An Experience Above The Rest! I have to admit that I was slightly afraid of heights! They took that fear away. Transparent through every step of the process, and easy to book through the Cuvée app. I appreciate the confirmation courtesy call and safety briefing before flight. The admin group was friendly and approachable and energetic which is amazing considering how early everyone assembles! Now let's talk about Bob! Bob has 10,000 hours of flight time, Bob travels the world flying balloons, Bob answers all questions, Bob has a basket of dad jokes! If are going to fly, you should fly with Bob! Thanks again to Napa Valley Balloons for my first Balloon experience! I would go back and recommend them to others read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

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We were picked up from our hotel at 5 am. Once we got to the meeting place, we filled some papers, and they had some plain croissants, bars, and coffee. Then, we drove to the launching point . Our pilot had a lot of experience and was friendly. He made sure that everyone was ok. The view was beautiful, but we got bored at some point because the view is the same the whole ride. The balloon travels between mile to 3 miles per hour. It takes a lot of malen power to fly the balloon, which makes sense of the hefty price for the ride. At the end of the ride, we were greeted back by a glass of Mimosa read more

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I have been dreading my hot air balloon flight for 8/1/21. I booked months ago for my husband's birthday surprise. It is something that living in Sonoma county, we both want to do but I am deathly afraid of heights! I don't do roller coasters, despise flying on airplanes (tho I suck it up as I love to travel) and avoid anything that involves my feet not on solid ground. As the day loomed closer, I had flight anxiety big time and almost called to cancel. I actually did call and inquired about the safety about ballooning and was told it is the safest form of flight and they've never had any accidents. The day arrived and my hubby had no idea where I was taking him as we drove in the dark at 4am. We had to arrive to a designated meeting spot by 515am in Napa. Thats all he knew..we were going to Napa for some birthday activity. Once we arrived and park, we checked in and was given a code word to divide our big group into 4 smaller groups or 4 separate balloons. Onto the van we go (5 mins to our launch site). We get to watch our balloon get prepped for it's flight. It's huge and massive on it's side. Tons of people are pulling it, yanking it, igniting it. Finally they push it upright on it's basket and we were told to load into the basket by jumping in. The best part? My hubby loved it! He loved the new experience. The flight was very smooth. I was afraid of jarring, sudden movements or drops or worst, turbulence or swinging basket. We were lifted up quickly and smoothly and rose to almost 3000 feet with Captain Bob. We floated above vineyards and watched the sunrise. It was so quiet in the wee morning. All you hear is the occasionally fire being ignited by Bob. Ballooning is all about the wind. Bob paid attention and navigated the balloon based on wind direction. Mostly we just drifted and floated for a hour or so. Looking for a landing spot took the longest. We have to find a good, safe spot to land. Ended up on a vineyard. Landed. Hopping out of the basket was more work than hopping in. Took lots of photos and most of all had these amazing memories of ballooning forever. Highly recommend and Captain Bob was skilled and fantastic! read more

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WOW ! Does not get much better than this. Bob was the best pilot! We arrived in Napa on a Wednesday with this trip booked for Thursday. I was so upset that I got a text on Wednesday that they needed to cancel due to fog the next day. I immediately called and asked them to please put me on for Friday if they had room. They said Friday was most likely rain but they would put me for Friday and Saturday to try to get up in a Balloon. Saturday morning we drove to the site and we met inside of a golf course Lounge and once everyone was there we were shuttled about a mile to the launch site. When we got there the balloons were on the ground and being set up and then once it was ok for us to take off (due to some low lying fog) they inflated the balloons. I do have to say you need to be able to climb up and over the basket because the doors do not open. Once everyone is on board Bob the pilot started our trip. It was a beautiful day with a little bit of wind, but not that they needed to cancel. Such gorgeous views for about an hour! What a great trip. Then once we get back to the lounge they opened champagne and orange juice or sparkling cider and we all did a toast Watching the sunrise, from a hot air balloon over Napa Valley was indeed the highlight of our trip and a very memorable one. read more

