KENT, Conn. - Before taking the stage on a recent Saturday eveningto sing karaoke to 'Summer Nights' from the musical 'Grease,' friendsSara Ezra and Jennifer Prasse, with fresh cocktails in hand, chattedabout why they're back at Club Get away for the third time in twoyears.
'We've done cruises,' says Ezra, 31, who lives in Brighton, 'buthere it's more outdoorsy, as opposed to just being at the pool or thebeach.' Earlier that day, they'd hiked, mountain-biked, taken akarate lesson, climbed a rock wall, and learned to swing dance. Nowit was time to unwind.
The women learned about New England's version of Club Med lastyear, when they saw a segment on the Travel Channel ranking the'world's hottest get aways for singles.' Club Get away came infourth.
The 300-acre camp, used for children's groups during the week,attracts mostly singles and some couples to its all-inclusive themedweekends, which run from Memorial Day to late October and cost about$300 to $350. Roughly a quarter of the guests are from the Bostonarea, and the rest are from New York City and Philadelphia, saysVictor Fink, who runs the camp that has been in his family since1946.
Several Boston-area singles organizations take groups there. TheBoston Ski & Sports Club was there on a recent weekend and plans totake two more trips this summer. The following weekend, for theJewish-themed 'Bagels & Jocks,' the Boston-based J Connection and theMosaic Outdoor Mountain Club of Mas sa chu setts were planningoutings.
Guests stay in bare-bones cabins for two, three, or four people,all with twin beds. Each cabin has a small bathroom, and there are nophones or radios - and no locks on the doors. Some people describethe place as a summer camp for adults; others say it's like springbreak.
Despite the camp's emphasis on outdoor activities, which areoffered every 30 minutes from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:30a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays, Club Get away, like Club Med, has areputation for being a place to party, drink, and - potentially -have sex with people you've just met.
Fink, 56, who is married with a teenage son, readily acknowledgesthat Club Get away has a party at mos phere. It was a trip to ClubMed that inspired the former New Yorker to turn the children's campinto an adult camp in 1978. 'We buried the bugles and put out thebars and the hot tubs,' he says.
Club Get away's Web site (www.clubgetaway.com) links to astreaming video of its profile on the Travel Channel, and Fink workswith many singles groups, including the country's biggest onlinedating service, Match.com. But the singles angle isn't mentioned inthe club's brochure.
'That's something that I always wrestle with,' Fink says. 'Theword of mouth is that singles are mostly who it's for, but I thoughtthat if you ran something saying `singles weekends,' it puts pressureon people to meet.'
In a more blatant appeal to singles, Club Get away last winterstarted offering singles cruises to the Caribbean.
Deb, a recent Club Get away visitor through the Boston Ski &Sports Club who doesn't want her last name published, says that shedid not expect what she referred to as the weekend's 'debauchery.'
'The whole reason I went to this one weekend in particular was Ithought it would be more sports-focused and mellow in terms of thesingles dating scene,' says the 34-year-old Lexington woman, whoworks in high-tech marketing. 'But it seemed the entire purpose wasjust to hook up, and that seemed superficial and worse than highschool.'
She was turned off by the 'volume-500 music' and 'the constantdrinking thing. And I thought the sports were incredibly lame.' (Finksays some of the sports - including the mountain biking, tennis, andmartial arts - are geared for beginners. Some weekends are focused ononly one sport, he says, and those are more advanced.)
Deb says she was shocked when she heard that the staff members,many of whom volunteer to teach classes in exchange for a freeweekend stay, sometimes do more than merely mingle with guests. (Finksays sexual relations between staff and guests are not encouraged but'not prohibited. Certainly, it can happen.')
On the other hand, Club Get away has loyal fans.
Steve Masse, 48, of Medford has gone about six times with theBoston Ski & Sports Club. 'After the first time, I began playingvolleyball,' he says. 'Then I learned rollerblading at Club Get awayand bought skates. Now I keep them in the trunk of the car.'
He says the first time he went, he had low expectations, 'but fromthe minute I got on the bus, it was just a constant party, the likesof which I hadn't seen since college. It was tremendous fun.'
Masse, who remodels houses for a living, says the guests oftenform social groups according to how much alcohol they drink. As forthe sexual element, he says, 'If you're really looking for sex,you're probably going to find it. But I think most of the time peoplewould rather have the relationship first.'
Diane Daniel can be reached at ddaniel@globe.com.
SIDEBAR: UPDATES After this installment, Date Lines goes onhiatus. Here's how our participants are doing as they begin thesummer:
Jim, 25, South Boston, investor-relations consultant. After someof his dates figured out who he was in the paper and identifiedthemselves, Jim has declined to give a final update. All he'll say isthis: 'If you asked me nine months ago where I thought I'd be and whoI thought I'd be with, my answer would be drastically different thanwhat my reality is today. The great thing is through all of this, Ican't say I'm disappointed in how things turned out. Being single isan adventure full of ups and downs. The downs leave a pit in mystomach. The flip side is that when times are good, I wouldn't tradethem for anything in the world.'
Tim 28, Cambridge, e-learning manager. Tim has yet to see thewoman with whom he flirted after church but did have a serendipitousincident involving her. 'I went to visit my priest, and he happenedto tell me about a woman he thought would be perfect for me. Hestarted describing this woman to me, and I realized that it was thewoman I had been flirting with a few weeks back! The priest told methat he would try to bring us together schedule-wise, and I'm hopingwe'll have the chance to meet again soon. I guess it's a bit old-fashioned, but it's still effective. My parents were `arranged' in asimilar way. Funny how we often spend so much time trying to breakaway from old customs, we sometimes fail to see their value.'
Tom, 42, Marlborough area, systems administrator. Tom is stilldating the woman he met at a group outing in April. They both haveteenage daughters and have been doing things with the kids and alone.'The best thing is that we are playmates. I love having a woman I canplay with. She even met my folks over the weekend. They offered us aplace to stay while we were on the Cape. Everything seemed quitenatural and comfortable.'
Anne, 38, Dorchester, special-needs educator. In anticipation ofher move to Nantucket, Anne updated her Match.com profile. She heardfrom one man, ' a decent sort' (and someone with a boat, of course),and hopes to talk on the phone soon before they follow through ontentative plans to hit the water.
Chris, 37, Dorchester, systems manager. Chris has had a couple ofdates with the man he met at a cookout during gay pride week, andthey have plans for dinner soon. 'It seems we both are direct aboutwhat we want,' says Chris. 'These discussions may be a little toointense. We are also still trying to determine points of commoninterest as well. He likes piano bars while I like dance clubs -major differences, to be sure.'
Diane Daniel, 44. What started out smooth and enjoyable with Tomhas become sometimes rocky and disappointing. At one point, we cameto an impasse and decided to stop seeing each other, then we reversedcourse. Never a great sign, especially after going out for only sixweeks. There is a strong affection and attraction between us, butthere seems to be a disconnect over expectations of staying in touch,making plans, and following through on plans. When we are together wethoroughly enjoy each other's company. We're trying to figure it out.Ultimately, I'll follow my instincts.
