Sandycamps - Hostel

The villa was quiet, picturesque. Accommodation was basic. Pool was great as I was a non surfer this trip. Food was fair but never enough. Breakfasts were really basic. Evening meal started with cold soup every time. Surfers had to walk 3/4 mile to get to the surf. Unfortunately the king of Morocco had started tearing down the locals accommodation and was putting up big hotels, which has ruined the atmosphere of the fishing village altogether. I felt we were walking through a war zone. Moroccan staff were delightful and very accommodating though. Will not be returning for all the reasons above.

We had a lovely week surfing at Sandy Camps! The staff was really friendly and helpful and it was just the right amount of chill time balanced with organised activities. We loved starting the day with yoga every morning and ending it with another surf session before being served an authentic Moroccan dinner. The location is beautiful with peacocks hanging amongst turtles and cats in a cosy garden area!

Such a good time at the camp! From the authentic food, the cleanliness, atmosphere, activities offered, location, staff, etc etc etc we were super pleased and will for sure be back. We did the free surfer package and were more than happy.

I stayed there for a week, with the sole purpose of learning surf, boosting my vitamin D levels and simply relax. While I arrived one of those rare days where it was raining heavily in Imsouane; the team of genuine people who welcomed me (Sandra, Aimee, Ruby and Elsa) made my experience so good I just didn't want to leave when my trip was over. I was a complete beginner in both Surfing and Yoga and was a bit anxious whether I'd learn enough during that trip so that it would stick for the next time I go. But Ruby is just an awesome and super positive surf teacher, that made everyone in my group learn lightning fast, I've learned tons and I'm confident for my next learning steps. Then the yoga for me was a bonus, as I was not looking for it at first. But the yin yoga sessions that Aimee was giving us every evening was just amazing, putting our souls to rest. Everyday was a different experience, and she just naturally knows how to set the mood and make it a spiritual experience for you. Thanks to her I now will be looking to pursue yoga back home. I was lucky enough to have a good group of people with who I connected so that made the whole experience fantastic.

Summary - great place, great team, very poor accommodation, unfortunately not under Sandycamps' control, I've no doubt the (rather stunning) Sandra, co-founder of Sandycamps, would love to raise the standards. Sandycamps Imsouane should be perfect, but isn't. Lovely team of people, an enchanting site set slightly away from the village, green and beautiful. a fantastic yoga location, and Imsouane itself is lovely, with of course that fabulous Bay wave. The problem is that the Moroccan owner of the accommodation that Sandycamps rent/lease doesn't care, he has his fingers in too many pies in the area and the Sandycamps "auberge" and the villa are very low priority for him. (BTW while you're eating your fairly plain but decent meals every evening, he'll be sitting at an adjacent table tucking into much more interesting food with bottles of wine!) The villa is poor (though brilliant location in front of Cathedral surf break). I'd say definitely don't stay there unless it receives serious renovations. It would be incredibly easy to make a few small improvements (wi-fi boosters, curtains over the windows at the top of room doors, oiling all door hinges/locks, making the kitchen functional with(say) a kettle and a working fridge, and a bit harder to do more, like better windows, better beds, proper lighting, smartening up the tatty crumbling decor. The main camp could be magnificent if renovated, it would be a gem - there's a beautiful garden and grounds with peacocks, a nice pool, a bar, ping-pong etc but the rooms suffer from the same lack of care and maintenance, bad beds, tatty decor, chilly at night - except for the yoga "temple" at the top, which is perfect. If I could afford it and he'd sell, I'd buy the site from the careless owner and renovate it into what it should be - Sandycamps would probably have to charge a little more, but it would be worth it.

I came alone to surf in Imsouane Morocco, thinking that at Sandy Camp I can meet others and will not be hanging out alone the whole time. So I was looking for an all inclusive "camp" style stay. Sandy Camp's web site offered a solution and marketed itself well on the web site. The one star I did give Sandy Camp for my review is because the guests and the staff at Sandy Camp were so nice and I got to meet really nice people. So yeah, I was not alone - thanks to the guests at Sandy Camp. But thats not a good enough reason to come to Sandy Camp . The accomodation is in such a poor state. Really bad. Urgent maintenance is required. Examples: the bed was broken (the whole bottom frame on the floor), the light in the room and in the hallways did not work (I literally was in total dark in my room after sundown), the public areas are not clean at all, room with private kitchen has no stove/gas - I couldnt even prepare tea in the room even though I paid for a private kitchen. The food was tasteless, monotonous and the amount was not sufficient. The soup was served cold every dinner. really, every dinner. There were not enough vegetables served. The portiions were small and not enough servings for a second portion. If you come a few minutes late to a meal there is nothing left for you to eat besides rice. The surf lessons are a joke. Ive been to surf lessons before and saw other instructors in the water working with groups of surf students. Sandy Camp surf lessons are at a very low level. Really its a joke. Its more of a babysitter then a lesson. I must mention that one instuctor on one lesson that I had - Rubin - was amazing. The rest were really babysitting and not instructing. Location is not good. far from the bay which is the place where you usually surf and where the center of restaurants and shops are. I did give feedback during my stay to the owner of Sandy Camp and to the staff and it looked like they tried to take care of things - but actually did not. If a guest complains that the bed is broken or that there is no light in the room or that the kitchen does not function, I think that someone at Sandy Camp should take responsibilty over that. Its outragoues that they collect full charge and do not take responsibilty for these items which are not petty matters. I would defintely not return to Sandy Camp and not recommend going to Sandy Camp .

I decided to do Sandycamps as my introduction into Morocco as a solo traveller from Canada . I did the “ free surfer” package with meals included and surfing on my own. The meals were awesome and very healthy. They accommodated vegetarian and other diets for people. That staff here are incredible, and very genuine. They were extremely easy to communicate with and helped me when the atm ate my bank card! I highly recommend this place and the yoga and vibes are really just what I needed! Easily a 5 star experience for me!