A recent poll conducted by the popular Facebook group Passover Program Reviews revealed what may be obvious to anyone who knows anything about Jews: participants of Pesach programs value food more than anything when booking a Passover program.
The Facebook group is moderated by the founders of Passoverlistings.com, which features information about Passover vacations that aim to provide an excellent and unforgettable culinary experience for individuals and families vacationing on their programs.
Customers of Passover programs enjoy afternoon barbecues on the beach or by the pool with delicious smoked meats, 24-hour tearooms stocked with pastries, coffee, fruits and nuts, sushi bars with freshly caught fish and other mouthwatering delights prepared by renowned chefs. Of course, all the food is kosher for Passover.
“We spare no expense on the quality of our ingredients,” a representative of leading kosher travel company Kosherica said. “It is imperative that the product we use is the highest of quality. We also have an extraordinary culinary team that masterfully creates mouth watering dishes.”
Passover is held this year from April 15-24, and those looking to make life easier by spending the holiday out of the house can choose from a variety of programs catering to their culinary desires.
Passoverlistings.com makes it simpler to find the perfect program for you. The TripAdvisor and Yelp for Passover programs, the popular website features information, photos and reviews of Passover programs around the world, including in San Diego, Miami, Florida, the Bahamas, Dubai, Greece, Italy and Cancun, Mexico.
Visit the website, browse pictures and read posts from users who share their honest opinions about the food offered at trips they have taken in the past. The website features comments on everything from the size of the portions to the customer service skills of the servers.
Passoverlistings.com co-founders Doni Schwartz and Daniel Kramer said the kosher clientele of Pesach programs have come to expect unique and high quality culinary experiences.
”Living off of salami, tuna, Tam Tam crackers—anything that packed well in a suitcase—is a thing of the past,” the Passoverlistings.com co-founders said. “We’ve raised a generation of foodies whereby the delectable food is a major component, if not one that outweighs the other pleasantries of the entire trip. If you want to travel kosher, there’s no better way to do it than from Kosher Farm-to-Resort Balcony.”
At its one-of-a-kind Italy-based program, Leisure Time Tours offers plated lunches and dinners on Yom Tov and Shabbat, while breakfast and the tearooms are always buffets. At its stateside programs, the company serves most of its meal as buffets.
The program is held at the Imperiale Palace Hotel, a boutique hotel in Portofino, Italy, less than an hour away from Rome. It often pairs Italian chefs with chefs from Israel who are flown in to work closely with the Italian crew.
“From our perspective, the food is of utmost importance on all our Passover programs,” Robert Frucher, managing director at Leisure Time Tours, said. “We offer only high-end food operations at all of our hotels.”
Leisure Time Tours also holds Passover programs at the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Arizona; the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach; and the Ocean Place Resort and Space in beachside Long Branch, New Jersey.
The tearooms at Leisure Time Tours resorts are always lavish affairs, with “more food than a Viennese table at a Jewish wedding,” the company says. From fruit-carving and chocolate-dipping stations to fondue and flambé fruit stations, the tearooms are a highlight of the programs, perpetually bustling with people mingling and munching on the delectable treats. There will also be a buffet of entertainment, with popular comedian Modi and singing sensation Avraham Fried performing.
While the chefs at Leisure Time Tours’ abroad program are skilled in the fine art of Italian cuisine, Kosher Tours Mexico’s chefs are skilled in a variety of culinary styles, including Mediterranean, French, Asian and traditional Jewish food.
“We implement constant variety in our day-to-day menus,” Kosher Tours Mexico said. “We have a Mexican dinner one night, Asian fusion the next and of course, a traditional Jewish cuisine that guests expect on Yom Tov.”
Kosher Tours Mexico holds its five-star program at the Camino Real Sumiya Resort, a 163-room hotel built on a Japanese estate in the charming town of Cuernavaca. Gathering about a 90-minute drive from Mexico City, vacationers enjoy fish caught daily from the Atlantic Ocean and a variety of sushi, nigiri, sashimi and poke bowls served daily. The head chef is a meat virtuoso and pit master who creates world-class barbecue, the company said.
Prices at these highly esteemed programs vary. Kosherica Pesach programs, for example, will be held this year at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas, with prices starting at $5,395 per person; the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliff Resorts in Phoenix, Arizona, with prices beginning at $4,700 per person; and the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach, Florida, with prices starting at $5,250 per person.
“We caterer to every price range with our three hotels,” Kosherica said in an email. “We have great promos that will end soon. We are selling very fast.”
For those seeking a memorable Pesach vacation away from home this year, each of the reputable programs offer high-quality food options and overnight stays at competitive prices.
To read more about Passover programs operating this year, visit Passoverlistings.com.
