Interesting question that doesn't get asked very often.

I've come back three times from lapses of 3-5 years each time. Because I had been flying for 20 years before my first hiatus, the stick-and-rudder stuff came back very fast. That was not the case when I used to arrive home from college when I'd only been flying a few years, which sounds more like the OP's situation.

I checked out in 2-33s each time and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that again for one or more initial flights especially--as OH notes--since more of your time was in that glider. As UH said, that's less important than finding a quality facility and an instructor who will take the time to bring you back up to speed the right way. [I was extremely fortunate in being guided by UH, OH, and P3]. Then you can move on to a higher-performance trainer for subsequent flights.

There are some things that you will (re)acquire over many hours (e.g., coordinated flight, speed control) and other things at least as much by repetition (towing, landing). So I would argue that minimizing the number of flights isn't necessarily always better.

I also agree with UH that it's easier to re-acquire the stick-and-rudder feel than the knowledge necessary to fly safely. I checked out in a 2-33 and jumped back into my 15M flapped glider immediately after a 5 year layoff. But I spent the rest of the summer carefully getting comfortable flying locally and then cross country, always aware that it was taking more time than I wished to come all the way back up the curve.

But that's part of the challenge, yes? Just like soaring in general: there's always a new challenge.

Chip Bearden