Take 3: Hotels for singles

Aviva, St Stefan am Walde, AustriAviva, St Stefan am Walde, Austriaa
hotel-aviva.at
The tag line is "Make friends" at this all-singles hotel that says it attracts people from all over Europe. It's in a Bohemian forest in north Austria, near Linz, with a ski lift across the road so – while there are many other sporting and spa activities – you could book a ski holiday here and see if you can slope off with someone into the bargain. Rooms from €98 per person.

Mistral Hotel, Crete, Greece
singlesincrete.com
The aim isn't dating but sharing good food and nature with fellow individuals, say the owners of this 33-room hotel that runs singles weeks. A host makes sure everyone feels welcome and included. There's a Facebook page on which to get to know fellow guests – ranging from those in their 20s to 70s – before arriving. A week full-board costs from £525 (€616.50).

Hotel Schweizerhaus, Switzerland
Maloja-schweizerhaus.ch
"Dr Sigm Freud and wife", wrote the psychoanalyst in the guestbook when he stayed here on August 13th, 1898 – but it wasn't his wife, it was his sister-in-law Minna. This hotel, 18km from St Moritz, has singles' weeks in January and February 2014. Solos start the week with a drink together and then head off skiing and curling. From CH999 for the week (€810).