Hot air balloon was on my wife's list of activities to do. I'm not really into heights but why not. We called the concierge, she recommended two hot air balloon companies, this was their first choice. We booked the early morning sunrise with pick up and drop off and morning breakfast.
Pickup was prompt at 5:40 am by Todd. We stopped at two other spots before heading to the site. Our captain was Tommy - quite the comedian, yeah he had jokes. They said he was the chief pilot for the company, I thought they were just saying that for kicks, but when he nailed that landing I really believed it.
Both Tommy and Todd are very nice guys. They provide good information on the area, details around the balloon and of course lots of jokes. The overall experience is quite nice. When you read some of the reviews you start to doubt how good is going to be. But let me tell you, don't let those reviews affect you.
Our trip had 20 people, it's not roomy but it's also not tight that you can't turn and take pictures. The balloon reached a height of 6,000 feet, you get a good view all around. Do you also see roof tops - yes you do because you are in the sky folks, of course you going to see houses, cars, mountains, other balloons, and lots of dessert. I didn't see any wild animals but at that height, don't think we would of.
It gets a little warm when they are burning the propane, but they have hats you can wear and it's temporary. Word of advice don't get into the basket first, that way you feel less heat.
The 60 minute ride is quite peaceful, is calm and if you just take the time to enjoy it all you will walk away feeling good, not just about the ride but life in general.
Landing was spot on, secretly I had wanted us to land in a pool but of course that was never going to happen. Soft landing, close to where we started.
The hot air balloon ride was followed by a nice simple breakfast - cheese, apples, quiche, croissant, Orange Juice and champagne. My wife has a dairy allergy so they provided her with a plate of fruit and a fruit nut bar. I made my self a mimosa, damn good.
Overall beautiful day, great sights, met some good people and enjoyed a nice little snack out in the dessert.
Réponse de l'hôte
Oct 2017
Stunt101,
Wow, thank you. You hit it right on the nose. Your words are exactly how I feel when I am after a flight. You can have people around and yet, still be very much alone with your own thoughts.
I'm sorry that we were not able to take you swimming as part of your landing. Our pilots are trained not to do that.
It's always nice to hear such kind words when we try to do everything perfect. We are so glad to count you among our fans. We hope that we will see you again in the near future.