My dear and precious friends,

I hope you are all doing great, that you and your loved ones are healthy and remaining optimistic regardless of the emergence of new variants and the increasing preoccupations they create, which might be quite distressing, especially as we’ve been able to finally perceive little gleams of emancipative light slowly bloom on the horizon as of late. From this emerged a very special blessing that came shining quite brightly for me, giving life to a celebration I can finally share with you.

Therefore, with no further due, I am cheerfully honored to let you know that, as of today, I have the wonderful and incommensurable privilege to be the new owner, alongside my best friend and faithful accomplice Jeff, of the highly esteemed and renowned boutique hotel La Maison de Tanger, located in the heart of the old city. This is a dream I have had for quite some time now, a project we actively started working on last March and that became an improbable reality only a few weeks ago.

And, if it wasn’t already incredible enough of a realization in itself, August 2nd marks the 5th anniversary of the moment I first drifted to Tangier, in what was a period of great desperation for me. I wasn’t only emotionally worn out, physically exhausted and spiritually hopeless, but also unable to see many more reasons to keep on going with my existence any longer. It was undeniably the lowest point of an endless free-falling bleakness for me. And to say that I have been welcomed by the dazzling nature of the city after drifting for so long would be an understatement. So it’s an uplifting sensation for me to presently write this message while soaking in the singular vibe of the city and looking at its luxuriantly dreamy bay, sitting on the hotel’s terrace, located only a few rooftops away where I used to sit 5 years ago mourning my father’s passing, trying to find answers to questions I had never had the courage to ask myself before, hoping to make sense of it all. Those reflections are what would eventually give life to my first album “Windows in the Sky”.

If some could see this new endeavor as some sort of full circle, I foresee that adventure as a fabulous opportunity to offer an unbelievably soulful shelter to anyone looking for a place to rest, to mourn, to reimagine their lives, to design or redesign their personal journey, as much as embrace life, love, friendship and whatever we might want to define our upcoming seasons with. And who knows, we may have the exhilarating happiness to witness a new generation of writers, painters, musicians, and visionaries who may be inspired by the generosity of the city and impacted by the people who make Tangier one of the most beautifully unique places in the world, always-evolving. I have faith in the city’s human and cultural entity, where everyone is someone, where every visitor is invited to be an everlasting friend, no matter who we were when we initially drifted at its feet, always welcome to return regardless of who we may have become after our passage in its midst. All transformed, if only a little, by its fluid essence. At least that’s what Tangier is for me, and for so many others as well: a timeless yet eternal city of refuge that flows in its own rhythm… Free.     

I wish that news and its hopeful unlikeliness come as a comforting encouragement for you, my dear and precious friends. It’s one of the so many others living testimonies that not all possibilities of revivification and restoration are forever lost, even when we are unable to find ourselves nor able to find a reason to believe tomorrow could ever come with just enough promises for dawn to rise anew. Don’t give up… Tangier, which has been abandoned so many times in the past, now offers a stunning sight for everyone to behold, blazing and radiant like never before.

And since I’ll be here with Jeff, Miss Isabel, and a few friends for the rest of the summer, please don’t hesitate to join us for a few days or to stop by for a drink!

Much love,
Alex

PS: To discover the hotel and its astonishing story, you can visit its official website and follow its ongoing Instagram / Facebook feed.