went up and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and clear. (even in Calistoga!) Book another company if you don't want to get canceled on! read more

My boyfriend surprised me with this, and I just have to say it was beautiful. It was both of our first time in a hot air balloon and it's definitely a great experience. I really enjoyed watching them put the air balloon together and taking it apart. It's a lot of work, the crew was great and very respectful which I enjoyed. It does get pretty hot in the balloon so I would suggest maybe wearing a couple layers. My only complaint would probably be the breakfast that comes with. My boyfriend and I both ordered the egg white omelette with fruit, it was okay. There were only 3 or 4 other things to order off the menu. The champagne was delicious though. Overall I would say this was a great experience (: read more

Calistoga Balloons - Blowing up the balloon before take off. - Tours Near Me - Calistoga, California

It was a great experience! Our pilot Daniel and his Co-pilot for the day, Shane, were super knowledgeable and entertaining. With hot air balloons you have to adjust to the wind and air conditions, so we understood when the flight had to be moved from Calistoga to beyond the mountains to avoid the fog. Just be patient because this isn't like flying a plane. You can't just do it in any conditions, and the sooner you accept that the sooner you'll have a good time. Thanks Daniel, Shane and the rest! read more

It has been a week (04/02/13) and I am still basking in the memories of my balloon ride. What an outstanding trip. I have to admit that after reading prior reviews I was nervous about this company but OMGosh!! I am so happy I did my own research and chose them. Let's begin: 1. Found their customer service both pre and post booking to be amazing. All questions were addressed quickly and even though a few of them may have been extremely silly, they were answered patiently and professionally. 2. The owner and crew were extremely concerned with safety issues as well as the comforts of their customers. The morning was extremely foggy thus requiring us to relocate a few times. When we did find an adequate location, the owner (Bob) distributed us into smaller groups so that neither balloon was overcrowded. 3. Our package included breakfast, (due to delay in finding location we arrived for brunch), at Solage (DELICIOUS), where instead of just dumping us the owner ((Bob) and our pilot (Jim) joined us and engaged us in conversation regarding the surrounding areas. These guys were also extremely warm and humorous! 4. After bidding them farewell, we rushed over to Castello di Amorosa fearing that we would be turned away since we were late for our scheduled tour time, only to find that Calistoga personnel had already notified them of the delay. And that not only were the going to rush us into the next group, but they were also UPGRADING us to the RESERVE Tasting tour!! I can not gush enough about my experience with Calistoga Balloons. Thanks guys for being the highlight of my trip!! read more

Althought the staff were kind to wait for my guest and I an extra 15 minutes due to traffic, I was disappointed in the whole experience. After you drive an hour and 15 minutes to location, they take you another 30-45 minutes to another location, which I passed on my way to Calistoga. The set up of the balloon was stressful for the 3 young latinos staff. The head of the staff was very rude to his own staff. He was yelling and screaming at them for not doing the things the "proper" way. Your website states "Our chief pilot has been flying over 30 years and his experienced crew is safe, educational"...The "experienced crew" were 3 young kids, under 24 years old that could not keep to the expectations of the Pilot. We landed in the middle of nowhere, we never saw the Castillo de Amorosa, Sterling Vineyards or Old Faithful Geyser like you stated on your site. Our trip was along the highway. We landed in the middle of nowhere in a ranch. The pilot stated to be careful because they were rattlesnakes in the area we landed. He left us with his inexperienced staff for about 20 minutes while he went to bring the van. My guest, and the other guests and I did not like how he treated his staff. He had two personalities, rude to his own employees and "nice" to the guests. We went to Solage brunch, it was ok. All the talk that he did was about himself, about landing in a jail in Minden, Nevada, and other not so great experiences. Nothing about ballooning or the history. I had no interest in learning about him, I had learned a lot during the trip, his behavior towards his staff said it all. I had done it with another company based in Santa Rosa. This company (Sonoma Valley) really has it together, from the beginning until the end. Maybe you should send him to do a trip with the Sonoma Valley. SV takes you less than 15 minutes to a safe area, where you see them setting up and invite the guests to participate if they want to. Then, you go on the trip, he will point at you all the areas. You will be landing at the SR Airport, his staff are waiting for you there. After that, you drive back another 15 minutes to the restaurant were you will learn the history of ballooning and the relationship with Champagne... Sonoma Valley Balloon made it very interesting and educational. Something that Calistoga Balloons needs to learn, in my humble opinion. Sincerely, MTroedel read more

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY. The night before our scheduled departure, we received a phone call from pilot stating due to weather we will not be going out, I tought it was his dry humor, since weather was perfect that day. Winds NW 2 mph 0% percipitation and 59 degree at departure time. I called 5 ballon co. The next morning, and they all went out that day. I called Susan and she could not tell me why trip was cancelled. She had pilot call me anf he tried to ecplainf it to me, but he was full of BS. He didn't know I own and fly a Cessna 172 and know all about wind and weather. Truth is they only had a few bookings and was nit codtveffective to go out. They cancell you and try to reschedulle everyone together to make the flight profitable. STOP PLAYING GAMES.....DO NOT USE THEM...THEY WILL DISSAPOINT. PLENTY OF HOT AIR BALLON COMPANIES IN THE VALLEY. read more

