A Grape Escape Balloon Adventure

Great experience! The great staff, knowledgeable and experienced pilots. And celebratory toast right after. Didn’t only experience amazing views over Temecula but also fun facts about the city and history behind hot air balloons! Would definitely do it again!

What a fantastic time my husband and I had for our anniversary ! Grape Escape is the only way to fly ! I too am afraid of heights but it surprisingly wasn’t bad at all ! The scenery was unbelievable and our «crew» were all very knowledgeable and I felt completely safe ! Would we do it again? You bet !

Experienced a huge moment of my life on a tour.
5 stars for service, experience, views, and overall happiness with this amazing tour!

First time on a hot air balloon and loved it. The main operating guys are professional and very nice. The ride was also great. After the flight they have a champaign gathering with all the riders. Came here for my birthday and they brought us complimentary cake, which was an unexpected surprise. Would recommend this to others as well.

We had a wonderful experience. Thanks pilot and his crew.

We did the sunrise balloon ride over Temecula. Just be warned it starts very early and when we went, it was cold. We met the pilot and crew about 45 minutes before sunrise. Keurig coffee was provided. You then get in a shuttle and head to the staging area.
The gondola can is sectioned and they may put four people in a section. Thus if there are only two of you, you may sandwiched in with another couple Try to board early so you have your choice of where to be. I think there were about 12 people riding in our balloon so it is not really a private experience.
Once in the air, it is quiet and peaceful. The views are great and the pilot was very knowledgeable. the ride itself was about an hour which I felt was enough to get a good experience.
After the ride, you have a champagne ‘brunch.’ the champagne is fine, but the breakfast is pre packaged muffins and fruit. I would make other plans for breakfast as this was basically something you could get a gas station.
The whole process is about 3 hours from start to finish.
I recommend staying at the Europa Village Inn the night before. This is right next to the meeting place it is most convenient.
Overall, I was very pleased as this was my first balloon ride. The pilot and crew were professional and helpful. The flight was fun. Thanks for the fun time!

This was such an amazing experience.
I was able to book a few days in advance (my last minute idea for a birthday gift to my husband) and everything went super smooth. The staff was very pleasant and made you feel at ease during the entire experience. Afraid of heights and/​or falling? I had initially thought about going with another company’s groupon deal since I would have been able to give that voucher to my husband in the event that I couldn’t schedule something on his birthday, but I am really happy I didn’t. The price for this was basically the same and I saw those other companies flying as well on the day we did it and none of them were in the air as long as we were, nor did they go as far, or up to the clouds. There’s no doubt that my experience was far superior to the others one on that day.

We loved it! I highly recommend Grape Escape! This was our first Hot Air Balloon Ride and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Jeff our pilot and his crew was very competent and we felt at ease throughout. It was extremely peaceful floating through the air with the current of the wind.

We had a lovely experience with Rusty! He was pleasant from start to finish and very knowledgeable! Rusty and his colleague were pros at making launching and landing seem so effortless, while we watched other hot air balloon companies struggling. It was easy to see Grape Escape is in a league of their own.
The ride itself was surprisingly peaceful! Very serene, with amazing views, definitely a once in a lifetime experience! We spent a good 45 minutes, maybe even a full hour, up in the air, towering over the vineyards and soaring to great heights. The whole while I felt very safe, even my fiancé who is terrified of heights managed to enjoy himself.
We had a full carriage, 7 of us total including our pilot, making it a tight squeeze. You’re pretty much committed to your few inches of space while in the basket so make sure you try to get as comfortable as possible. I recommend wearing layers, as your meet time is really early, it’s pretty cold but by the time you’ve been in the air for 30 minutes, the sun has risen — that coupled with the intermittent of the hot air/​flame blowing into the balloon will surely get you warm. I recommend wearing a baseball cap to put some layering between the top of your head and the heat emitted from the hot air.
Getting in and out of the basket was fairly easy, they have designated points on the basket that you can place your foot onto and allow you to make a pretty graceful entry and exit. After the ride, you all gather on the vineyard grounds of the meeting destination to enjoy some bubbly. We stayed for a good 20 minutes making small talk with Rusty and the rest of our fellow riders before heading to brunch.
All in all, I recommend A Grape Escape to anyone looking to do a unique activity. In my opinion, it’s definitely a must try once in your life, but I don’t think I need to do it again.

