Haystack Dating Reviews 27

I went on the Haystack Dating ski trip and I’m still not over how fun it was.

From the second we got there, the welcome drinks kind of set the tone. The team were just so friendly and welcoming, constantly making cocktails, topping up prosecco, chatting to everyone. It didn’t feel awkward at all, which I think everyone secretly worries about on something like this. Within like 10 minutes I already felt like I’d met loads of people and settled in.

Then they told us they had a “surprise” and took us downstairs… and honestly my jaw actually dropped. The whole room was full of ski suits. Every single one had a personalised name tag and a little note written for that person, which was such a cute touch. And the suits themselves were unreal - retro style with “are you single?” on the back 😭 so funny. Apparently the team stayed up all night matching sizes and vibes and somehow they absolutely nailed it.

Skiing-wise, I loved it. Being able to ski across the whole Portes du Soleil area was amazing and there’s such a good mix of runs for different levels, plus loads of fun places to stop for drinks/food. We also got ridiculously lucky with the weather. Only tiny thing for me was I ended up in a slightly lower level group on the first day as I wasn't sure who the best skiiers would be to go with at my level, but I mentioned it in the feedback form and they said they’re sorting ski group matching for everyone next time.

And then… Snowboxx. This was hands down the highlight. They offered an optional "friday funday" upgrade before the trip for those wanting to head over to Avoriaz, and I’m SO glad I did it. For what we paid extra, it was actually mad what we got - VIP area at Folie Douce (just us, which was insane), unlimited Jubels, a gorg hotel in Avoriaz, entry to the bingo party, and unlimited cocktail cans (we barely made a dent lol). It honestly felt a bit surreal. All of us in matching ski suits in the VIP at Folie Douce singing Wonderwall… core memory for sure. You could tell how much it meant to Lucy and the team as well, which made it even nicer.

The team in general just worked so hard the whole time. They were there in the mornings with coffee and croissants, and then in the evenings cooking, making drinks, hanging out with everyone. It never felt forced, they were just genuinely nice people who made the whole thing feel really easy.

The chalet itself was great, comfy beds, good space, lockers, and just a really nice vibe. By the end of the weekend it actually felt like a little family. I also liked how they grouped rooms based on people’s vibes (like partying vs early skiing etc), it actually made a difference.

I did say after that while I love Portes du Soleil, Les Crosets itself is a bit on the quieter side and I’d maybe prefer somewhere slightly more central next time, and I spoke to the team about this to improve the area.

Overall I had such a good time. Didn’t exactly find the love of my life, but met some really great people and made some unreal memories.

Would 100% go again 😊

I went on the Haystack Dating ski trip in March 2026 and, despite the strong concept, the reality was chaotic, under-delivered and at times genuinely stressful. This was not a well-run holiday, it felt like paying to be part of a disorganised group trip.

1) MISLEADING PRICING & LAST-MINUTE CHANGES:

The trip was advertised at £700, but we were later asked to pay an additional £70 for a last-minute itinerary change (an overnight stay in Avoriaz for Snowboxx events).

This was sprung on us with no real alternative. If I’d known in advance, I wouldn’t have booked - it required packing an overnight bag mid-trip and disrupted what should have been a straightforward ski holiday.

2) FOOD - UNDER-DELIVERED & POORLY PLANNED:

Several key inclusions were either missing or inadequate…

• No “welcome drinks, cheese and charcuterie” as advertised
• Repeated small portions of underwhelming pizza (not enough for everyone)
• Final night: basic tomato pasta (no protein)
• Breakfast: mini plain croissants, completely insufficient for a full ski day
• There was also no proper food planning at key moments, including the Avoriaz overnight, where dinner wasn’t arranged at all. We had to leave group activities just to eat.

3) DISORGANISATION THROUGHOUT:

The logistics were consistently poor…

• Transfer times weren’t shared before flights were booked, forcing some of us to arrange our own travel
• The Avoriaz overnight was badly handled, we were expected to transport multiple bags ourselves onto a minibus and across town, with no support from the organisers
• No clear plans for meals or breaks during travel, we had to ask to stop
• Some people even lost luggage during the chaos
• At multiple points, it felt like guests were expected to adapt to disorganisation rather than being looked after.

