What should you check before booking a kosher family resort for Sukkot?
Many families spend Sukkot away from home. A kosher family resort for Sukkot lets you keep the chag properly while someone else runs the kitchen, builds the sukkah and looks after the children. Plenty of hotels describe themselves as kosher for Sukkot, and what that means in practice varies from one property to the next.
It is much easier to ask now than after the flights and rooms are paid for. The seven checks below cover the kitchen, the meals, the sukkah, the children, the journey, the hotel and the terms. Take them to any resort or program you are considering, and ask for the answers in writing.
Start with the dates. Sukkot lasts seven days and is followed by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, which are one day in Israel and two days outside it. Hebcal lists the dates for any year. Know which of those days your stay covers before you compare prices.
Who supervises the kitchen, and is a mashgiach there all week?
A kosher label on its own tells you little, so ask for specifics:
- Which rabbanut or kashrut agency certifies the hotel
- Whether a mashgiach is on site throughout the chag, including Chol Hamoed
- How meat, dairy and pareve are kept separate in the kitchen and the dining room
- Whether the standard is Glatt, Mehadrin or Chalav Yisrael, if that matters to your family
If you want to know what a given certification covers, the kashrut agencies publish their own standards. The Star-K site is a good place to start. A resort with clear, named supervision is one you can check for yourself.
What does the meal plan cover on Yom Tov and Chol Hamoed?
Meal plans differ between properties, and they shape both the budget and the shape of each day.
- Every meal of Yom Tov and Shabbat, with a festive table
- Full board or half board during Chol Hamoed
- Tea, refreshments or light snacks between meals
- Menus for children, allergies and special diets
- Set seating or open dining, which matters for larger families who want to sit together
Half board on Chol Hamoed is common, because many guests are out for the day. If you plan to stay at the hotel on those days, ask what lunch costs and where it is served.
Is the sukkah big enough, and where do you daven?
The holiday is lived in the sukkah, so this check matters most for how the week feels.
- The sukkah is built according to halacha and seats every guest at once, or in clearly set sittings
- Whether meals are served in the sukkah itself or in a separate room
- On-site minyanim and the daily davening times, including Hallel and Hoshanot
- Scholars in residence, shiurim and holiday programming
- Whether the hotel provides the arba minim, or you bring your own
Ask what happens when it rains, and whether older guests can reach the sukkah and the shul without stairs.
What is there for the children?
A Sukkot vacation works when every age has something to do, and when parents get some time too.
- Day camps or clubs by age group, for children and for teens
- The age bands and the daily hours, including on Yom Tov
- Family swimming times, and times for younger children
- Evening entertainment for adults and children
- Babysitting, if you want an evening to yourselves
For how a family trip is put together with us, see kosher family vacations.
How easy is the journey there?
Where the hotel sits decides how easy the trip is, especially with small children or grandparents.
- Distance from the airport and the transfer time
- Whether the hotel arranges shuttles or local transport
- Sights and day trips nearby for Chol Hamoed, and whether they are included or extra
- Flights in the Sukkot travel window, which fill early
- Synagogues and Jewish communities nearby
- Whether the setting suits both young children and older travelers
If you are traveling to Israel, our guide to how holiday programs in Israel work covers the same ground for Pesach, and most of it applies to Sukkot as well.
What does the hotel offer between meals?
Outside the holiday program, the hotel itself decides how comfortable the downtime is.
- Indoor and outdoor pools, a gym and a spa, and spa prices during your stay
- Room sizes, and connecting rooms for larger families
- Lounges or quiet spaces for older guests
- Wi-Fi, parking and laundry, since a week away with children adds up
What are the cancellation and insurance terms?
Plans change. Read the terms before you pay a deposit.
- Cancellation deadlines, and the charge at each one
- The payment schedule, since some properties take a deposit months ahead
- Whether travel insurance is required at booking, and what it must cover: cancellation, medical care and lost luggage
- What happens if the hotel changes your dates or rooms
- Copies of every confirmation and the payment terms, kept together
Why do many families book a Sukkot program rather than a hotel?
Many families would rather not assemble the supervision, the meals, the sukkah and the kids’ clubs themselves. A Sukkot program is built around the chag from the start: the sukkah, the shiurim, the children’s program and the kitchen supervision are arranged together, by one team.
Two questions are worth asking any program: who answers when you call before the trip, and whether the people who took your booking are at the hotel during the holiday.
Our Sukkot program is at David’s Harp on the Kinneret, a hotel in the hills above the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee. The overview of every Sukkot program we run is on the Sukkot page. Sukkot 2027 at David’s Harp is Friday, October 15 to Friday, October 22, 2027. All our holiday programs are on Pesach and Sukkot programs, and you can put any of the seven questions to us directly through an inquiry.
