The History Of Our Hostel

Aziz El Guanfouri was born in 1976 in Anza, the very place that would later become his life’s greatest mission. In the 1990s he worked as a shipowner, but in the year 2000 he left Morocco for France with nothing but courage and determination. Starting from zero, he took every job he could find, cleaning fish stores, working in markets, and selling on the streets. For 22 long years he pushed himself through sleepless nights and endless hard work, rebuilding not just his life, but his entire mindset and becoming a stronger, wiser version of himself.

In 2022, Aziz returned to his birthplace, Anza. He saw a place rich with potential: perfect waves for surfing, a peaceful atmosphere for total relaxation, and warm-hearted people ready to welcome the world. Yet tourism was almost non-existent. Local shops and families were struggling because there were few jobs and very few visitors. That was the moment everything changed. Aziz decided it was time to give back to the community that had raised him. He would create something new, a surf house that would bring travelers from around the world, create real jobs, support local businesses, and turn Anza into a true tourist destination.

In August 2023, Dinosaur Anza Surf House officially opened its doors. It was a bold and unusual idea for the area, and not everyone believed it would work. But Aziz believed with all his heart. He worked day and night, paying attention to every single detail to make sure the hostel felt like a true home for every guest.

Two months later, Anas joined the journey. At the time Anas was working as an accountant by day and giving everything he had to the hostel every night, Together with Aziz’s deep experience, maturity, and calm guidance, and Anas’s technology skills and energy, the small team began to grow. From the very beginning, surf coach Karim was there too, helping guests catch their first waves and filling the house with pure joy.

In late 2024, Ismail joined the team and quickly became one of the hearts of the hostel. He was fully attentive and taking care of everything in the hostel night or morning. Even though he wasn’t yet fluent in French or English, his hospitality came straight from the heart. Guests understood every word because it was spoken with genuine love and care, and they loved him right back.

That same year, all our hard work started to shine. Dinosaur Anza Surf House received multiple awards for being one of the cleanest hostels, for its perfect ambiance, warm hospitality, and for how deeply loved it was by guests. The entire team took care of every small detail. If anything wasn’t perfect, we fixed it immediately. Our guests became part of the family too. Many of them shared wonderful ideas (like new curtains and little improvements we hadn’t thought of) and helped us see things from a fresh perspective.

Today, with Aziz’s vision, Anas’s technology experience, Karim’s surf passion, Ismail’s heartfelt hospitality, and the whole team’s dedication, we keep growing step by step. We are constantly improving the area, improving ourselves, and making Dinosaur Anza Surf House an international landmark - a place that every visitor to Morocco must experience.

The road is not finished yet. Many goals are still ahead of us, and there is still a lot of work to do. But one thing we know for sure: why not become the best hostel in the world? In Dinosaur Anza Surf House, nothing is impossible.