4) AVORIAZ EXPERINCE - BADLY EXECUTED

The Avoriaz event itself highlighted the poor planning. Non-confident skiers were rightly accommodated via minibus, however, this meant…

• We had to handle all luggage logistics ourselves
• We arrived late so missed the start of the event
• By the time we got there, others were already having fun and drinking
• On top of that, the “free drink” wristbands didn’t work, so we ended up paying for drinks anyway.

5) ACCOMMODATION NOT AS ADVERTISED:

• The “slope-side chalet” was in reality a very basic hostel.
• The bar (open to the public) played loud music until around 4am every night, making proper rest nearly impossible.

6) POOR COMMUNICATION & UNPROFESSIONAL HOSTING:

• Communication was handled via WhatsApp, which felt completely inadequate for a paid experience.
• The organiser’s tone in the lead-up, and throughout the trip, was often passive aggressive and defensive when guests asked reasonable questions. This created an uncomfortable atmosphere where people felt hesitant to speak up.
• With 80 guests and only a couple of staff, support was clearly overstretched.
• At times, it felt like guests were expected to manage situations themselves, and even manage the organiser’s reactions, rather than being able to relax and enjoy the trip.

7) OTHER ISSUES:

• Ski pass issues left some beginners stuck without proper access
• The town itself was extremely limited, no supermarket, making it difficult to even buy food when needed
• The male/female ratio was heavily imbalanced for a “singles” trip

8) OVERALL

This trip had a great idea behind it, but the execution was far below what you would expect for the price. Instead of a well-run, social ski experience, it felt like a disorganised holiday where guests had to fill in the gaps.

I would not recommend this trip, and I would not book with Haystack again. Based on my experience, it felt less like a professionally run holiday and more like a scam marketed to single people.

I had such a fun time at the Haystack bouldering night at Substation. I had never tried bouldering before, but the Haystack team could not have been more welcoming, and it was just a super fun night, making new connections, trying something different, and hanging out with some lovely people. Highly recommend!!

I left a 1-star review due to the terrible nature of the event. My comments were completely honest, as I wanted to make sure others didn’t waste their money like I did.

After posting my review, I was contacted by the owner, Lucy Rout, who asked for more details. I took the time to respond fully and explain the situation. However, once it became clear that my concerns were valid and that I was likely entitled to a refund due to how poorly the event was run, I was simply ignored no follow-up, no resolution.

It’s very disappointing that a company owner would reach out, only to avoid responding when accountability is required. It gives the impression that the intention was never to resolve the issue, but to manage criticism instead.

I would strongly advise others to avoid these events at all costs.

I asked the Haystack team where I could leave a review but haven’t heard back yet, so I’m sharing my feedback here.

I attended the first event last Friday. I was really keen to go as it looked great online and seemed like a fun concept with the different activities and venues. When I arrived, a lovely man greeted me at the door, briefly explained the event, and pointed me to a table where there was a list of names arranged into groups.

The invite said to arrive from 6pm, with group activities starting at 7:30pm. I arrived at 7:20pm, expecting to meet my group for the drink mentioned in the invite at 7:30pm. However, that didn’t happen. It turned out my group wasn’t scheduled to play the cricket until 8:30pm, and in the meantime we weren’t really placed into any group or guided on what to do.

I ended up spending about an hour making small talk with people, which was fine but nothing particularly engaging or structured. When it was time for the cricket, none of the hosts seemed to be around to organise things. We were left trying to figure out where to stand, who was in which group, and what we were supposed to be doing. It felt quite messy and unorganised.

I also spoke to a woman who was really excited to meet the host. She went over to introduce herself but came back saying the host was busy and would speak to her later. Throughout the evening, I noticed the host spent a lot of time on her laptop, which made the event feel less engaged and less professional, especially considering this was her own event.

I understand that the concept is to allow people to mingle and socialise naturally, which I can appreciate to a degree. However, there still needs to be more guidance and structure from the hosts, particularly when there are organised activities involved and when attendees are paying over £30 for a ticket.

