Greek odyssey
Alex Plaza, 39, took cooking classes on a yacht cruising the Mediterranean
I came to know of Loes Douze and her fleet of beautiful yachts through friends and signed up for a trip with cooking workshops on board. It was wonderful.
We were a splendidly mixed bunch, aged 25 to 50 – English, Greek, Swedish, Spanish, French, plus me from Chile. A good few of us were unattached, which seemed to make it even more jolly. Over the course of a week we built some very solid friendships, but there was ample room to be alone – the boats are huge.
We visited some delightful places, in Greece and Turkey. The food and attention on board were obscenely luxurious, and I can’t wait to feel my bare feet on that glorious deck again – I remain single, but that’s just a detail once you’re there.
A week’s sailing with SCIC starts at £790 full board (020-8510 9292; scicsailing.eu)
Advertisement
Marching on together
Raymond Price, 54, is hooked on walking and talking in exotic locales
I’ve always loved trekking holidays and World Expeditions provides some of the best destinations. I tend to find like-minded people on its group holidays, and there’s a wide variety of professions and ages, from mid-twenties to mid-sixties. It attracts people who are prepared to pay a bit of a premium for excellent service – the company never puts a foot wrong.
My first trip was to Nepal and I’ve since been to Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, New Zealand and Australia. But I keep going back to Nepal – the scenery is spectacular and the people are friendly.
I’ve never been on a trek where someone hasn’t been able to cope. People walk at different paces but there’s always a guide with you. You can walk with the group or go off on your own – you can interact as much or as little as you like.
I also like the fact that it supports the local economy. If there are 10 people on a trek, that means employment for 30-40 local people.
Advertisement
A 14-day Annapurna Machapuchare Nepal trek with World Expeditions costs £1,150pp, excluding flights (020-8545 9030; worldexpeditions.co.uk)
Wining and dining
Patricia Hardwick, 47, made new friends over a glass or two of chablis
I picked Arblaster & Clarke because it’s a specialist wine tour company and I’m interested in the production of wine as well as drinking it. The majority of its customers are in their forties and fifties or retired and I was told that about 25 per cent of the people on each trip are single. On the Chablis and Sancerre tour, however, it turned out that I was the only one on my own. It didn’t matter – everyone was friendly and very sociable because we all had a common bond. You’re there to learn and obviously an awful lot of tasting goes on, which is always an icebreaker.
Some meals are included, but when there was nothing arranged the tour manager would book a table at a local restaurant and invite us to join him, so there was no chance of being Billy No Mates. At A&C they know how to throw a good party, but at the same time you’re picking up in-depth knowledge.
Arblaster & Clarke’s two-night Spring Champagne Weekend costs £365pp (01730 263111; winetours.co.uk)
Advertisement
Parisian luxury
Heather Gething, 51, finds heaven is being pampered at her favourite hotel
I stay at the George V for a week each summer – it’s a great place for the single traveller. It’s relaxed but upbeat, and the staff are attentive but not intrusive.
One of my favourite spots is the spa, where trompe l’oeil wall coverings by the pool create the illusion of being in the gardens of Versailles. Nothing can summon sleep more readily than the black velvet feather cushions in the rest room where you are invited to relax after a perfect massage.
Finishing the day with a meal in the courtyard at the heart of the hotel is heavenly. The food is impeccable, as you would expect of a kitchen boasting three Michelin stars. The courtyard is not enclosed, and looking up at the perfect deep blue sky is my idea of bliss.
Rooms at the George V start at £675 per night (00 33 1 49 52 70 00; fourseasons.com/paris)