Single on Valentine's Day? Help is at hand

Single people on Valentine’s Day can feel left out in the cold. Looking forward to the summer to cheer ourselves up often doesn’t work either. Who wants to holiday alone?

Help is at hand in time for Valentine’s Day (Book a two week holiday before March 1st for a £50 discount). Skyros Holidays (Skyros.com) offers the perfect 21st century holiday solution for the single traveller. People are flocking to Skyros Holidays’ breaks in Greece and in other exotic locations like Cuba, Cambodia and Thailand, because they offer something different – laughter till your sides ache, a mind-boggling choice of fun activities from trapeze to ballroom-dancing and the chance to form strong bonds with new like-minded friends and possible partners.

You can relax into the break as soon as you arrive – because one special ingredient of this unusual holiday is the way a sense of community is created among fellow travellers from day one. Over two thirds of people go on their own.

Both Matthew Collins of BBC2’s Travel Show and TV presenter, Mariella Frostrup recommend Skyros Holidays’ unique brand of R&R. “For anyone who likes travelling alone or seeks stimulation from their holiday, Skyros-in-Thailand is a must,” said Mariella. Speaking of the two centres run by Skyros Holidays in Greece, Matthew said: “This amazing place has really fascinated me. It is the perfect place for a proper holiday.”

The season starts early in the unspoilt haven of Skyros island, in Greece with fun and therapeutic sessions from February to October. Where else would you find flirting and relationships skills, African dance, survival techniques and song-writing courses offered alongside canoeing, painting, yoga, massage, reflexology and pilates? Up to 12 courses a week and five sessions a day can be selected.

Skyros offers a special kind of pampering, a kind of back-to-nature experience with nights spent in simple rooms or under star-studded skies in beach-side cabins, waking each morning to the sound of waves lapping the sea-shore. This is a healthy break with a difference! In February, the rather surreal Ancient Goat Festival is another attraction! It features all day and night dancing of villagers in national costume (Holiday Feb 14-21). (Holidays from £485 per week –including meals, excl.flights).

That’s not all. UK Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, D.M. Thomas (‘The White Hotel’) and Betty Trask award-winning writer Susan Elderkin (‘Sunset Over Chocolate Mountains’) are among many world-class tutors offering courses with Skyros Holidays next year.

“We basically invented our own idea of a dream holiday, a delicious mix of great people, beautiful island scenery, fun things to do and a chance to reflect a little on life in good company,” said founder Dr Dina Glouberman Ph.D, who has appeared on BBC TV’s Heaven and Earth Show and is the author of the best-selling book ‘The Joy of Burnout. “People eat great food, laugh more than they have in years and go home revitalised and joyful about life - some even fall in love. We are definitely doing something right!”

The singles holiday market is the next big boom sector as it begins to dawn on the holiday industry that singles represent a major consumer group in the UK (30% of all households and a growing trend for people to marry older). The World Travel Market Trends Report 2006 says career-minded singles are more likely to spend their disposable income on treating themselves. This makes it all the more important for singles to put their trust in travel operators like Skyros Holidays who have proven expertise in this field.

Singles don’t even have to wait till next summer to get a ‘Skyros fix’. There are places available on holidays in Cuba and Cambodia in April. Over Easter, adventurers can feel the Latin pulse of Old Havana by taking salsa dance lessons in Cuba. Staying in the famous 4 star Habana Libre Hotel, every day starts with a pre-breakfast yoga option. A Life Choices, Life Changes course with Dina Glouberman is also on offer. (10 day holiday starts April 5. From £765 excl. flights).

Others will be tempted by a new 10 day overland tour in 5 star luxury to Cambodia via the jungles of northern Thailand, taking in the Khmer Temples at the world heritage site of Angkor Wat. The novelty is that your guides will also offer meditation, dream-work, painting and photography workshops along the way. (10 day tour starts April 27. £1025 excl. flights).

Couples, singles and groups of friends are, of course, all welcome on Skyros holidays, which attract both gay and straight holiday-makers.