Planning guide for Pesach 2027

What to decide, what to ask and what it will really cost, before you send anyone a deposit.

Start with what you want Pesach to do for you

Most families start with a place: Florida, Greece, Israel. It works better to start with the reason you’re going away at all, because two programs in the same town can be built for completely different families.

If you want to rest

Look for a full hotel program where meals, tea room and childcare are all handled, and a short trip to get there. A ten-hour journey with a connection eats two days of the rest you were paying for.

If you want the kids kept busy

The day camp matters more than the pool. Ask for the hours and the ages, whether there’s a separate teen program, and whether babysitting is available at night so you can sit through a seder or a concert.

If you want the whole family together

Ask early about adjoining rooms and a private seder table or room; those are the first things to sell out. Villa programs put everyone under one roof with the catering brought to you.

If you want to see somewhere new

In 2027 the first days run into Shabbat, so outside Israel you have three touring days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Pick a place where the things you want to see are within an hour or so, and check whether the program runs its own trips.

If standards come first

Get the name of the supervising rabbi before anything else, and take it to your own rav. Then settle the specific points your family keeps: gebrokts, kitniyot, Cholov Yisroel, separate swimming. Every listing here shows which of these the operator has put in writing and which you still need to ask.

Find the programs that fit

Pesach 2027 dates

Pesach 5787 begins on the night of Wednesday, April 21, 2027. Yom tov on Thursday and Friday leads straight into Shabbat, so remember an eruv tavshilin on Wednesday; a program will normally arrange one for everybody.

Wednesday, April 21Erev Pesach. First seder that night. Arrive by Tuesday if you can.
Thursday, April 22First day of Pesach. Second seder that night outside Israel.
Friday, April 23Second day outside Israel (first day of chol hamoed in Israel).
Shabbat, April 24Shabbat chol hamoed. Outside Israel that makes three days in a row without travel or outings.
Sunday to Tuesday, April 25 to 27Chol hamoed. These are the three days for trips and touring.
Wednesday, April 28Seventh day of Pesach. In Israel the holiday ends that night.
Thursday, April 29Eighth day outside Israel. Pesach ends that night; most guests fly home Friday or Sunday.

Questions to ask before you pay a deposit

A good operator answers these quickly and in writing. Slow or vague answers tell you something too.

Kashrut

Who gives the hechsher, by name, and are they on site for the whole holiday?
How many mashgichim are in the kitchen, and during which hours?
Is the program gebrokts or non-gebrokts? Are kitniyot served, and where?
Is all dairy Cholov Yisroel? Is the meat glatt, and from which shechita?

The operator

How many years have you run a Pesach program, and how many at this hotel?
Is the contract with the hotel signed for these dates?
Can I speak to two families who came last year?
What happened the last time something went wrong, and how was it handled?

Money

What exactly is included, and what is added on top: taxes, service, tips, resort fees?
What is the payment schedule, and what do I get back if I cancel, or if you do?
Is my deposit protected if the program doesn’t run?
What do children, babies and a third adult in the room cost?

The stay

Does the program have the whole hotel, or are there other guests?
Can we have a private seder table or room, and does it cost extra?
What are the day camp hours and ages? Is there babysitting at night?
Are there separate swimming hours, and when?
Which room category is the quoted price for, and how far is it from the dining room?

Budget calculator

The advertised price is rarely the whole bill. Put in your own numbers to see the real total for your family.

Adults

Children

Program price per adult, in dollars

The “from” price on a listing is usually the smallest room.

Children pay this percent of the adult price

Often 50 to 75 percent, less for babies. Ask the operator.

Taxes, service and tips added on top, percent

Many US programs add about 25 percent. Use 0 if the price already includes them.

Flights per person, in dollars

Everything else, in dollars

Transfers, car rental, chol hamoed trips, babysitting.

Estimated total

$28,250

Program: $19,000
Taxes, service, tips: $4,750
Flights: $3,000
Everything else: $1,500

An estimate to plan with, not a quote. The operator’s written price is what counts.

Israel or abroad

In Israel Pesach is seven days with one seder. Visitors from abroad usually keep the eighth day and a second seder anyway; ask your rav, and ask the program whether it runs a second seder and yom tov meals for guests who do.

The Israel programs that publish a price here are mostly cheaper than the US ones that do. Chol hamoed in Israel is full of things to do, and full of people doing them, so book transfers and attractions ahead.

Glossary

Gebroktsשְׁרוּיָה: Matzah that has come into contact with liquid, such as matzah balls. Many chassidic families don’t eat it, so a “non-gebrokts” program serves none for the first seven days.
Kitniyotקִטְנִיּוֹת: Rice, beans, corn and similar foods. Ashkenazi custom is not to eat them on Pesach; most Sephardi families do. Programs either serve none, or serve them at clearly marked stations.
Cholov Yisroelחֲלֵב יִשְׂרָאֵל: Milk and dairy produced under Jewish supervision from the milking onward.
Pas Yisroelפַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל: Baked goods where a Jew took part in the baking.
Glatt: A stricter standard for meat. “Glatt kosher” on its own doesn’t tell you who certifies it, so ask for the name.
Shmura matzahמַצָּה שְׁמוּרָה: Matzah made from wheat watched from the harvest. Ask whether it is hand or machine made, and whether it is served at every meal or only at the seder.
Hechsherהֶכְשֵׁר: The kosher certification: the rabbi or agency responsible for the kitchen. The single most important name to get from an operator.
Mashgiachמַשְׁגִּיחַ: The supervisor who is physically in the kitchen. Ask how many there are and whether they are there around the clock.
Chol hamoedחֹל הַמּוֹעֵד: The middle days of the holiday, when travel and outings are allowed.
Minyanמִנְיָן: The prayer service. Larger programs run several, in different traditions: Ashkenaz, Sefard, Edot HaMizrach.
Mimounaמִימוּנָה: The Moroccan celebration on the night Pesach ends, with sweets and mufletot.