Very awesome ride. I went with my girlfriend for our anniversary and it was amazing. The flight was really nice, very nice area. The pilot was really cool and after the flight they gave us some snacks, mimosas, 2 for 1 wine tasting for a future visit, and for being our anniversary we received a complimentary bottle of some white wine. Very good btw. Definitely worth it.

We had such a great experience!!! Everyone was friendly, and the ride was soooo much fun!!! Our pilot was Jeff and it amazed me the way he was able to work with the wind as a tool to guide the balloon. I thought I was going to be scared, after all I was inside a picnic basket with a balloon attached… lol, it wasn’t scary and surprisingly enough you don’t feel that dropping feeling in your stomach when you’re coming down. I can’t wait to do this again!

Great experience! The weather was perfect, the fight was smooth, and the view of Temecula valley was spectacular. Rusty the pilot and flight crew were very professional. I would definitely recommend this company.

I am so happy that I decided to use this hot air balloon company. There were so many horror stories about other companies and discount deals purchased, that I was scared.
This was an amazing experience though.
We felt so safe the entire time. It was so calm up in the sky and the view was amazing. They even gave us certificates at the end.

What an amazing experience.
The staff was wonderful with us. We had a very special (surprise) occasion and they handled it very tactfully. What an amazing memory for me!
Our pilot was very experienced (others on the balloon said they’ve experienced much harder landings). This guy landed ON the back of a flat bed truck. Couldn’t get much better than that.
I have nothing but great things to say and would recommend this company to anyone looking to take a hot air balloon ride.

So peaceful, so tranquil… It is truly an AMAZING experience!!!
I really don’t know how to put this inspiring experience in words… but ill do my best.
The adventure started by arriving at the winery at 5:30 in the morning. Coffee is there if you like– *they know whats up already…* We all jumped in the truck and drove to the ‘launching site’ by 6am. From there, you watch the crew lay out the balloon, like it was a gigantic tent, then open it up along the dirt field. (They take their part, and know exactly what they are doing, giving the years of professional ballooning experience.) …they unroll that 500lb’er like nothin’ and inflate it pretty darn fast considering how gigantic and heavy that balloon is. Kudos to the crew!!! Pretty neat to watch.
I never really thought about my nerves… until i actually jumped INTO the basket! Then all of a sudden… BAM! My stomach got really scared. (You know that feeling. like, «what the $#@& was i thinking!!!») hit me pretty hard. Soon as we lifted ground, it was awesome. …and the «butterflies» went away…
You float like a ‘balloon’. i just want to point out for us queezy folk… ((once your in the air, all is well. No more anxiety.)) Its VERY calming. Jeff lifted us up, and we floated away. Smooth. It wasn’t windy, or cold. Rather hot actually, from the burners. No engines=no noise. Quiet, tranquil and majestic come to mind when your 3000 ft up… floating.
…and thats just it. …Floating… way up there… its so peaceful. …I never knew… its like theropy for your mind. i definitely recommend this a MUST DO on your list of, things.
They like for you to dress in long pants and closed shoes, which is perfect. If you decide to wear a sweater, because it might be cold in the morning, i would recommend something light underneath in case you want to take it off during the ride. Again, It will be warm up there. But, then again, its summer.
Jeff, our aeronaut, was having a great time. You can tell he loves what he does. He would point to the direction and tell you what your looking at. Plus, It was fun seeing all the other ballooners out there as well.
We were up there for maybe 1 hour 15 min or so. coulda been little longer/​shorter. Either way, its a good amount of time up. No pressure.
Landing was like «bulls-​eyeing a wamp rat from 300 meters out» (to quote Luke). ***Jeff landed us in the back of the pick-​up truck 5 miles away!!! *** hows that for safety!!!
They bring you back to the Europa Winery for mimosa’s ‘n a fruit basket where you can reflect and hang out a bit.
Quite nice.
Thank you Jeff, and to all of you at «Grape Adventures Balloon» for an experience of a lifetime we will never forget!!! You showed us a most excellent adventure…

Awesome! My mom took us for a girls’ trip. Riding in a hot air balloon was on her bucket list. I am extremely afraid of heights, but I am so glad that I went. The staff was extremely friendly and calming. Jeff was our «pilot». He knew a lot about the area and shared with us as we glided over beautiful Temecula.
After the flight, we returned to the winery to toast with breakfast snacks and champagne. My mom ordered mini cakes for each of us, as we were celebrating birthdays. We also all received certificates for our rides. Nice treats!
I would recommend this company to anyone who has ever thought of riding in a hot air balloon. Even if you’re afraid of heights, this is an experience you don’t want miss!