In 1984 my sister in law gave us a gift certificate to fly with NVB when my wife and I got married. We never used it despite my having gone on an excellent balloon flight with them in 1983. It sat in a drawer that we opened about once per year and then closed the drawer thinking, "we need to use that." Fast forward to sister in law getting married who had given us the gift certificate so I called NVB to see if they would still honor the certificate, fully expecting a "no" despite California laws on such things as clearly the company could have changed hands. They honored the certificate cheerfully and we bought another for the newlyweds and spent a terrific morning yesterday with a dozen others on a great flight. Landings are always the tricky bit but Chris landed with nary a bump. The staff is excellent, the company has ethics, and I would wholeheartedly recommend NVB for this "expensive but worth it/gotta do it" adventure. read more

Amazing experience. My husband and I enjoyed the sunrise. Whole ride took about 1 hour. read more

Napa Valley Balloons - View - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

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Napa Valley Balloons is the best! Bob is an amazing pilot. Everyone felt safe and enjoyed his humor and experience being a balloon pilot. This is my first time and my birthday. I love it read more

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Had the best morning ever with Napa Valley Balloons! They were so organized and thought of EVERYTHING! It's an experience I will never forget. read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

Shout Out to Shanon who is assigned in reservation is an excellent staff, she helped me made my team building activity went smoothly. The activity is very organized. They will pick you up at a certain location then drive you to the site. The Pilot assigned to us is not very friendly.. He is grumpy like an old man but hey, no one can ruin the day of seeing Napa and Bayarea. Above the Valley is about 60 minutes from the balloon set up to being up. I gave 5 star because Shannon is great and the activity is very organized. Pilot Chad need an early retirement, grumpy and have a lot of hate in his face. read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Above the Valley - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

This was such a great experience. We got to the meet up location around 5:50am and was greeted with coffee/tea/juice. Around 6am, our pilot, Gabe, came to let us know what was going to happen. He was so knowledgable of hot air balloon flight and the Napa area. The flight was about an hour long and ended with mimosas with Mumm. I learned a lot about the air and wind direction and how the hot air balloon travels. read more

Just finished a great ride with Bob and Lydia. It was an amazing experience with the most gorgeous views. Very nice ride and felt safe. Bob has been a hot air balloon pilot for over 40 years so when we were up 4K feet there were no worries The length of the ride was well worth the cost. Easy pick up and delivery. We ended up landing in a "new" spot which turned out to be a nice man's backyard I highly recommend this company. read more

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My girlfriend and I had an amazing experience with Chris--our pilot--and the rest of the crew. The crew was polite and highly communicative. I felt elated during the experience. You don't get to choose your pilot, but if you happen to get Chris, you're in for a treat. It was peaceful, and the scenery spoke for itself. read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

Napa Valley Balloons is the best! We flew with them and it was a blast! Due to weather we had to drive an hour to Winters so we had a different flight experience. When we got to the golf course to meet they had pastries, coffee and orange juice. We sat had something to eat and then they drove us to the site. It was really cool watching them blow up the balloons. Our pilot was Bob and he was amazing. Felt so at ease with him. The experience itself was amazing. So peaceful and calm. You don't even feel like you're moving and it didn't even freak me out being so high up. I highly recommend doing this if you have the desire too. We did the package with biking and it was a good deal. Definitely saved money. After the ride we went back to the golf course has some champagne and there were more pastries. The employees at Napa Balloons were so helpful on helping us plan out or afternoon on the bikes. They offered to arrange stuff for us too. Top notch services for sure!! Can't recommend enough! read more

