Basically, we are really close with a small friendship group (with a mixture of partners and singles in this group) and as out first step we feel that we would be more comfortable with our close friends than with strangers! Also, we are very open with this friendship group and have spent years talking with them about all sorts of sexual things and our sex/masturbation stories so we couldn’t be much closer to them haha! 
They’re great ideas! As in, rather than at one of our houses, to make it a holiday that has some more suggestive things at the hotel/accommodation that we’re all up for and then seeing what happens?