Balloons Above the Valley — Local services in Napa

What a nice experience! It's pretty pricey (about $200 per person) but it's definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Here's a quick rundown of the schedule for the sunrise trip (which I think is the only time they fly probably due to weather/pressure conditions):

Evening before: Call them to make sure your flight is all set for tomorrow, weather-wise

Day of - 5:30 AM: Arrive at Model Bakery at Oxbow Market. Here they will provide you with some coffee and pastries (the almond croissant was amazing). You can also go to the back of the building for bathrooms (actual bathrooms, not porta-potties and I highly suggest you go because it could be a long trip). I believe you can park in the Oxbow parking lot but I'm not sure if it's free or not. We pulled into the first street parking spot we could find. Thankfully, it was a Saturday so street parking is free on the weekends

6 AM: Sign waivers and get loaded into vans that will take you out to where the hot air balloons actually are. Where they fly from depends on the flying conditions but our location was about a 40-minute drive out. Make sure you don't make any plans for after the flight (i.e. an actual flight on an airplane, or something you can't miss) because depending on the conditions of that day, you could be driving out further, which means you could be back later. It mentions that you would be back by 8:30 but when we were signing the waivers, they said there were instances where people weren't back until 11.

6:40 AM: Get loaded onto the balloons (maybe 10-15 minutes for everyone to get on), which are already set up when you get there so make sure you get your photo op quickly because they deflate the balloons as you are landing. The flight lasts about 45 min to an hour and you get great views of Napa. Make sure you dress warmly because it's cold up there, but the hot air from the propane (?) does help a lot

7:45 AM: Get your last photo ops (balloon is now mostly deflated) before they load you back into the van for the drive back to Oxbow

My only complaint was the capacity of the balloon. I believe the balloon had four compartments from what I remember - one in each corner. I appreciate that they put your parties together (and that there are plastic separators - well more like curtains - between each compartment. However, our group was 6 people. I would say we are relatively thin women and it was a tight squeeze. The couple next to us was chillin with a whole compartment to themselves so I feel like they could have split us into 3 and 3 for a more comfortable ride and better experience.

I probably wouldn't do another balloon ride in Napa but the experience definitely has me wanting to do one in...

This company looks like a scam with poor customer service. If you wanna a joyful ride, never choose this one. It ruined your vacation again and again. funny customer agents The first thing the customer agent told you about showing their sympathy, is giving a third time to cancel your flight. The agent promised to give me a discount by keeping cancelling on me. But why do I need a third try? So ridiculous Charged your credit card without taking the ride yet I booked my flight on Dec.6 while my flight was scheduled on Dec.24. I was charged the full fees without taking the ride yet on Dec.7. This was very suspicious and the hotel staff told me they wouldn't charge you until you finish your flight. I called in to check and was told by the agent that my ride was booked so that I was charged. Then I had to wait till the day of my ride. Keep cancelling on you by sending you text messages (not professional) and waste your time They cancelled my first schedule on the morning of Dec.24 at 6am while I had prepared everything. The flight was about to start in an hour. That morning there was heavy rain, which I showed my understanding. I rescheduled it 1 week later to Dec.31. I received a confirmation email right after. I waited another week. 2 days before the flight the agent called me from the same official number that the flight was confirmed. Then I was called one day before the flight at 4pm that the balloon ride was cancelled again. Then no email update, no phone call any more. I was looking for my full refund yet waited for 2 days. I was calling for any compensation for my extra night stay at the hotel and 4-hour round trip from my home to Napa. 4. Poor customer service follow up Always a general manager claimed to be 'Mellissa' told me to hold on and looked for the reason. But she never contacted me from her side until I called back. It shows her inexperience. I was calling to a) checking my refund info as I didn't receive any email after the casual cancellation call. b) hoping to be understood for such a bad experience and see if there is any compensation for my extra stay in the Napa hotel and gasoline fees. She kept using official language to tell me this ride is a mother nature thing. They could not do anything. Without my reminder of refund, she even didn't bring up my refund at the first place. After 5 calls and long negotiation, I finally got an update with the word mentioning refund, yet this email didn't look right, no exam refund number or financial info on it. Conclusion: a scam company and never book it or give your...

This is a must do in Wine Country and Balloons Above the Valley was the best choice! I was a little nervous with the height and unpredictability of a balloon but it was the smoothest ride! At times you wouldn’t have even realized you were in a basket. The trip started by meeting Joel at Oxbow Market. We had some delicious pastries and coffee. Joel was incredible. His greeting was the best start to the day. We were off to the balloon with a group of 12 total for the morning.

We took off on the train tracks outside of Domaine Chandon. Every moment spoke of Wine Country! The ride itself will be one of the best memories, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Our pilot Jake was friendly funny and talented! He is a third generation hot air balloon pilot and you can tell by how smooth the ride was and the fun tricks he could do. We skimmed over the vineyards, able to see the jack rabbits hopping. The ride had multiple ascents and descents, all smooth. Taking in Napa Valley from the balloon was gorgeous. The day was so beautiful we could see the sky scrapers rising above San Fran just beyond the Bay.

We enjoyed the Brunch option. We returned to Oxbow greeted by Joel again. The food was delicious and both Jake and Joel poured bubbles for the group.

The service was as incredible as the views! The go to company for hot air ballooning in...