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To be honest, going on a hot air balloon ride was never on my bucketlist. I've been scared of heights for as long as I can remember and I actually got peer pressured into going on this experience. But I'm glad that I did! After the wonderful concierge (Debra) at Fairmont Sonoma suggested trying this at least once, I couldn't not give this a try. She signed me and my friend up to experience it on a lovely Thursday morning. The day started at 6:15 am at Domaine Chandon. We were welcomed with a light breakfast with coffee, tea, and pastries while checking in. After checking in, the inflight crew provided us with some rules, regulations, and updates as to what to expect on the flight for the day. We were then brought to the balloon flight sights on a van with the other passengers. The rest of the crew were preparing the balloons for take-off. During that time, people were taking the opportunity to take plenty of pictures while the balloons were being filled up with air. The team did a great job at getting everybody into the hot air balloons. Trust me, there's no graceful way to get in. You literally would have to hop in (but you do get plenty of support). We had Bob as our Balloon Pilot. He was AMAZING! He personalized our experience even with 10+ other people in the balloon with us. He shared some informational history about the area, showcased some of his favorite views, told stories about his past flights, and just told plenty of fun jokes. The flight lasted about 45+ min. He did share with us that flights could of course vary depending on the weather and we were fortunate enough to have flown on such a nice day! After the flight, we ended the day with a Champagne Brunch back at Domaine Chandon. We had breakfast with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and the works as well as mimosas. We were able to talk to the other passengers about their experiences. It was a consensus that everyone had a great time. Thank you to the Napa Valley Balloons Inc for this wonderful experience. Mixed with the welcoming and friendly service they have provided, this is something definitely worth trying while in the area! read more

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I have always wanted to do a hot air balloon ride, so when the opportunity came, I took it, no questions asked. I did check various reviews and this had the best so we did it! It was the best bucket list moment I have ever had. They gave us soo much information prior to, explained so much about what to expect, when you are up there, the guide (we had Chad) told us how the wind works, where you could see SF on a clear day, the history of Napa, just soo much more than the scenery! It was such an incredible experience and the pictures on the Go Pro and the champagne toast and breakfast if you want to drop it off. AMAZING read more

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Our trip with Napa Valley Balloons was absolutely amazing from start to end. On arrival we were greeted with pastries from Bouchon bakery and fresh coffee. Thoroughly appreciated at this extremely early morning hour. We met their photographer who was wonderful and made sure we all got pics before the flight and just before takeoff. We took a lot of our own as well since this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. My daughter and husband were my balloon basket partners and we all shared in the beauty of the Napa scenery. My daughter is afraid of heights but being in the air was so peaceful and calm it didn't faze her. Myself I have a fear fire after losing my house to it when I was young, but the flame was not close to where the passengers are in the basket and is separated away from the passengers. Upon our return we were greeted with a yummy glass of California bubbles which we enjoyed on the patio with our gracious host Cameron. Highly recommend @NapaValleyBalloons for making beautiful memories come true! read more

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Amazing experience! The pilot was experienced and knowledgeable. He made newbies feel at ease. Loved the splash and go!

I am so jealous because I so wanted to fly, but wind conditions shut us down. I woke up super early at 5 AM and met at 6 AM at Domaine Chandon. We were told there was some wind, so we would be going to Yolo County. The vans drove maybe one hour. Our ballon, after a massive struggle from crew, pilot, and passengers to keep it from tipping over, never got off the ground. Honestly, it just wasn't safe, and so the guy in charge called it off. We all got a full refund without even having to ask. He put our safety ahead of making money and faced the chance of unhappy customers to be professional and most of all, not to take chances on safety. This experience only makes me want to try again. It was so beautiful and amazing to see the other balloons in flight. read more

A MUST WHEN IN NAPA!!! Things to know - 1. ask for Bob (he has over 9,000 hours experience and he's super nice) 2. Worth every penny and (early hour to rise) 3. You don't go fast at all 4. Pictures are amazing 5. Great breakfast included at the end read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

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We had SUCH an amazing time with Captain Bob! So entertaining! The whole crew - our pick up driver was on time and extremely friendly and funny, our Captain was hilarious, entertaining, and knowledgeable, the crew picking us up and taking the balloon back home - amazing!!! The morning was perfect, we had great views of the valley to the bay. Not only was the ride magical, this is when my fiancé proposed! I couldn't have asked for a better experience! The proposal was a cherry on the top on an already AMAZING sundae! Thank you again Captain Bob for the laughs, stories, excitement, memories, and being apart of this special moment in my life! Oh and also landing us safely! :) read more

