Hawaiian Paradise! Beautiful Maui, Hawaii hotel: Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. Chef Pang of Ko restaurant, plantation cuisine.
La Carmina in Hula-Land! I love how my Nanette Lepore dress flows; she’s an incredible designer.
Red Malibu silk dress: gifted by Nanette Lepore. Get the same one here, or try the strapless version.
Wedge sandals: Kenneth Cole (available here.)
Black cat on my purse: by BlaBlaHospital, stolen from Seby
For the last two days of the Maui press trip, I stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. I had a large one-bedroom suite to myself, with a balcony overlooking the pools and gardens.
My filmmaker Melissa and I felt like we’d tripped into Kubla Khan’s Xanadu.
The Fairmont Kea Lani has several swimming pools (including adult-only), private beach access, and a koi fish pond that my cat would love.
I turned the flowers around me into a hair fascinator. My skull-tastic bracelet, gifted by Good Art, matches my nail art.
We filmed at the new open-air restaurant Ko.
I adored Chef Tylun Pang. His menu is lovingly inspired by plantation cuisine (a harmony of influences from the workers’ home countries of Japan, China, Philippines and Korea). As he put it, “The folks in my kitchen are cooking their grandparents’ recipes.”
Ingredients are sourced locally, from relationships of trust. We said “cheers” on camera and tried his ahi tuna on a stick, grilled on hot stone. Phenomenal.
Everything we tried was clean, simple, fresh. I ended up drinking three pomegranate cucumber mojitos (right).
Examples of his Asia-Hawaii dishes: shrimp and soba, poke (raw fish salad), calamari.
The macrobiotic bento box was perfectly balanced. Ko’s menu has entire categories for raw, vegan, gluten-free, and heart-healthy.
Eating sushi with Chef Pang, overlooking the pool… one of the most heartfelt dining experiences in my life. I interviewed him for my travel video, so you’ll see more of our interactions soon.
What’s the most memorable meal you’ve had recently, and why? What would you most like to eat from Ko’s menu?
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Hip, Modern Brooklyn boutique hotels! Traveling to New York & can’t afford to stay in Manhattan? NU Hotel NY review.
Thanks for the birthday wishes, Pirates! You are total rockstars.
My Huffington Post series “Travel SOS” is back! This time, the questions is: “Help — how can I find a decent, well-located hotel in Manhattan for under $150 a night?”
La Carmina’s advice… you’re looking in the wrong borough. Try staying in Brooklyn, as I did on my recent trip to New York.
I was hosted by NU Hotel (85 Smith Street), and it was probably my favorite NY stay to date. In this new travel video (above and on Huff Post Travel, I explore the benefits of Brooklyn hotels.
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My friend Molly and I loved the friendly staff and laid-back modern vibe. NU’s front desk doubles as a bar, and there are free chocolate chip cookies.
Every bathroom has a chalkboard wall, and doodling is encouraged. I drew Basil Farrow to remind me of home.
Brooklyn rocks. The neighborhood has a more relaxed pace, and a greener environment. I loved the colorful local art, cute boutiques, concerts and cafes.
Watch us take a shopping tour of Smith Street. We visit the boutiques Bird and Dear Fieldbinder, which have a well-edited selection.
How scrumptious is this vegetarian sweet and sour lunch from Wild Ginger?
My room was so spacious (a rarity in NYC) that Tigi stylist Brandon was able to set up a hair station.
White wide-brim hat: Giovanno (similar to this)
Black and white top: Spider, from Hong Kong
Skull bracelets: gifted from Kreepsville 666
Lace Goth fish-tail skirt: gifted from Corset Chick (see my review)
At the NU, some suites even have hammocks. This one has a swivel chair.
A final reason to stay in downtown Brooklyn: the location. You’re only a 10-15 minute subway ride from the Lower East Side, St Mark’s Place, and the East and West Villages.
Convinced? Next time you’re visiting New York, keep the NU Hotel in mind.
Have you spent time in Brooklyn? Where are your favorite hangouts? I hope you find my latest video helpful.
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LA CARMINA
