Above the Rest Hot Air Ballooning and Skydiving Service
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
10 reviews for Above the Rest Hot Air Ballooning and Skydiving Service
10 reviews in English
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Review from Crystal S.
Los Angeles, CA
4/28/2012
well i admit i was a bit scared at first this being my first flight but after we got up there is was really kool it was so quiet and beautiful we had a great and experienced pilot named john i would definitely recommend him anyway we ha a great time and we landed safely i would recommend dawns company to everyone go do it you wont regret it jim from los angeles
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Review from Coleen B.
Los Angeles, CA
1/9/2012
I didn't even get to go do this experience and I have a negative review. I looked it up on Groupon and called to ask what the fee would be for over 200lbs. The woman who answered told me $25. Then, without me even responding or saying anything, she brusquely said, "Look, I'm giving everyone a deal here. I'm only charging $25 for being overweight. Other companies would charge you way more than that." I said, "I wasn't arguing with you, I just asked what the cost was." And she said, "I'm not arguing with you either, I'm just saying that I am giving everyone a deal." I was put off by her tone so I said, "Okay, well thank you." And she literally said, "UGH" and hung up on me.
Unprofessional and rude. -
Review from Haruna O.
Los Angeles, CA
4/16/2012
The owner, Dawn is unprofessional and rude. "FUCK THIS PLACE" is all I want to say at this point, but here is the detail for my disgust if anyone is interested.
We made a reservation with the company a couple of months ago using the Bloomspot deal and went to Temecula two Saturdays ago. We left LA on Sat as the air balloon flight was scheduled on Sunday morning at crack of dawn.
I received a call from the owner of the company, Dawn, around 7pm on Sat, saying that she had to cancel the air balloon flight in the next morning since her pilot got sick and she couldn't find any replacement for the pilot.
We felt that none of this was our fault, so we requested her to compensate us in some ways; either put us on an air balloon ride with another company or refund the money so that we can book a ride with other companies on our own. However, she told us that if we wanted the refund, we need to deal with Bloomspot ourselves. And the best she could offer was that we come back to Temecula and re-book the flight with her within a year.
Oh really? That's really considerate of you. Because we come here all the freaking time. No, Fool. The whole purpose of the trip WAS to get on an air balloon. It's not every day we get to take a trip with friends. We all have life and other shit to deal with.
And why the fuck do we have to be inconvenienced for YOUR imcompetence to do your job? You have the policy in which if we cancelled the reservation within 48 hours of the flight, you would not refund the money. Then why can't you honor the same deal to us? YOU cancelled the reservation 11 hours before the call time for the flight.
Despite my anger and frustration with steam coming out of my head, I stayed calm and didn't use any profanity. I told her the above in a less fired-up way. The whole time she was on the phone with me, she wasn't really apologetic. She was rather annoyed that I wasn't budging. And in the middle of the conversation, she just HANG UP ON ME.
I was exteremely disappointed by the service we got (or lack thereof).
But I'm glad that I didn't have the once-in-a-lifetime experience with this shitty company. I'd gladly do it somewhere else.
So, I conclude.... FUCK THIS PLACE.
PS. Bloomspot refunded us the full amount after I told them what happaned. -
Review from Monica T.
4/25/2011 8 photos
I purchased the groupon deal for this balloon company and am so glad I came across the deal when I did. I reserved my day with Dawn and she gave me all the details and also informed me that she gets a special hotel rate at the local Holiday Inn if I needed a place to stay the night. Let me say that was the best recommendation ever. THANK YOU DAWN! We had to drive from Orange County to Perris, so staying there the night before really helped out. We had to meet at 6:00 am for the balloon ride and later found out the rest of the people who went on the ride drove the morning of and were on the road at 3:30 am, so take my advice when I say get a room the night before.
So the balloon ride itself was amazing! I was surprising the BF for his Birthday and he was very surprised! Dawn had set up a special birthday celebration (which she does for an additional cost). She provided a cake and some decorations and everyone sang happy birthday to him at the end of the ride. All around great experience!!!