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My wife and I booked a private flight over Napa with pilot Igracio Lopez. Money well spent. We did this for our 10-year anniversary and had a blast. Igracio had complete knowledge of ballooning and took the time to explain and go over everything as we went along. How everything works, where everything is from above, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel. If you haven't been in a hot air balloon, you need to do it at least once in your lifetime. We will be doing this again with our kids when they get older. hopefully with Igracio Lopez as our pilot. All the staff were professional and fun to be around. They let you walk around the balloons when they are preparing them to take pictures or videos. it was insanely quiet up in the air. Not windy or cold as we thought it would be. We were at around 1,600 feet above the ground for our flight. Igracio showed us how he tracks the balloon on his iPad and his Garmin during and after the flight. Was really cool to see where in the valley we went on Google Earth. We can't recommend Napa Vally Balloon Inc. enough. This was amazing. Thank you Igracio Lopez for making our flight special. read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Deflating the balloon after our saft landing. - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

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Napa Valley view from the beauty of an elevated wicker basket guided by a couple hundred thousand BTUs of propane into a delightful glow of a collected balloon . Got to admit, was reluctant. Absolutely no reason. These guys know exactly what they are doing. NVB IS ALL CLASS!! Just an amazing, comfortable, and friendly experience all the way around. After flight is the chill at Domaine Chandon for mimosas (endless) and a brunch that was actually pretty impressive. Gotta give it to these people, they have a good thing going here. DID IT, WILL DO IT AGAIN NVB!!! read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Napa Valley Balloon - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

Booking this was fairly simply. I happened to book mine through trip advisor and we got multiple emails to remind of us of our upcoming event. The location is easy as well. Despite it being dark the have signs leading you to where to check in! It's cold and they say It gets warmer once you are up in the air and that is true but however it is still cold tho. I was a little bit dissaponyed because we didn't get to do the balloon ride in actual Napa. We had to drive 55 minutes to Yolo county which is kinda like Sacramento and I didn't even know that could happen. So that was disappointing and frankly if you have everything planned out that could delay your schedule severely. They do gyve the option for you to cancel but it's no ideal because you wake up so early and get ready. So the drive there is nice. You are divided into multiple busses and your driver is your pilot. It's a somewhat smooth ride but they haul ass which is a hike thing!! Once we are there it's a beautiful site. Seeing the balloons inflate and take off. I thought it would be scared but I wasn't. It was so amazing and flying up and up. It was honestly such a beautiful experience and I am so happy I got to experience it and hands down I would do it again. Highly recommend read more

J took me here for my birthday and we had such a great experience! They provided top notch service and the pilot definitely knew what they were doing and made us felt safe the entire time. I'm not an early bird at all but getting there at 6am was totally worth it. We had a wild landing as I was bouncing around in the basket but it was pretty fun (and scary) but everyone was safe in the basket. We went in late February and it was super cold so would definitely recommend going in the summer when it's much warmer. read more

Flew this morning with Chad! The experience was incredible. On time pick up in the morning. Very informative and professional in every aspect. The view was amazing. Don't miss out on this experience! read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

This was the second hot air balloon ride my wife and I have had the good fortunate to take. Both in places we love, Scottsdale AZ and Napa Valley CA. Our early morning excursion started at Domaine Chandon estates for check-in and a continental breakfast. The food was good and the conversation was marvelous. Everyone was psyched up and ready for a good time in the sky. Our balloon was one of several and it was entertaining just to watch the different balloon crews setting up and filling the balloons for takeoff. The staff was friendly and courteous and helped calm some of the more nervous folks down to better ensure a positive experience. Of course the views were amazing and to be honest the temperature in the balloon basket (near the gas burner) was more comfortable in the milder Napa Valley than AZ. If you have not taken a hot air balloon ride consider it and, if you can, try Napa Valley. read more

