On each of our two Chateau d'Oex Balloon Festival trips, in addition to 3 days spent exploring the highlights of the Alps, 4 more days will be spent flying in spectacular formation with the highly colorful fleet of 80 balloons invited from all over Europe to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this remarkable event. A special feature of each Saturday and Sunday will be the nearly simultaneous "mass ascension" of the entire fleet. Some of the festival days will be spent on long distance flights. Others will be devoted to demonstrations of precision flying in the midst of a wonderful "winter carnival" atmosphere within the Chateau d'Oex valley. Professional parachute teams, hang gliders and large hot air dirigibles will provide continual entertainment. It is indeed a "festive festival."
Day 1
We will meet you at Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva at 3:00 p.m. and drive to the beautiful Alpine village of Gstaad, checking in for 8 nights at le Grand Chalet. There will be a sumptuous welcome dinner in our hotel’s gourmet restaurant.
Days 2 - 4
As described in our “Highlights of the Alps” itinerary, each day we’ll float gently through beautiful, snow covered Alpine scenery in our own fleet of balloons. Our chef will have prepared our lavish lunch with wine, to be enjoyed in our balloons as we drift gently through the Alps. Late afternoons will be free for sightseeing and personal pursuits, with exceptional cuisine enjoyed in different and fine settings each evening.
Days 5 - 8
We’ll spend our Festival days flying with this magnificent fleet of colorful and entertaining balloons. Additional continuous entertainment is provided throughout the Festival by professional parachute teams, hang gliders and large hot air dirigibles, all in a wonderful winter carnival atmosphere. It really is something, drifting through it all in your beautiful balloon. These programs are remarkable experiences, and are happy, truly unforgettable vacations.
Balloon Festival! Each morning we will be driven to the snowy take-off field in Chateau d’Oex to watch the spectacular inflation of so many original and bright balloons! What a lively atmosphere! The round balloons in many colors and patterns come first. Among them will also be our Buddy Bombard flowered balloons, carrying you and your fellow Buddy Bombard guests. We’ll watch our favorite whimsical shapes come to life, a huge winged cow and a giant frog, the Scotsman wearing his kilt, an elephant, the mammoth cell phone, and many other spectacular, original designs and sizes. You will feel like a very happy child in a very big toy store as you watch the comings and goings of this brilliant kaleidoscope of balloons. Festival days also include entertaining lunches and our signature dinner parties in Gstaad’s choicest restaurants.
Day 9
After breakfast we will drive you to Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva, arriving approximately at noon.
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9 Day / 8 Night Tour
January 15 - 23, 2008
$15,029 per person, double occupancy
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This year marks the 22nd season of these Winter Alps vacations which attract repeat travelers every year. This area of Switzerland is a virtual playground for balloons—the micro-climate creates ideal conditions for exploring snowy alpine villages and spectacular winter scenes tucked deep in the valleys of the Swiss winter Alps. The grandeur and majesty of the Alps as a backdrop to our adventures lends indescribable drama and beauty to these incredibly beautiful and fun winter vacations. Set in the middle of a stunning mountain landscape, the village of Gstaad is unique for its authentic character and persisting local customs in what has become an intimate gathering place for the rich and famous. Quaint chalet-style cottages, extensive walking trails and mountain sports, a remarkable array of restaurants, shops and boutiques and the atmosphere of exclusivity makes Gstaad a place to where more than 60% of its visitors return.
Day 1
Days 2 - 5
Our mid afternoon landings are most often greeted by surprised and excited locals who share in our champagne celebrations. Then there will be time for local sightseeing or shopping on Gstaad’s Promenade, or return to our hotel for a hot toddy by the fire or to snuggle in a mountain of down before gathering for dinner. Each day we serve a lavish in-flight buffet luncheon prepared fresh that morning by our very own chef, complete with fine wine. The top of our food box, attached to the outside of our balloon baskets, becomes our table when mounted inside the basket! Each evening you will be treated to a grand dinner party in a different setting among Gstaad’s finest restaurants. We are often invited by your host Buddy Bombard’s good friends who winter in Gstaad, and who enjoy having us for cocktails at their mountain chalets and joining us for dinner.
< font face=arial size=+1>Day 6
Each evening we will meet for a dinner party and to enjoy the intimate nighttime atmosphere of Gstaad, dining in elegant restaurants or local pubs.
We will meet you at Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva at 3:00 p.m., and drive to the picturesque alpine village of Gstaad, renowned as an international playground for Europe’s nobility and the well-to-do. Famous for its elegant lifestyle, the pedestrian-only village center is home to a host of excellent restaurants, fashionable shops and boutiques. In winter, the horse-drawn sleighs, with their sleigh bells ringing, let you know you’ve come to the right place. The 4 star Le Grand Chalet, our intimate chalet hotel perched on a hilltop overlooking this setting, is full of Swiss mountain charm. We’ll check in for five nights then enjoy a superb welcome dinner at Le Grand Cru, one of Gstaad’s finest restaurants located in our lovely hotel.
After breakfast each day we will be driven to our balloon take-off site, carefully selected from our 47 permissions throughout the region to make the most of that day’s wind direction. By 11:00 a.m. we will be drifting through some of the most breath-taking scenery in the world. For approximately the next 3 hours the magnificent wonders of the Swiss Alps will gently slip by.
After breakfast we will drive you back to Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva, arriving approximately at noon.
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$10,255 per person, double occupancy |
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To check availability or receive additional information on Buddy Bombard Vacations, drop us a note, or call.... 800-777-7739 |
reprinted with permission of the Bombard Society
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