“Still my favorite person in this whole wide world
Is the woman who can understand every word
And when she speaks to me she makes me see the whole world
As my favorite place: Hawaii.”

– The Strokes

And that’s a feeling I understand, after a week in Maui. The Convention Visitor’s Bureau generously invited me on a social media press trip.

My filmmakers and I made travel videos about the culture, fashion and food, especially when influenced by Japan. Here’s a visual overview of my Maui journey, with much more to come.

On the first day, we rode on a traditional and eco-friendly Hawaiian sailing canoe.

The Captain and First Mate mesmerized us with tales of Hawaii’s history, while we lounged on the sails.

Photo of my filmmaker Melissa and me, by Jason Travels (a fellow travel blogger on the press trip). I’m wearing a Hyoma top from Hong Kong that Sebastiano gave me.

We’re not the snorkeling types, but we dipped our toes in the ocean and attempted a hula dance.

The beach at Wailea. The black cat is by Blablahospital; I stole it from Seba.

Words and photos fail to describe a Maui sunset.

After dark, I could stare at the constellations for hours.

The Banyan Tree in Lahaina, planted in 1873. My filmmaker hugged it — wouldn’t you?

The branches come down and take root, forming one of the largest banyans in the US.

Since we made travel videos about Japan-influenced food, we got to eat like kings at Japengo (Hyatt Regency Maui). I’m salivating at the grilled mahi-mahi and black coconut forbidden rice, and world-class sushi and sashimi.

Hamachi with lychee bubbles made using molecular gastronomy, an elegant Korean seafood pancake, coconut creme brule and acai cheesecake. After the meal, my filmmaker groaned, “I’m about to give birth to a food baby!”

I’m obsessed with fresh local fish. While in Maui, I dined on butterfish, mahi-mahi, and mong chong. At the top-rated Nick’s Fishmarket, I tried flaming strawberries and snapper. Highly recommended.

I visited Honolulu when I was about 13 years old, and I’d say Maui is more my style. It’s smaller and laid-back, yet there’s enough on the island to keep you engaged. I felt the genuine warmth of the locals, everywhere I stopped. As The Strokes put it,

“Still my favorite attitude in this world so far
Is the friendly spirit of an iron heart
Like the way folks are in this most special place
I don’t care what happens, I’m taking a plane.”

Coming up: flowers in my hair, and ahi tuna on a stick! If you’d like to see previews of my Hawaii journey, add me on Instagram (lacarmina) and Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube, as I’ll be posting videos from the trip.

Have you been to Maui, or anywhere in Hawaii? What were your favorite memories?

PS: Thanks to Beauty Bender for interviewing me about my makeup and skincare routine. My tips for staying young: “Sleep a lot (I can do 12-14 hours), have daily fish oil and take time to relax. Those are the secrets of my Buddha-like Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow!”