Love The perfect date according to him

The best dates don’t have to be expensive – or conventional – to be unforgettable.

“On our one-year anniversary, we replayed our first date. We went out to the same restaurant, ordered the same food, did the same walk along the quayside. On that first date, I was too shy to say that I really liked her. But on our ‘second-take’ date, I could tell her that I loved her.” – Chris, 30 “I took a woman trampolining for our first date, as I always freeze with the formality of a dinner date, so I needed to try a new tack. It worked. When you’re bouncing around like a kid, making an idiot of yourself, you get over the initial awkwardness pretty quickly. By the end of the afternoon, I felt like we were on a fifth date, rather than our first.” “It was easy to connect from the start, as we discovered that we shared the same taste in movies. Then, when I suggested the cinema, she said she was allergic to overpriced places, and preferred to go to Cape Town’s landmark Labia Theatre, an amazing old-school cinema. That, and her honesty, made the whole experience feel authentic and memorable, so much so that we spent hours afterwards chatting.” – Ndiphiwe, 24 “I was desperate to impress, so I booked a table at a fancy cocktail bar. She took one look at the pricey menu and said she’d rather go to the pub around the corner, and I fell for her instantly. We ate chips, sang to the music and were 100% ourselves.” – Issa, 24 “As colleagues who’d fancied each other for ages – but tried to keep things professional – there was a lot of sexual tension. We went to a swanky restaurant, but it was clear we wouldn’t get to the end of the meal. She only had to glance at the disabled toilet for me to know what she was thinking. It was the first time I’d had sex somewhere public and it was seriously hot. The staff were all giggling when we snuck out. I left a big tip!” – Bayo, 32 “It was at a flea market on a Sunday, and the weather was freezing, so we did lots of snuggling to keep warm. It was such a simple date – just walking, talking and getting to know each other – but the cold made it all feel really special.” – Ciaran, 28