I fell for my surf instructor in Morocco. We got married and turned an abandoned riad into a hotel.
Nina Ottevanger and her husband found a rundown Moroccan home with no bathrooms. They spent five months and about $86,800 renovating it into a hotel and surf school.
Nina Ottevanger met her now-husband Ilyass during a surfing lesson in Morocco eleven years ago. They began a long-distance relationship while Nina finished her studies in the Netherlands and Ilyass worked at a surf camp in Morocco. They got married in 2021 and decided to turn an abandoned riad house into a hotel and surf school.
They bought the rundown riad for €75,000, renovated it over five months, and welcomed their first guests in October 2024. The business, Ilyana Surfhouse, offers five guest rooms with rates starting at 500 Moroccan dirhams ($53) per night, including breakfast and dinner.
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