Landing a few miles from Essaouira, leaving the madness of the western world, getting into a big blue Mogador taxi and…

…arrive in Ouassane, a small village on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. These 15 short kilometres are enough to give time a new course and to activate the function « take life as it comes ».

To take life as it comes is to place oneself as an observer of the world, a bit like the seagulls posted on the dunes that scan the ocean waiting for the return of the fishermen.

To take life as it comes is to sit down at Ouassane’s surf house and admire the reflections of the sun on the façades of the surrounding houses as evening falls.

To take life as it comes, to put oneself in the rhythm of nature and to enjoy the cows that wander through the village…

… or a colt suckling its mother at the corner of a house…

… or the camel driver who passes every morning on the small road, most often in the middle of a conversation on his mobile phone…

To take life as it comes is not to be surprised any more to meet donkeys during every walk…

… or in the early morning while waiting for the bus or the Kangoo of Mohamed the fisherman…

…peacefully sitting on the stones laid out for this purpose since… probably a very long time!

To take life as it comes is to be touched by a family of sheep taking a photo break…

…while picking up bread at Omar’s, one of the two « mini-markets » in the village.

Ouassane guarantees a warm welcome at Amine and Adil’s surf house, or at the Auberge de la Grotte, or in Mohamed the fisherman’s Kangoo… in fact from all the warm inhabitants of the village.

Ouassane is the assurance of entering a colourful universe.

It’s having the joy of sharing a mint tea with Mohamed, Amine or Jess.

It is to offer oneself the incredible luxury of seeing white houses standing out against the blue of the ocean every time you look up from your book.

It means being able to relax in a world of shimmering colours.

It is to benefit from the multiple attentions left here and there, according to the days and the new ideas, by Amine, Mohamed, or by a passing traveller…

Chez Amine means enjoying every moment on a terrace with a breathtaking view of the ocean and the village.

Whether it’s for one or two days or for several weeks, it’s a break with a thousand flavours.

It’s like slipping into a big bath of humanity.

It means rediscovering the taste for simple and friendly relationships.

Here, it’s « only good vibes » under the leadership of the owner.

It’s chatting in the shade on the terrace…

Or to read, quietly installed under the patio bathed in blue.

It is also to remake the world for hours in the company of beautiful people from all over the world, Zineb, Ramzi, Esther, Jordi, Khadidja…

It’s sharing good laughs by reminding ourselves that our differences are the very essence of our humanity and that this is what makes life so tasty.

It’s having fun watching Amine and Mohamed laughing while beating the household carpets.

Ouassane means getting into the rhythm of the fishermen and surfers.

It’s learning again that each day is different from the next and the last because the ocean will simply not have the same colour or the same waves.

Ouassane means being able to sit back and admire the waves that roll in with force along the beach.

Ouassane means walking along the paths in the dunes or on the beach for hours on end and enjoying the wind…

…on the dunes and takes with him the worries of everyday life…

…then depositing the fine grains of sand to draw wonderful waves…

It’s walking, walking…

…and arrive where the desert meets the sea…

…until you meet the setting sun…

…a brief magical moment whose beauty lasts a thousand years…

…then, turning to go back to the village, it is to greet the moon already high in the sky.

It is to appreciate the peaceful calm of the evening falling on the countryside…

Ouassane, under a beautiful moonlight, it’s just magical…

…and it allows you to clear your mind by daydreaming.

Then comes the time to rejoice in front of the fire that is already crackling in the little fireplace…

… in a warm atmosphere…

…with many little corners where every travelling bird can nest…

…to quietly pick at the evening meal.

Here is the night in Ouassane, which allows to appreciate the total silence from the terrace…

…beautifully illuminated…

It’s time to relax in one of the rooms with typical Moroccan charm….

…in a shade of blue, conducive to sleep and sweet dreams.

The next day, breakfast under the terrace…

…by looking at the thousand and one colours around us…

…and savouring the final details in the early morning.

Listen to the birds singing…

…appreciate the flowers that bloom all around you…

Look at the cactus popping out of the teapots…

…offering shelter to ladybirds who wander around in complete confidence.

At Surf House, we cook together in the small kitchen where it smells delicious and we often decide to share the meal.

You can sit in the little corner, right next to the table, on which the baskets are placed and exchange a few words with those who are cooking or, through the window, with those who are passing by on the waterfront.

We hope you will come and discover this wonderful village… or another one.

… to taste these superb shades of colour…

…to let yourself be captured by these little touches of colour here and there…

… to dive into the blue of Morocco…

We wish you to take the time to take time as it comes, to reconnect with life in its simplest and most human way.

It is up to you to let yourself be carried away in complete serenity, at a much slower pace…

As for us, we are returning to Paris totally recharged and convinced that we must keep this slower pace, but so much more just. And to do this, in Morocco or elsewhere, there are many « Ouassane » waiting for us, with people at the right tempo, who really deserve to be known.

By Jean-Yves et Nathalie