These folks ripped me off. Don't trust them. I made an online booking for 2/25. They called me at 5 AM in the morning to let me know that my flight was cancelled. Since I had to leave the same day, I was quite disappointed and asked them to refund charges since I could not accept a rebooking. However, the charge was not removed. When I spoke to the owner he told me that they rebooked me for the following day and will not refund charges. This is of course false since I did not receive any rebooking information nor did I accept a future date. So be careful if you go with them. Also the behavior of the owner (Robert Allen) was extremely rude when I called him to redress the situation. read more

So unprofessional..Run for your life! A crash landing after 40 minutes!! These guys were so unprofessional and didn't apologize for the crash landing. Luckily, none of us were badly injured but it was frightening especially as we crossed some electrical wires, crashed through a barbed wire fence and into a vineyard. Despite all of this, all that these guys cared about was having us sign the credit card slip when we went to breakfast. Imagine that!! client service?? we crash land after 40 minutes, no apology and they still have the nerve to charge us $199 a person!!Clearly the guy who operated our balloon didn't know what he was doing as the second balloon behid us continued on for another 40 minutes without incident! Unreal. We are lucky to be alive. read more

Calistoga Balloons - crash landing into a vineyard while the second balloon passed by - Tours Near Me - Calistoga, California

I should have trusted the yelp reviews! Since we recently bought property in Calistoga, we like to support the local businesses. The only way I could have been more disappointed in this experience was if we crashed. We were packed into vans to drive 40 minutes east to hover over Hidden Valley in Middletown. No vineyards or castle or breath-taking scenery. The basket was for 20 people & it felt like a cattlecar. Our pilot was rude to his support staff & had a weird sense of humor. read more

First it rained so it was cancelled, which ofcourse wasnt their fault but on the phone they made us feel bad for having to reschedule. Then when we went again they changed the time and we were late. We called in ahead of time but the guy on the phone was a huge prick. "Theres nothing we can do, you have to help yourself if you want our help." What does that mean? So all in all we lost our money with nothing to show for it not even a discount code or any sympathy infact I said thank you anyway and he hung up on me. Disclaimer:I am writing this the day of insident so I am upset. read more

I had an amazing trip with our pilot Daniel. I was one of 11 and the others all from various countries had a great time visiting with each other too. The crew was fantastic and Daniel was great at pointing out points-of-interest. We all felt safe and cared for. We did have to go to Sonoma due to unusual winds in Calistoga but no big deal, we were put in a van and went over the hill. The brunch afterwards was FANTASTIC! Triple-A rated in my book! read more

The balloon ride was great however it was an extremely unpleasant experience due to the utter lack of communication and organization. Arriving at 6am we were shuttled to a launch area and sat in the van for 40 minutes. The pilots didn't have the decency to tell us what was going on and when we asked they told us they never leave before sunrise. It would be a much better system if they went out and worked out where the correct launch site is and then shuttle the customers at that point. We were then driven to another location with no communication. The balloons were set up and then we were yelled at for not getting into the balloon quick enough. Our pilot, the owner was one of the most miserable men I have ever encountered and should not be in the tourism business. He was rude, abrupt, racist, made totally inappropriate comments and it was obviously a huge struggle for him to point out basic landmarks. Our ride was 30 minutes, up at 7:45am and touchdown at 8:15am. The pilot landed in a space that was obviously not the best location and there were few issues with wind. He shouted at his team and was just horrible, he screamed at them when they couldn't pull the balloon any further as they would have ended up in the vineyards. As the balloon deflated it got stuck on a trailer that the pilot had landed next to and you could hear the rips. He was furious with his team and it was evident to all customers that the situation was 100% pilot error. We then had to wait for 45 minutes while the pilot yelled a lot more at his crew and they packed away the balloon. It would have been the simplest thing to have one of the crew members drive us back to our cars but the pilot was not interested in putting his customers first. There were 16 people on our ride and every single one of them articulated the same feelings. Absolute waste of money, don't go any where near this operator, it is not worth the aggravation of dealing with such an angry unprofessional person. read more

