Fifty years ago, I was born in Casablanca. This December, I'm bringing a little bit of Morocco to the hills above Escondido, and my birthday wish is to be surrounded by my greatest loves: YOU.
I've collected a lot of treasures in these fifty years, and none of them come close to you. Having you as my tribe is the fucking BLESSING of my life.
On this milestone birthday, I want to celebrate US. The family we found in each other. The many chapters we've lived through together. The safe spaces we've built to be our most authentic selves. The tireless cheerleading for every dream. The mirrors we hold up for one another. The sacred knowing that we will be celebrated on our best days and held on our worst.
Alas, as this whole adulting thing took over, our lives got busier and time together got harder to come by. So for three whole days, let's have it back: all of us in one place, with nowhere else to be, celebrating the shit out of life and each other.
I can't wait to squeeze you aggressively!
Slow mornings
Poolside glamour
Curated self-care
Black tie birthday dinner
Dolce far niente
Dance parties
Epic DJ
Costumes, wigs, mischief
Distinct dearth of sobriety
Zero chill
In Morocco, an honored guest is welcomed at the door with dates and a splash of orange blossom water on the hands. It's the Moroccan way of saying: you're home now. This weekend, every one of you is the honored guest.
Every evening at dusk, Marrakech's great square transforms. Smoke rises from a hundred food stalls, storytellers draw their crowds, Gnawa drummers play deep into the night, and the whole city comes out to eat, flirt and wander. UNESCO calls it a masterpiece of human heritage. We'll call it Friday.
I skipped Burning Man this year, so I'm bringing the burn to us. All the costumes, glitter and freedom of the playa, minus the dust, the porta-potties and the baby wipe showers. Instead: a heated pool, endless hot showers, and sheets with a thread count.
From the 1920s until Moroccan independence in 1956, Tangier belonged to no one. A committee of foreign powers ran it as an International Zone, and the rules were loose at best. Bankers, spies, smugglers, heiresses and artists poured in. Paul Bowles moved there and never left. William S. Burroughs wrote much of Naked Lunch in a Tangier hotel room and called the city Interzone. It was the most glamorous, lawless, anything-goes city on earth. Tonight, so are we.
In Morocco, the hammam is a weekly ritual: steam, black soap, a good scrub and rose water. It's where you go to come back to yourself. After Saturday night, we'll need it.
In 1942, Casablanca gave the world Rick's Café Américain: Bogart in a white dinner jacket, Bergman in the candlelight, Sam at the piano playing "As Time Goes By." The film was adapted from an unproduced play called Everybody Comes to Rick's. The café was never real, until 2004, when a former American diplomat opened Rick's Café in a courtyard mansion by the walls of Casablanca's old medina. It's still there, piano and all. I was born in Casablanca. So on my birthday, everybody comes to Rick's.
With endless gratitude to the glorious Terasa Livingstone, for inspiring this beautiful weekend!
My massage therapist, Jon, is on site for the whole weekend. If you know, you KNOW.
Sign up in advance, booked and paid on your own.
Book with JonThe nurses from modMD come to us with hydration IV drips, the perfect cure after Saturday night.
Hangover IV bag, $120
Add-on options
For your looks, the dress codes above are there for inspiration. Really, whatever makes you happy is great.
December runs sunny in the high 60s by day and drops into the 40s at night.
A 28-acre private estate in the hills above Escondido, and it's all ours: four villas, a heated pool and hot tubs, gardens, a pickleball court and a banquet hall for the parties.
9381 W. Lilac Rd.
Escondido, CA 92026
Friday from 10am
Tell me your arrival time in the RSVP form.Monday by 5pm
Tell me your departure time in the RSVP form.Pricing is per person, based on double occupancy: two people share a room.
All-inclusive.
50 for my 50th!
The house sleeps exactly fifty, which felt poetic until I counted all of you.
Spots in the house are first come, first served, and yours is held as soon as your payment comes in.
If the house fills up, or if you can't stay all three nights, text me. I'll recommend a few hotels nearby and walk you through pricing.
| Settle up in full(ideal, since I've already paid the house and vendors) | $950 |
| or split it | |
| To hold your spot | $475 |
| Balance | $475 by November 15 |
If neither of these options works for you, text me.
Add your name and "Nawal's 50th" in the memo.
Please send as friends and family, with your name and "Nawal's 50th."
One short form. It tells me everything I need to plan rooms, food and the crew.
This one is adults only.
Yes! The house is reserved for those who can stay the whole weekend, but there are hotels nearby. Text me, and I'll share my recommendations and walk you through pricing.
I've arranged a 5pm checkout and a quiet space where you can finish your workday before you drive home.
See What to Pack above, right after Wellness. December runs sunny in the high 60s by day and the 40s at night.
Bring a reusable bottle and refill it at the main villa all weekend.
Gluten-free and dairy-free options are available at every meal. Tell me in the RSVP form so I can plan for you.
San Diego airport (SAN) is about an hour away, and LA is about two hours. There's parking on site.
The villa has strict quiet hours from 10pm to 8am, so late nights move indoors and the volume comes down. The pool is heated, though on a very cold day it may not get fully warm.
Text me anytime.