Unfortunately, I was quite unimpressed with the overall experience and ended up leaving at 9pm. I won’t be attending any more Haystack dating events in the future.

Having done two haystack events I have absolutely loved them! Lucy and the team are amazing at making everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Always a great group of people and I have met some wonderful men and women through it! Cannot wait for the next one

Not sure why there are so many poor reviews on here? I have attended 5 events or so, and yes, that does point to 2 things-

1. I am bad at singles events

2. Haystack is worth coming back to

It is always hard walking into a venue filled with strangers and attempting to flirt, but I think that both the clientele and method behind a Haystack event make this experience as palatable as possible.

It is filled with all kinds of people and I have yet to meet a person at one of the events who isn't a bit nervous, a bit excited and overly lovely. I would recommend this to first-timers and seasoned daters alike

I attended the event in London (Boulesbar) and had a brilliant time! Staff were kind, organised and could not have tried harder to give everyone a great experience. I was matched with two different groups - for one round we played Boules and for another we had a drink together at a table. In my first group there was 6 men and 5 women, in my second group there were 6 men 6 women. I went on two dates afterwards and also made some lovely female friends. Thank you.

Singles events depend a lot on the people, and the attendees are generally nice people, the problem is that the organisers don't uphold their end of the bargain.

Having been to the Six Nations event. There was a free-for-all on where you sat, no "algorithm" matching whatsoever, the advertised icebreakers did not happen, the promoted half-time event did not happen.

Basically you paid to sit in a bar with a bunch of strangers. I thought you were paying for at least a minimal amount of matching or introductions?

I gave advance notice (4 days) that I couldn’t attend due to illness, specifically because the event advertised a matching process. I received no personal response, only an auto reply. I replied asking for specific acknowledgment and received no reply. Ignoring paying customers who act in good faith is poor customer service. Despite not going to the event, I would not consider trying this company again.

I've been to several (maybe 7 or 8? have lost count), would recommend.

Some notes. The age range will be from mid 20s to early 30s on average. Pick carefully based on the venues they are at. For lots of people, Bermondsey Bar and Kitchen will have anywhere between 200-400 people (guessing). But then Four Quarters, or Sixes will be smaller, but you get to play games together which are unlimited. So when buying a ticket, choose between what appeals to you.

Most people I've met at these have a good time, and say as much. I've also oddly encountered 3 - 4 people I've met from elsewhere, which is a fun coincidence. Every event I've been to I've swapped numbers at least once, and have always seen a few couples leaving in pairs.

What makes these "different" from other dating events (I've not been to many) is they have a "free for all" part where you meet anyone in the room, then structured "table time" where you are sat with a group for an hour. For the bigger venues, there's at least 2 table rounds. Over time they've tweaked this, I think it works best with icebreakers (which they introduced at the last one I went to). They do iterate a lot, so feedback does get implemented.

The staff are great, Lucy is lovely. She's at all the events so its worth speaking to her if you have any problems.

Would vouch!

It's incredibly hard to run a good dating event and Haystack Dating is really great at:

1. Bringing people together who are likely to have something in common
2. Working with great venues where you can have fun
3. Make sure that everyone has a great experience

Haystack Dating cannot solve dating but they do an amazing job at making dating more enjoyable!

I’ve been to two Haystack events in Cardiff, which have both been really fun! It’s exactly as advertised - you get matched into a group of people with similar interests and age group, there’s some time to mingle at the bar and then you take on an activity in your group. Both events I went to were mini golf, which was amazing at Golf Fang, such a laugh. I met loads of really interesting people (there were about 60 people at the first event and 100 at the second) who I enjoyed chatting to - you do have to be confident and put yourself out there as in any other scenario, but it’s great that you’re grouped with likeminded people as that gets conversations going. There were some fun facts on the tables, which people were trying to match with the person who submitted it, as well as the opportunity to mingle before and after the golf. I’ve gone on to date someone I was group matched with, which is so exciting. It’s exactly what it says on the tin - and if you’re someone who prefers in-person meeting and is open to lots of different kinds of people in one night, Haystack events are for you.

