Villa Mandala by Surf Maroc
Yoga, surf & a cool vibe
The surf
99% of the time, there is always somewhere to surf. With an NW and SW facing coastline, we are blessed with multiple options, whatever the conditions.
The summer months (April – October) see small to medium swells, with mainly surfing taking place on the beaches and reefs on the more exposed northwest coast.
This is a great time for anyone looking for fun, uncrowded warm water surf. During the winter months ( October – March), the waves that have made Morocco famous come to life and world-class surf and leg achingly long rides are an everyday occurrence.
Breaks
The lodge
Villa Mandala is our oceanfront Yoga Retreat Centre dedicated to yogic values and practice. It’s the perfect place to escape and connect with your inner calm. Villa Mandala operates slightly differently from our other locations, where we run a schedule of Saturday-to-Saturday Yoga & Surf Retreats.
The retreat entails a comprehensive yoga program alongside daily surfing excursions; it’s the place to go for those of you who want to be immersed in a diverse and inspirational yoga practice while having the chance to catch some waves. Our renowned Yoga Surf Retreat at Villa Mandala has been featured in The Guardian and The Telegraph Travel, amongst many more publications.
Residing on the rugged Moroccan coastline, just outside of Taghazout, Villa Mandala boasts a lush garden, relaxing living areas, plunge pool, and yoga shala. Above all, the space has a caring and family-like environment created by our in-house yoga teachers, hosts, and team. Villa Mandala is also available for private hire for guest teacher retreats or training.
Mandala’s spacious, Berber, and colonial-style living area looks out onto the pool and Banana beach. It’s the ideal place to read and relax after a long day in the sun and surf or spend blissful evenings accompanied by exquisite food and great company.
The small attractive pool on Mandala’s front terrace is perfect for a refreshing dip between sunbathing or after a day at the beach.
We have a dedicated host team who are on hand 24/7 to make sure you are incredibly well looked after.
Yoga & Surf Retreat
The Yoga Surf Retreat at Villa Mandala provides our most comprehensive week of yoga. The seven-day progressive retreat delves deep into all aspects of yoga, for both beginners and experts alike, with an eclectic mix of teachings including creative vinyasa, powerful pranayama, laughter yoga, restorative, yin, yoga Nidra, and meditation. Between yoga sessions, our qualified surf instructors will take you to waves to suit your ability and provide you with hands-on coaching best suited to beginners and intermediates. We provide board and wetsuit from our hire center so you can travel light.
Eat & drink
At Villa Mandala, our chefs cook delicious vegetarian food made from local seasonal ingredients. Our menus are inspired by Ayurvedic tradition whilst including a delectable mix of Moroccan and international ingredients and recipes. Meals are balanced and nutritious – with many indulgent treats too!
For breakfast and dinner, guests are invited to feast together at sharing tables located on the terrace overlooking the ocean. Our communal meals punctuate the day and form a special part of the Villa Mandala retreat experience. For lunch, we provide a packed lunch for you to eat at the beach with your fellow surfers.
All meals, plus afternoon tea and cake, are part of the Yoga Surf Retreat package. We can cater to most dietary requirements, so please just let us know.
Massage
At Villa Mandala, we offer a range of relaxation and rehabilitative massage therapies, including Thai Yoga Massage. Prices start from £30.
We also offer beauty treatments and traditional hammam and massage at Amouage, our boutique hotel’s spa in Taghazout.
Shala
The Yoga Shala, high on the rooftop of the villa, is surrounded by fantastic views of the beach, ocean, and mountain. The shala’s wooden finish throughout and surrounding glass doors allow it to be enjoyed both as an impressive indoor studio or an open, airy space for an unforgettable yoga practice.
The shala is fully equipped with yoga mats, blocks, straps, bolsters, blankets, sandbags & lavender eye bags. As well as plenty of incense, candles, a little Ganesha shrine (& beautiful dristi), built-in dimmer lighting, electric sockets, and speakers; we also provide each guest with their yogi towel (drip dot mat) to use throughout the retreat to optimize your yoga practice and minimize your luggage!
Rooms
Location
Getting there
Surf Maroc
Thomas Crowe
Surf Maroc was founded by two friends in 2003 with 5 boards, a few old wetsuits, and even an older transit van. With no master plan, we have grown organically through demand and popularity. Our company was shaped by the desires and needs of ours guests, under the inspiration of those who work here.
We’re obsessed with surf and yoga, but it’s the people who work with us and the people who stay with us that create the special atmosphere that makes Surf Maroc what it is.
Today, Surf Maroc operates a collection of four epic oceanfront locations, each of which was built to provide surf and yoga holidays and run by a professional team of people who are passionate about hospitality. If you stay with us, expect amazing waves, delicious food, great weather (all year round), beautiful accommodation, good people, and good vibes. Our doors are open for everyone.
Sustainability/responsibility
Here we believe in doing good and being good. And that’s what we do every day to help protect and develop our environment and community. We are making strides to make all of our locations sustainable, to support our local community, and to encourage others to do good and be good too. Actions speak louder than words, and when it comes to helping the environment and community, it’s the small actions that make a big difference.
Since the beginning, we've been involved with local initiatives and we partnered with the Surf Rider Foundation in Maroc very early on. We were one of the very first surf business’ to recycle and even then the recycling had to be exported to Spain, as there are no facilities in Morocco to process recycling. We teamed up once a week for local beach cleans and encouraged guests to participate. There are local initiatives now too which Surf Maroc supports and volunteers with. From funding beach cleans and eliminating plastics to supporting local charities and community projects, it’s these small things Surf Maroc does that make a great impact.
Coming here, you become part of our community. And we love when our guests get involved with all the good things we do. That can be as simple as using our Beach Clean Up Kits, coming to our charity Yoga classes, or using our filtered fountains. Every good deed means that together, we can spread the good word and make a difference.