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This was a once in a lifetime experience and it went better than I ever expected!! I felt safe the whole time! If that is something you're skeptical about then don't be if you book with them! The crew knew what they were doing and were very organized. It was a seamless experience from the moment I got from Domaine Chandon to when we were leaving in our car. I would do this again in a heartbeat! I'm so pleased! FYI! No backpacks or purses but it's totally understandable and justified as it is quite snug in the balloon. Debra at the Fairmont in Sonoma set this up for me and my friend, she is the best! I drove from Sonoma to Yountville and that was the scariest part of this whole thing! If you do that, take the long way on the highway not the winding roads! read more

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First time here with the wifey... weather was perfect! Service was amazing!! Food afterwards was good!! Cannot complain about the unlimited mismosas read more

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Sure fun n worth flying. We did it after years, finally and was a lucky weather it was. Our crew Bob & Chad were really amazing making it a memorable one! read more

This was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had!! I was a tad nervous taking off, but once it the air, it was very peaceful and so very beautiful. It is definitely the best way to see Napa. I would recommend to anyone who has the chance!! read more

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Bob is an amazing pilot. Everyone felt safe and enjoyed his humor and experience being a balloon pilot. The whole experience was positive from beginning to end. Accommodations were classy and fun. Recommend this company to anyone who ever thought about taking flight in a hot air balloon!! read more

This was an amazing experience! First class hospitality from the beginning to end! We started the morning with coffee and Bouchon pastries. Chris, our pilot was so knowledgeable and guided the balloon up and down over many vineyards pointing out points of interest and vineyard information. We finished with champagne and mimosas! I would highly recommend this once in a lifetime experience! read more

I have never taken a hot air balloon ride. Actually my initial thought was that it would be a gimmicky thing to do but it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Our balloon pilot was Mike and he was professional with the focus of safety first. During the drive to and from the balloon field he provided entertaining conversation and education about the area. The balloon ride takes about an hour but we were in the air a little longer because he decided to land in a different field. Landing requires a lot of skill and experience and he was very good at explaining the process to us and why he decided to change fields. The staff was excellent and the whole check in process and food before and after the ride was a big plus. Definitely go, it was a great experience. read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

We were celebrating our 15th Anniversary so did a private ride with 4 of us. we had Chris as our pilot and the whole trip was awesome. Thank you for making our anniversary very special. We definately will recommend you to everyone. read more

WOW!!! What a super organization! Not only did we have a fantastically beautiful balloon ride, we also had a delicious champagne breakfast afterwards at the gorgeous Domain Chandon winery. From start at 0 dark thirty to finish, I was very impressed with the team at Napa Valley Balloons. Each and every person involved, welcome staff, van drivers, pilots and ground crew- they were all wonderful in their customer service and the way they went above and beyond to insure that our experience was AAAA+++! We couldn't have been happier or more suitably impressed!!! I HIGHLY recommend this company for an experience that you will cherish and want to repeat....which we plan to do! read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Amazing view from above Winters! - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

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We flew on May 26 and the company had to have reasonably known the night before that they weren't going to be able to fly over Napa Valley (it was cloudy every morning that week!), but they didn't say anything to keep their revenue as high as possible. We arrived at the meeting spot at 5:30am and were soon told that "due to the winds/clouds" we would have to take a 45min drive to another location, but that we could leave if we didn't want to do that. We were tired, we were up early, so we decided to go through with it. It is indeed a 45min drive and the weather was absolutely much better in this location (clear skies), but you end up going over just a bunch of agricultural fields. The kicker was when our balloon captain made it a point to say that he was an older captain and didn't feel the need to challenge the winds, so while EVERY OTHER BALLOON was high in the sky (I'll share a photo) we were the lowest out of every balloon and at one point I felt like I could have touched the sunflowers. I heard others around us say the same thing...if you're going to take $400+ from us, at least make it worth our while. If only the captain had gotten to the same heights as the other balloons this could have been a better review, but paying $400+ for a low(er) flight over agricultural fields meant we didn't get what we paid for. It'd be nice if they mention that they might have to bring you to an alternative location when you book (along with a map of that location). Once you're there at 5:30am it's hard to say no to the flight as you're already up early and don't really know how different the experience will really be. Sigh. read more

Napa Valley Balloons - Come on captain, don't be scared, fly higher! - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Napa, California

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Really upset with a recent interaction I had with a staff member Jamie on the phone. Poor customer service throughout.

