15 Maui Firsts That Still Have Me Glowing #SeeMaui.

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I knew Maui was going to be a pretty special place. Heck, I was even a little bit nervous about visiting Hawaii’s second largest island, knowing full well I may get lost in Maui Time, making it hard to return to the mainland.

What I never planned on, though, was all the firsts I would encounter during our eight day trip on the island. I have had a lot of great experiences over the last 34 years of my life, but Maui brought on a whole new set of firsts, some of which I had never even imagined. So, in no particular order, here are my Maui firsts.

1. Visited Hawaii, our lovely 50th state.

2. Saw the Southern Cross with the help of Jason of Jason’s Travels and his trusty smartphone.

3. Went swimming at 6 a.m. in the Pacific Ocean without a wetsuit.

4. Biked down a volcano with Maui Easy Riders.

5. Snorkeled in tropical water over a coral reef.

6. Swam with a shark (accidentally).

7. Attended a traditional luau at the Royal Lahaina Resort.

8. Zip-lined with Skyline Eco Adventures.

9. Ate a Macnut Chocolate Praline pie from Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop.

10. Ate Lobster Tempura at KO Restaurant, which is located at The Fairmont Kea Lani.

11. Nibbled on purslane, a succulent Ghandi loved, during our hands on tour at O’o Farm.

12. After the tour, we dined on a deliciously fresh meal prepared by the farm’s professional chef.

13. Stand Up Paddle-boarded (SUP) with Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy.

14 & 15. Enjoyed a private chef dinner at Wailea Beach Villas, while meeting some of the best travel bloggers and writers in the business: Matt of Landlopers, Carmina of La Carmina, Cameron, Nicole and Baby B of Traveling Canucks, Jason of Jason’s Travels and Alison Brick, a prolific freelance travel writer and one mean twitterati.

Cam from Traveling Canucks, Matt from LandLopers and me at our private chef dinner.

I’d also like to give a huge shout out to Wendy Harvey and Keli’i Brown, of the Maui Visitors Bureau, for putting together this amazing social media press trip to Maui.

We’ve got some great stories lined up for the coming weeks and months, so be sure to check back for more from our trip to Maui.

Also be sure to follow along with the hashtag #SeeMaui on Twitter & Instagram so you can read everyone’s stories!

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!