Luxury Kosher Holidays & Hospitality
Guide
Morocco has one of the oldest continuous Jewish histories in the world, a coastline that rivals southern Spain, and a culinary tradition built for hospitality. It is also, increasingly, where families choose to spend Passover.
Three things make Morocco unusual as a Passover destination. The first is heritage: Jewish communities have lived here for well over two thousand years, and the mellahs, synagogues and cemeteries of Fes, Marrakech, Casablanca and Essaouira are still standing and still visitable. Spending Passover here places the festival in a landscape that is part of the story.
The second is practicality. Morocco is a short flight from Paris, Madrid, Brussels and London, and reachable from Montreal, New York and Tel Aviv with one connection. April on the coast is warm without being hot.
The third is the kitchen. Moroccan Jewish cooking is one of the great festival cuisines, and the country’s hospitality infrastructure is built around large family gatherings.
Programmes tend to cluster in a few areas, and each has a different character.
The northern Mediterranean coast — Tamouda Bay, M’diq and Marina Smir, between Tangier and Tétouan. Calm sea, five- and four-star resorts, and the shortest reach to Chefchaouen, Tétouan and Tangier for Chol Hamoed. This is where the Sarah Tours Passover 2027 programmes are held.
The Atlantic coast — El Jadida and the Mazagan area, and further south Agadir. Big beach resorts, wide skies, cooler Atlantic water. Sarah Tours ran Passover at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort for many consecutive years, and has hosted programmes in Agadir.
Marrakech — inland, warmer, and the most atmospheric option, with the Mellah, the Lazama synagogue and the souks on the doorstep. We have run Passover programmes in Marrakech in the past; for 2027 it works best as a Chol Hamoed excursion or a post-Passover extension. Compare Marrakech, Agadir and Mazagan in detail.
Who supervises the kashrut. Ask for the name of the Beth Din, not just the word “glatt”. Ours is the Beth Din of Casablanca.
Whether kitniyot are served. Practice differs between communities. A programme should state its position plainly. Ours is strictly no-kitniyot for the whole of Passover.
Who actually runs the kitchen. There is a real difference between a hotel kitchen hired for a week and an operator bringing its own culinary team.
What happens on Chol Hamoed. The middle days are where a programme is made or lost. Ask what excursions run, whether they are included, and what happens on the days they do not.
Whether there is a real children’s programme. Supervised hours, an early dinner and age-appropriate activities change the holiday completely for parents.
Chefchaouen, the blue-washed town in the Rif mountains, is the one most guests remember. Tétouan has a UNESCO-listed medina and strong Andalusian character. Tangier offers the Kasbah, Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules. Asilah is a whitewashed Atlantic town with ramparts and murals. Gibraltar is possible for guests whose passports allow the crossing.
More on this in our guide to private kosher tours of Morocco.
Morocco is where Mimouna comes from, and celebrating it in the country itself is a different experience from celebrating it elsewhere. Read the story of Mimouna.
Our 2027 programmes run 21–30 April 2027, nine nights, full board, with an optional pre-arrival from 20 April and an optional Shabbat extension from 30 April to 2 May.
You can compare both programmes — Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay and Marina Smir Hotel & Spa — or speak with our team.