Well this was an experience that was amazing but it had some aspects that wasn't what I was expecting. First they said on the phone that coffee and danishes would be served, however the coffee cups were the size of dixie cups and the danishes were crunchy cookies instead. They also said that we would be up in the air by 6:50am, and we didn't have lift off until 7:30am. This could be bad if you need to check out of your hotel by 9am. The website says that you will fly over the Geysers, Castello di Amorosa, and the wineries. However, due to the wind the day before, we ended up driving up this windey road, 40 minutes away to Hidden Valley. If you get car sick, don't go. This woman from Georgia lost her cookies (literally) on the ride back. And, make sure you don't drink that much coffee because there are no bathrooms at the site where they inflate the balloon. Hidden Valley is beautiful, however some of the residents don't like the balloons flying over there personal property. We ended up flying onto this ranchers private property where the residents horse got out of it's pen and got spooked by the balloons burners. The horse was running back and forth dangerously along this bobbed-wire fence. The property owner started yelling at our pilot to turn off the burners and set the balloon down "Right Now". She complied, and they were very cordial with one another. The Rancher acknowledged that we (the passengers) were nice people, and payed a lot of money for an amazing experience, however the pilot knows that the property we were on was a Red Zone (not to be flown over). She told him that she couldn't control the direction due to the wind. He said that, that was BS. So much uncomfortable drama. I'm was recovering from cancer, and this was supposed to be a magical bucket list experience for my husband and I. I looked at my watch from take off and landing, and the ride was 40 minutes (1/3 less of an hour). I called to get 1/3rd of $219x2 back and he said that his sources said that the ride was 50 minutes. His sources didn't account for the 10 minute confrontation. I got a refund for 10 minutes x 2, only to get a threatening phone call a few days later because my credit card charges were reversed and if I didn't pay, he would have creditors after me. Umm, that wasn't MY credit card. Someone else obviously was not happy either with the ride. I would consider Napa Balloons in Yountville next time. read more

I am writing this reviewbased on customer service. These people are great over the phone and in person. We ended up not getting to fly do to weather, they are very accommodating for rescheduling although do to length of our trip we weren't able to. I appreciate their professional opionio and safety precautions to not take us up in unsafe conditions. It was disappointing but completely ok because I would rather not crash. I asked when a better time to fly is and they said spring, being that it was mid August there was wind and fogg. Can't wait to go back. As far as the negative reviews if people read the confirmation email it tells you all the rules and details to follow so there's no surprises or frustration if you read what's in the email. read more

My husband and I were in Calistoga for our first anniversary. We were completely looking forward to a great experience. We were totally disappointed. We met them at 6 a.m., as they asked. It took them some time to get everyone into the vans and headed toward the launch location. Once we were there, they told us that they could not fly out of that location, but that they had an alternate location. They took us to this alternate location, which had nothing like the views of Napa. The flight, which was supposed to be about an hour long, was only about 30 minutes. The flight and the location were completely disappointing. I attempted to speak to the owner, and voice my concerns regarding the entire experience. From early on in our conversation it was clear that he was not interested in coming to a reasonable solution. He kept cutting me off. He even hung up on me! Completely a waste of our time and money! read more

We were very excited to get going our first balloon trip, we took off a little late apparently due to fog, but we were also waiting for two other families or groups to be going. We drove out of our initial area to get to a clear area- beacon balloon went straight in the air he said "good to go". We went up which was amazing- hovered over some businesses and creek area. Ever so slowly crossed over Hwy 29...into yet another field and glider port. We took pics- circled literally (in a circle-spun) twice and stared at the same patch of ground for over an hour! We never WENT anywhere. He said "well did yall have fun" and down we went!!! We were so disappointed! No champagne... No tour of geysers! Geezers maybe... We thought we would float over Berryessa... Vineyards? We saw houses, junk yards, businesses & gas stations... The man was VERY nice tho.... We're just sad for the amount of money & what/where we went/got! read more

Calistoga Balloons - Our initial shadow after take off - Tours Near Me - Calistoga, California

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First Balloon ride. Picked up in St Helena, driven to and from Calistoga. Given a good breakfast, BUT no champagne! One of the other people on the flight bought Champagne for our group. Good knowledgeable pilot and driver. Flight from Calistoga, and back. Not over the valley. Good and bad to that, but that is what it is. Enjoyable flight anyway. read more

The weather was beautiful. I have gone hot air ballooning in Napa before and was so excited to go again and introduce my daughter to the experience. We woke up early and met the at the train depot in Calistoga. We were driven to the geyser parking lot and the balloons were inflated. All very exciting and looking forward to the flight. As the other reviews mentioned the pilot was quiet a smart ass. And seemed as though he is bored with life. Very little information about the things we were seeing, we simply floated straight up and floated over a couple hundred yards. Landed right next to where we took off from. Read the website description of your flight. A unique view of Costello DE Amorosa. They did not fly over the valley and the pilot pointed out the general direction but I never was actually able to identify it. Overall a very disappointing experience. I was expecting a knowledgable and friendly pilot that would tell us interesting things about what we were seeing and we would float over the valley and see all of these amazing views of the different wineries. But it was nothing like that. As we were landing and the ground crew was walking below us to meet the basket the pilot spit out of the basket and almost spit on the crew below and laughed and said something about checking for nautical directions. Would never recommend this experience to anyone. read more

Nice to be picked up at our hotel. Everything is close to Calistoga. Bob (pilot) is a good guy and the crew gets the balloon up in 20 minutes. Watch out for the grumpy mower on the golf course if you land there. (Girlfriend section) "was beautiful to fly over calistoga as the sun was rising over the mountain, thought we might land on the roof of someones house. The landing can be tense - we had to land on a golf course and the greenskeeper wasn't happy with us. Wasn't thrilled with the way Bob spoke to his staff, but perhaps stressed with the golf landing" read more