‘Another couple ventured an orgy at our holiday villa in Provence'

Telegraph

8 hours ago

This is certainly something Millie*, a 43-year-old London lawyer, can vouch for. She enjoyed an annual holiday with a large group of university friends – and their partners – following her 2002 graduation.
As the years progressed, the shared holiday properties grew in size to accommodate growing families. But trouble came in 2022 with the group's first post-Covid get-together. One couple, following some kind of Damascene epiphany, had become suburban swingers.
'They tried it on with one couple on the first night in the house in Provence and we swept it under the carpet, but when they ventured an orgy the following summer too, we'd had enough,' says Millie. 'Three years later, they are divorced, they've managed to split up another couple in our group, and no one ever mentions them.'
'Emotional disasters'
A few years ago Lisa Baptiste, 60, from St Albans, was invited on a weekend break to West Sussex with her husband Ray by a couple she had recently met through her children's school.
The couple turned out to be 'emotional disasters,' explains Baptiste. 'We drove down in separate cars and they arrived four hours late on the first night, at 10.30pm, with the husband very glassy eyed and possibly drunk,' she recalls.
'The next morning the wife came down to breakfast late and said she was leaving her husband and the pair of them proceeded to have a big row in the hotel grounds, screaming and pushing each other around. It was a hate-hate relationship and we were stuck in the middle of its breakdown'.
Sometimes irritations can arise from couples' conflicting lifestyles. Tanya Christen, 47 and a yoga teacher from London, travelled around the Thai island of Koh Samui with her boyfriend and a German couple – her boyfriend's childhood pals who had become devout 'fruitarians' during their travels.
'They scowled at everyone most of the time, but particularly at mealtimes,' she says. 'They very much had this superior vibe: which ruined everyone's good mood.' Christen says she snapped, and refused to continue travelling as a group, when 'the man [of the pair] ate falafel, claimed to be 'high' from the protein intake, and started dancing in a restaurant in his man bun.'
'A fight ensued'
Holidays involving multiple couples can be a handful for holiday providers, says James Chisnall of Untravelled Paths, a travel company that combines fringe destinations with high-octane activities. 'We have had a few dramatic incidents with couples, usually involving alcohol and British guests,' he said.
'One time at the Hotel of Ice in Transylvania comes to mind. We had two married couples, who booked together and were in their late 50s.
'Somewhat inebriated, one wife accused the other of flirting with her man. A physical fight ensued, and we were left with two women who should have known better at their age covered in blood.'
Sam Willan from accommodation provider SPL Villas says child-free couples hiring large shared properties are a growing trend. He says such groupings often benefit from off-peak rates, but need to book judiciously to give everyone some space.
'I'd recommend opting for a villa with a pull-out sofa bed in the living room or an additional bedroom in case someone needs to sleep alone one night,' he adds.
'It's important to avoid boredom as much as possible as it can often lead to arguments over what to do and who's going to pay for it, so properties with games rooms and pools, where there are free activities on site, work well.'
With finances and scheduling being flashpoints, couples can also avoid stress by holidaying with other couples who are well-matched in terms of incomes, says Baker, as well as similar attitudes to micro-planning their days, or letting holidays unfurl spontaneously.
Baptiste, for her part, would be 'very wary' about accepting a trip away with new couples in the future. 'You feel trapped if things aren't going well,' she says.