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve done it all at Europa Village. We started with a hot air balloon ride early in the morning and ended off our afternoon with wine tasting.
If you decide to go hot air ballooning and aren’t from the area, get ready to get your day started early in the morning. We checked-​in shortly after the stated 5:30 AM meet up time and they’re policies on ensuring you arrive on time are understandably strict. If you’re late, the truck leaves without you and you’re shit out of luck. I thought the whole process was very well organized and you can tell these guys have been doing what they do for quite some time. Forewarning, try not to break your leg before your flight because climbing over the basket is your only way in. Second forewarning, under certain circumstances such as other people’s body size/​# of participants, you’re balloon may be a tight fit; luckily this wasn’t the case for our balloon, but I was a little shocked to see how many people were in the other group. The ride itself is amazing; super smooth, very quiet, and our pilot (Rusty?) was very personable and informative.
Also, in part of their own tradition, they give you packaged danishes, fruit, and a glass of champagne as a post-​flight celebration. Wasn’t really into the food but, since it’s complementary, that’s all right with me. Get ready to do some mad fly swatting though; our table had quite a few flies flying around us.
Would definitely recommend you book your flight through these guys. They’re knowledgeable, well-​organized, experienced, and most of all very friendly.

Pretty amazing service and experience! Ballooning… a lost art, but these guys make it so fun and accessible.
You wake up super early, and that’s not easy but it’s worth it. They drive you out to a «launch site», and you get to see (and possibly help) inflate and launch the balloon, and quick hop in before you get left behind!
You’re in a basket slowly floating into the sky… swaying gently, you’re looking into the silky balloon canopy, feeling hot as the flames go into the balloon, you’re looking down into the morning skyline, and even lots of other balloons if you go during the Temecula Balloon Festival!
You sway in the sky at maybe 2,000 feet elevation, and you make a slow descent that might involve crashing into the tops of trees (no one gets hurt except the tree), maybe scaring some local bushes and horses, then somehow you’re done and on the ground again, and then our guy in particular, was really helpful, he told us the story of why we have champagne after a balloon flight… to avoid a spoiler you’ll just have to get on one yourself!
Definitely a bucketlist thing to do! Don’t miss it! I took my husband for a little anniversary getaway. We Loved it!
Pro tip: Dress in layers. WEAR A HAT so it is protected against the heat of the balloon burners. And make sure you have a wrist strap for all cameras and cell phones!!!
Get there no later than 6 am!!!

My friend was celebrating her pre-​birthday this last weekend and we had a amazing 1 hour flight. Dave our pilot was awesome. The whole staff is on point and they make you feel safe and very welcoming.
Dave answered all our questions and was extremely funny, he even gave us the four possible ways of landing. Dave has seen it all in 30 plus years of being a pilot in planes to operating a hot air balloon.
Once you’re up you don’t feel the wind because you travel with the wind, it’s very interesting. Even got our basket as close as possible to the citrus tress nearby.
Highest we got was about 1500 feet maybe 2000. One person in our group was afraid of heights but Dave made everyone feel calm and at ease.
Hope to return and get another hour or two in with this company, by the way, other hot air balloon companies were asking for more money because if you’re a larger person you need to pay more, not with this company, in my opinion I think that is a big plus.
Try them out if you’re looking for a early bird or sunset hot air balloon ride.

You can’t live in SoCAL, or visit Temecula without experiencing this.
$ 150 pp, 6:30AM arrival time, 7:30 sunrise departure, following a champagne celebration!
What an amazing memory, it’s so quiet and pristine, you feel like your just floating in the clouds! Every sight and sound is heightened to this magical sense of rest!
This team is the most successful and safe compared to the other jerry rigged companies. They we impeccable with their choice of launch site, wind coordinates, etc.
We learned that the owner has 8 balloons, 40+ years experience, owning hot air balloon companies from Africa to Australia and now Temecula!
A perfect way to propose to your loved one, spend time with family and friends, or to knock this experience off your bucket list!