If you've ever had any remote interest in hot air ballooning, don't overthink it anymore, just book your tour and DO IT NOW. Our group of 8 (4 couples) had the best time! Meeting at 5:30am was tough, but the coffee and pastries at Domaine Chandon more than made up for it. My chocolate croissant was killer good. We signed some papers and were off. The company is very very very well organized. There was never any confusion as to who we were, what van we rode in, or which balloon we should get on. There were about 80 balloon riders and the staff were very clear with their instructions and answered all questions knowledgeably. We were driven from Domaine Chandon to a nearby golf driving range where we took tons of beautiful pictures with the inflated balloons ready for take off. Each person climbed into the basket which was quite snug yet comfortable enough to move about during the flight. Believe me when I say, if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't even know you're moving. It is completely calm, you don't even feel any wind. Of course tons of pictures were taken, including many from a GoPro strung up on the balloon itself to get an in flight picture. Our Pilot Ken was very nice and tried to engage everyone in conversation during the times the flame wasn't on. The scenery was simply stunning. Our ride lasted about 50 minutes. Our landing was nothing short of exciting. We were supposed to land in a field but the wind had ideas of its own. When we neared the field, the rope thrown down couldn't quite get over the barbed wire fence and the running ground crew were scrambling and scaling other fences to catch the rope to pull us back in. Our basket ended up skimming over a large tree then the wind blew us over to a nearby high school football field. From there, the very efficient ground crew snatched the rope and were able to tow us back to landing. A few small thuds later, the balloon was deflated and we climbed out of the baskets for more pictures before being shuttled back to Domaine Chandon for a champagne brunch. Pilot Ken was calm and confident the entire time, his experience as a hot air balloon pilot lending to a wonderful experience. Mimosa toasts were definitely in order after such a wonderful morning. Highly, highly recommended. read more

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Perfection. I can't speak highly enough of this company. I did a TON of research before choosing them and they are by far the best. Our pilot had 30 years of flight experience and it showed (Ken was the best!!!) First of all, hot air ballooning isn't cheap and so if you're going to spend $200+, why not do it right? From booking to post-flight, NVB was professional and made us feel like celebrities. The customer service really can't be beat. I made a reservation online and got a confirmation email as well as a phone call. On the morning of, we arrived and were treated to coffee, juice, water, and pastries. The meeting place is at domaine Chandon which is also nice. The vans took us to the launch sites about a few minutes drive away in a field (actually it was a driving range). The same people we rode with were the people in our balloons. We arrived to see the balloons being inflated and got some great photos! Once we climbed in, our pilot, Ken, gave us some safety tips and we were off. The ride was super peaceful and our pilot was really knowledgeable about flying and the area. It was one of the best things I've ever done! Seeing all the other balloons in flight was pretty special. The landing was pretty smooth too and one of their crew too photos of us all. The post-flight brunch was delicious and they had unlimited mimosas! I would highly recommend this company--the experience was the highlight of our trip! read more

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I booked a balloon and hotel package, was well worth the experience. It's definately something that needs to be done at least once in a lifetime. Great trip, wished we spent more time in air as it took longer for them to get our flight up (two tries to get it inflated). I had timer on we were up only about 30 some odd minutes, calm to little winds and we only got as high as 1000~2,000 ft so we only went about 5-10 minutes from launch site. . . . A big plus was the shuttle was from the hotel at 5:45, very convenient 5-10min from meeting/post-launch breakfast location. read more

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