Haystack are fantastic at providing a low pressure, casual vibe. I've done 5/6 events and I've never run into a single bad apple. Lucy is an enormous character and so incredibly dedicated to this business. She makes a point of speaking to as many of us as possible and she genuinely remembers people which is a really nice touch.

My only critique would be that the environment of having 400 people in a space can be overwhelming for someone who's very shy. However, Haystack do make the effort to make introductions and you always have the small matching groups to fall back on.

Overall, a really fun, casual experience which can serve just as well at helping you find friends as it can helping you find someone to date. Well worth a try

I went to the climbing event, and I had a blast, the groups that were set up were great, it felt really comfortable. Lucy was fun and helped make connections and made people feel welcomed. I not only met potential partners, but also friends, and had a fun time climbing.

I’ve been to other singles mixers and this by far was so much better. I loved that it was activity based, not drinking based, and it felt so much more welcoming. Also you killed it for the guy to girl ratio, and there were actually quality guys there! Which okay, low bar, but other events I’ve been to have pulled very drunk men into the bar and said “have fun lulz”, so yay Haystack!

I really enjoyed the Haystack dating I went on. Even if you don’t meet anyone, you still get to chat to cool people, and I played cricket for the first time!
These events are always a bit difficult to navigate, but I thought, compared to others, it was quite cool.
Well done Lucy!

This was the worst singles event I have ever been to. I left feeling more single than ever.
I had very high expectations, and was severely disappointed by this event. Given the £30+ price tag, I assumed it would be incredibly organised and we may even get the first drink free. This was not the case. The event was over booked, predominantly by women, and there wasn’t even space on some of the tables to sit, so you had to awkwardly stand behind. It was really confusing to know where you were supposed to be sitting, the woman who had a microphone was drowned out by the noise and the whole event felt incredibly chaotic and disorganised. Staff seemed to be doing nothing but standing around chatting to each other and drinking. I am not sure where my money was spent as the level of effort was incredibly low and we were passed random pieces of crumpled paper with some of the answers from our questionnaire beforehand and there was no algorithm pairings at all. I would very much avoid if you are seeking a romantic connection (especially if you’re a woman!)

It's basically a meetup in a pub that you have to pay for. Lots of people (60+). Started off well but soon turned into chaos. Too loud, hard to have conversations. No organisation, so people ended doing whatever they wanted.

You're better off going to a meetup because at least it's free. No refunds is kinda of a scam as they don't even provide a free complementary drink.

Also, reviews on their site are just cherry picked texts from people. You might find someone you like, but there are better, cheaper events that are organised properly.

Went to a Manchester event where we were meant to be matched by compatibility. Abysmal gender ratio and groups seemed to be organised completely at random. Exploitative ticket prices at £30+ each, then expensive drinks on top. The organisers were dragging random men off the street into the event, and bribing them with free shots to stay, a complete disgrace considering what we spent on ticket prices. If you leave them any comments or reviews they’ll try to have them removed, look at the responses on social media. Seen negative reviews about working for them too - just a cash grab for the owner. Don’t put yourself through the embarrassment of attending one of these. Wish I’d found the reviews before we’d all dropped £££ on tickets.

This is an unpaid review and totally unbiased. I'm an individual with no previous history/link to this company. My name is Yash and I attended their Event on Cardiff , Golf Fang a few days ago. The event promised a lot of things , with how their application form was and how their reviews seemed I expected a lot from the grouping/matching event.

For context the venue was perfect the staff were amazing but the event overall was far off from what advertised. I'm a 20 year old and I got matched into groups with 28-30 year olds when their advertisement says age inclusive. It wasn't just me , a few more people on the venue complained about this as well. I understand that it's hard to keep it age inclusive but I emailed them regarding it a day before asking if it's possible and if not I wouldn't book a ticket. Got no reply as expected.

I played golf and just went home , no one wanted to talk to me and overall I felt alienated because of my age which was counter inclusive to what this event was supposed to be.

Overall a waste of £32. You can attend normal golf fang events for less than £20 . This was more like paying for a brand rather than promised service.

Would not recommend, their advertisement seems to target lonely people for a reason.