Totally Jewish Travel.com is the biggest Jewish travel site on the internet & the leader in
Passover Programs listings and advertising.
We have been in business since 1999 and have over 135+ Pesach hotels advertising with us each year. We have carried advertising for thousands of Passover
listings and programs over 20 years.
We do not have a Passover Program review section for each Passover hotel or Passover resort on our site so we have compiled a list of tips and advice for you to use when booking your Passover vacation.
1. If you are unsure about a particular program operator, ask them to provide you with references from previous guests, Reputable programs will have no problem connecting you with previous guests who (with their permission of course) can vouch for their experience and send you a review of their Passover experience.
If a hotel is a new program there will obviously not be any past guests to ask or reviews to be read. In that case ask the operator if they have been involved with any previous Pesach or other type of kosher programs or caterers. Previous guests are the BEST way for you to review a Passover hotel.
2. Some social media outlets claim to offer reviews of Passover listings by previous customers. Our strong advice is to be VERY careful as often these Passover programs reviews can be the subject of manipulation for both good and bad by either disgruntled clients with an axe to grind or by the social media outlets themselves who have a commercial relationship with a Passover program.
Lastly these same commercial relationships have seen genuine negative Passover listing reviews removed in return for payment.
3. If the program is run by an operator that comes from a country with a different language to yours ask them if there will be activities such as kids clubs, shiurim, entertainment and the like in your language. If the program is mainly Sephardi ask if there will be an Ashkenazi minyan and visa versa. Also ascertain the situation regarding Kitniot and Gebrochts - most Passover programs are Kitniyot free, but if you have any doubt - ask to speak to the supervising organization of the Program directly.
4. If you are unsure about a Hashgacha, ask the program operator for the contact details of the supervising body and contact them. They will be more than happy to explain the level of Kashrut. If you desire extra assurances, please contact the the Kashrut supervision organisation DIRECTLY.
5. If you can, pay for your vacation by credit card. This will give you some protection in the rare case that the program fails or cancels. Always buy travel insurance as soon as you book so you can be covered by that as well.
6. Research the quality of the hotel, its rooms and facilities. There are planty of resources out there, i.e. Google reviews, Tripadvisor, Booking.com etc. Use other means of research on the internet to read reviews and see what the rooms, pools and communal areas are like.
7. Remember that the vast majority of Pesach programs and hotel operators are of good quality, run by decent people & companies. There will always be a few that fall short of honest & decent standards everyone expects. If you are unsure about anything when booking, using the tips above should help avoid this.