Flew on 7/4/17
One of the highlights of our stay in the Napa Valley! From the very beginning, we were picked up around 5:00AM at our hotel by Scott, who was our driver for the morning. He was very friendly and courteous, making sure we knew what to expect before reaching Domaine Chandon Winery, where the balloon rides were to begin. When we arrived, the staff was very accommodating, providing a continental breakfast before we rode on the balloons. Then, the staff explained that the marine layer had covered the Napa Valley that morning, and the balloons would not be flying in that location. Instead, we would have to travel to the town of Winters, CA in the Central Valley, about a 1 hour drive from Domaine Chandon to have the experience of a lifetime. Safety is number one with this company, and they will not fly in bad weather. The staff assured us that we would still have a great time riding the balloons. We then, loaded vans and made our way to the alternate launch location. Scott, our driver, was very entertaining, explaining more about riding in the balloons and showing us points of interest along the way. Once we arrived at the launch site, we were amazed at the site before us. Balloons, the size of a ten-story building were filling with hot air and rising up into position for passengers to board the baskets. I was surprised that each basket held up to sixteen passengers and one pilot. The ground support staff made it easy to board the balloon. Every step of the way, we felt safe and in good hands. Our pilot was Mike. He was very professional and explained everything he was going to do for our flight. Once the balloon was ready with enough hot air, we were airborne. However, we did not feel a thing. The balloon rose gently over the valley. Following the flow of wind, the ride was very peaceful. Everyone on board commented on how we didn’t even feel the wind since the balloon moves with the current. Soon, we were at around 3,000 feet! The view was breathtaking. All of a sudden, the pilot told everyone to face one side of the basket. There was a GoPro camera mounted from the side the balloon. Using remote control, the pilot snapped a few pictures of us floating above the beautiful valley. Gradually, and skillfully, our pilot, Mike, brought the balloon down to landing level. He was very experienced, and made sure we had clearance to land in a field. Communicating with the ground crew, Mike made sure they were ready for our landing. It was a very smooth and soft landing. One of the ground crew was our driver, Scott. He made sure we disembarked safely, and brought us back to Domaine Chandon, where the experience was capped off with a great buffet breakfast along with ‘bottomless’ glasses of sparkling wine. Scott then drove us back to our hotel. We had a wonderful morning, and highly recommend Napa Valley Balloons as the best way to start a Napa vacation.