For years, a group of friends who kept kosher took the same summer trip to the Catskills. They booked several hotel rooms and spent the week running into each other in hallways or parking lots, while paying high prices for the experience.
During one trip, three couples stayed in hotel rooms next to each other in Sullivan County. They paid more per night than it would have cost to rent a whole house nearby. At the time, they didn't know renting a large house was possible.
Things changed when someone found Kvation, a booking website for kosher vacation rentals. The group could now browse listings with real prices and availability, without waiting days for hosts to reply.
They ended up booking a seven-bedroom kosher villa in the Catskills and split the cost among several couples. Each family paid less than they would have for one hotel room. Since then, they haven't gone back to hotels.
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Why Airbnb Often Doesn't Work for Kosher Travel
For many travelers, Airbnb is a great solution. The platform features unique properties, friendly hosts, and an easy booking process. But for kosher-observant families, Airbnb can be difficult.
The issue isn't the quality of the homes. Airbnb is built for the general market. However, kosher requirements usually fall outside that system.
For example:
- Kosher kitchens: Airbnb kitchens have typically been used by previous guests for non-kosher food, making them unfit for many observant travelers.
- Shul proximity: The platform doesn't allow travelers to filter properties based on walking distance to a synagogue.
- Eruv boundaries: Airbnb listings generally don't indicate whether a property is located within an eruv.
For kosher travelers planning a large family or group trip, these details become essential. That's why many kosher groups now turn to dedicated booking sites focused on kosher vacation homes.
Listings often include fully kosher kitchens, properties located within established eruv communities, and homes designed to host large Shabbos meals.
The Budget Math Behind Renting a Villa
The real surprise for many travelers is how the cost compares with hotels.
A typical hotel room in the Catskills during peak summer or around Jewish holidays can range from $280 to $380 per night. Over a long Shabbos weekend from Friday to Sunday, four couples could easily spend $3,300-$4,500 just on hotel rooms.
By comparison, a large kosher vacation home with seven or eight bedrooms, a full kosher kitchen, and space for a large group might cost $1,800-$3,500 for the entire weekend.
Split between four couples, that is roughly $450-$875 per couple for the entire stay.
The price difference is significant. The experience itself is often even better.
What a Kosher Villa Offers That Hotels Can't
Staying in a private vacation home creates a completely different group experience.
Instead of separate hotel rooms and crowded restaurants, everyone shares the same space. Families cook together in a kosher kitchen, prepare meals in advance for Shabbos, and gather around one table.
Kids can move freely between bedrooms and outdoor spaces, while adults relax together without coordinating multiple hotel rooms or reservations.
For observant Jewish travelers, several features make kosher vacation homes especially appealing:
- A fully kosher kitchen: Separate sinks, cooking surfaces, and appliances designed for kosher use.
- Within walking distance of a synagogue: Kosher rentals are within walking distance of shuls, and many homes are located within established eruv communities.
- Space for large groups: Villas can comfortably host extended families or multiple couples under one roof.
- Proper dining areas: Long tables and gathering spaces designed for group or family meals.
These aren't luxury extras. For Shabbos and kosher holiday travel, they are essential.
Why the Catskills Remain a Popular Destination
The Catskills have been a summer destination for New York's Jewish community for more than a century. While the famous Borscht Belt resorts have mostly disappeared, the region still has a strong Jewish infrastructure.
Communities like Liberty, Monticello, South Fallsburg, Woodridge, Woodbourne, White Lake, and Loch Sheldrake offer kosher grocery stores, multiple synagogues, and established eruv boundaries.
For travelers from New York City, the Catskills are conveniently close. Many destinations are just 1½ to 3 hours by car, making them ideal for long weekends or extended summer stays.
Beyond the community infrastructure, the region offers classic Catskills scenery: forested mountains, lakes, hiking trails, and small towns that make for a relaxing escape from the city.
Booking a Kosher Vacation Rental
Before specialized platforms grew common, many travelers found kosher rentals through word of mouth, Facebook groups, or classified listings. The process was slow and uncertain. Dedicated kosher rental platforms changed that.
Many listings now contain detailed information about kosher kitchens, group capacity, nearby synagogues, and other amenities. Travelers can browse availability, compare properties, and book online.
For one group that switched from hotels to villas, the process was simple:
- Search for kosher vacation rentals in the Catskills based on group size.
- Compare several properties based on amenities, kosher kitchen setup, eruv, and location.
- Book the rental online and split the cost between families.
What used to take days of emails and phone calls can often be done in an afternoon.
Tips for Splitting a Vacation Rental With Friends
If you've never shared a vacation rental with multiple families, a few simple guidelines can make the process easier.
Focus on the per-couple cost. A $2,800 villa might sound expensive, but split among four couples, it is only $700 per couple.
Divide bedrooms fairly. Rooms with private bathrooms or larger spaces can carry a higher share of the cost if needed.
Plan food together. Many groups split grocery costs and prepare Shabbos meals as a group in your rental's kosher kitchen, which is often cheaper and more enjoyable than eating out (or have prepared Shabbos food delivered to your rental from the nearby kosher grocery for a more curated experience).
Book early for holidays. Kosher vacation rentals in the Catskills fill quickly around Pesach, Sukkot, and peak summer weekends.
When done well, splitting a large house can make a group trip significantly more affordable than staying in separate hotel rooms.
A Different Way to Travel Together
For many families, the first time staying in a kosher vacation villa can feel like a revelation.
Instead of coordinating hotel rooms and meal plans, everyone stays together in one place, cooks together, and enjoys a more relaxed pace. The trip feels a bit less like a hotel stay and more like time in a shared home.
Many groups who try it once end up repeating the experience year after year.
For families seeking kosher vacation rentals in the Catskills, browsing available accommodations online can be a useful starting point. Services like Kvation allow travelers to search for properties by group size and kitchen setup, and to verify eruv coverage.
And once travelers run the numbers, they often come to the same conclusion: Why didn't we do this sooner?
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This article was produced in partnership with Kvation.
