{
  "id": 8838531,
  "title": "I fell for my surf instructor in Morocco. We got married and turned an abandoned riad into a hotel.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/i-fell-for-my-surf-instructor-in-morocco-we-got-married-and-turned-an",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-21T04:10:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/couple-restored-abandoned-riad-rabat-morocco-opened-surf-school-hotel-2026-9"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "Nina Ottevanger met Ilyass during a surfing lesson in Morocco 11 years ago.",
    "They got married in 2021 and converted an abandoned riad into a hotel.",
    "Ilyana Surfhouse opened in October 2024 with five rooms starting at $53/night."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Turning an abandoned riad into a thriving hotel and surf school cements the couple's new life together, blending their personal love story with a business venture in Morocco.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}