I can't wait to do this again when the out of town family is visiting! -
Review from Darrell B.
Oceanside, CA
8/7/2011
Recently purchased a ride and I wished I never did. My girlfriend and I arrived there at 5am, the time that they told us to arrive. We did not lift off until 8am. On top of that their truck driver got himself stuck in soft soil which caused us to hike to their truck while my girlfriend and I. We did not get back to their meeting site until 11am.
I brought up this incident with the owner, Dawn, and she told me that it is "NORMAL" that they do not lift off until 2 or 3 hours after the time they told us to get there. She was very rude to me while we were talking about this incident. She pretty much was calling me a liar indirectly. I know they have many years of experience with this profession and I expected more professionalism. Dawn did not even offer a refund or a complimentary balloon ride. DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS COMPANY! -
Review from Stefano A.
Los Angeles, CA
10/3/2011
What an amazing experience! To celebrate 2yrs together with my girlfriend, I wanted to do something different than the usual dinner! Gilt was offering this deal on Hot Air Balloon ride and I said, why not? When am I ever going to do this again?...so we went down to Perris on a Saturday, it was as dark as it gets. We didn't even know we were in the right place, haha! It was an experience! The ride it's great...you watch the whole process of unwrapping the balloon, filling it up with air, and take life...the ride it's amazing! You're 4500 feet in the air and don't even notice it! There are also skydivers jumping off of it for a little show...AMAZING! Dawn was so great and helpful! Like my girlfriend say..."we can check that off our bucket list!"
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Review from Jenna V.
Playa Del Rey, CA
6/22/2011
Above the Rest was AMAZING! After a previous reservation was canceled, we saw Above the Rest setting up and asked if we could ride with them. They not only gave us a deal, but they gave us breakfast and mimosas before, during, and after they flight. They also happened to have a party bus that picked us up from our landing spot to take us back to the winery. The ride felt safe the whole time. The staff was nice and accommodating, and made our trip extremely memorable. I would definitely ride with them again.
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Review from Tony T.
Los Angeles, CA
3/6/2011 5 photos
I became aware of this company through another website. I took advantage of their online offer. I am so glad I did. They are a family run operation. Dawn, the lady in charge is a class act. It was a BLAST. They had three balloons in the air. We were in the observation balloon watching the skydivers base jump from the other two. The views from the gondola at altitude were simply spectacular. I highly recommend this company to ANYONE wanting to take a hot air balloon ride.
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Review from Madison L.
Los Angeles, CA
5/1/2011
My friends and I purchased a fabulous deal on Groupon and boy was it worth the price! It was so effortless when booking the ride since Dawn was very prompt and accommodating. We were offered two locations for the hot air balloon: Temecula and Perris. We decided on Temecula because of its reputation for great vineyards and scenic views. I'm sure Perris would've been as great as well so I'd love to check that one out next time! Even though we wanted to take advantage of the various vineyards, we didn't end up going wine tasting because we were treated with plenty of complimentary champagne/mimosa before AND after the ride... also some tasty pastries and cheesecake for dessert!! The ride itself was so peaceful my fear of heights immediately diminished. Oh yeah, make sure to bring your camera because there will be many photo opportunities. But if you forget to bring a camera, not to worry because one of the coordinators will be taking many candid shots of you.
Overall, it was a fabulous experience and I definitely plan on riding with them in the near future. Hot air ballooning was on my bucket list so glad I got to fulfill it. Definitely something everyone should experience!! -
Review from Joy F.
Temecula, CA
4/7/2011
Dawn you are so AWESOME! After calling several hot air balloon companies to get a donation for our Moms Club this is the only company willing to do so. Above the Rest's donation will be put in a gift basket to be raffled off to support the Mother-2-Mother fund. We believe this is going to put our basket "Above the Rest". Thanks again, Dawn, for your generous spirit! It is deeply appreciated and will help many!
