Single and looking for love, yet tired of swiping left and right in search of a perfect match? Relax! We’ve got you. The Sybarite has selected five apps and websites to help you find love this summer.
UPdates
Meeting person after person after person for standard post work drinks and dinner can be exhausting and, let’s face it, not much fun. So, for a first date with a difference, consider joining UPdates – an exclusive members only dating site and club specialising in upscale ‘sojourns.’
In a nutshell, UPdates whisks a group of high-calibre singles away by private jet to enviable locales. April’s event took place on the banks of Lake Como – the spectacular Italian lake that’s a favourite haunt of A-listers like George Clooney – for a luxurious, long weekend.
What’s more, UPdates does all the date planning and prep work for you – ideal for time-poor, single Sybarites struggling to find time to arrange great dates.
At first glance, free mobile dating app, Bumble – which lets users swipe right to approve and left to decline potential suitors – looks a lot like Tinder. Hardly surprising given that Bumble is the brainchild of Whitney Wolfe who co-founded Tinder, before leaving to set up the new app.
The difference between Bumble and Tinder? The former puts the power back in the hands of women: only women can initiate a conversation once a connection has been created. And they have just 24 hours to do so, or the connection will be lost.
Ultimately Wolfe wants Bumble “to be this lifestyle hub and stand for something bigger.” Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: “That might mean encouraging a woman to make a first move in another area of her life – at work or with friends. And on the flip side it could really change the way men treat women.”
Ladies, its over to you.
The Inner Circle
Had enough of Happn? Say hello to The Inner Circle – a dating website with a strict invite-only policy that includes a thorough screening upon registration (an Inner Circle employee will assess your education, career, photos and age) to ensure applicants match up to the exclusive standard of the dating platform’s online community.
The app also employs some cool features such as a ‘check-in’ service for members travelling abroad: just log which city you’ll be visiting and when, and enjoy the opportunity to link with other members also passing through.
However the best bit, according to co-founder David Vermeulen is the Inner Circle’s “exclusive parties.” Past soirees have been held at sought after venues such as Bodo’s Schloss in Kensington, Barts in Chelsea and Whisky Mist in Mayfair.
OK so YOU might be loved up, but you no doubt have some friends who aren’t currently as fortunate. If you know someone who is single and nervous about getting back on the dating treadmill, why not give them a helping hand by creating their profile, finding suitable matches and setting them up on dates via Mydate?
Londoner Rachel Wardle, who launched the online matchmaking site two years ago having watched her Father struggle to find love after losing his wife of 20 years to breast cancer, says: “For singles they have someone who knows them to support them throughout. They can take a back seat and let their matchmaker do all the work.”
And for the matchmaker? “They can set up their friend, family member, neighbour or whoever with someone — they can give the gift of love to someone. They can do what I wanted to do for my dad.”
This on-line dating site, which boasts over half-a-million members across the planet, could be the answer for single Sybarites afflicted by an incurable case of wanderlust who are looking for love. Or as Miss Travel’s founder, Brandon Wade, terms it: “Travelling is a great way to fall in love.”
The site works like most traditional dating sites, save for the fact that members (men must pay a membership fee, but women can join for free) meet in exotic locales as opposed to a bog standard All Bar One. “Being able to offer someone a trip to Bali instead of just going to the coffee shop around the corner is very unique to MissTravel,” shares Hannah Dela Cruz, MissTravel’s public relations manager.
By Kaye Holland
