A Fishing-Girl’s Go-To: Marina Shores Marina

November 18, 2012 By Tammy Levent Leave a Comment

Finding good-times is one-part knowing where to look, and two-parts bringing the party yourself. When a friend suggested I head out on a fishing trip with one of her hot angler acquaintances my only thought was, Ten bucks says this afternoon ends up with me taking off my top. I was not wrong.

Marina Shores Marina

Within an hour I was indeed topless and reeling in the catch of the day, with a mixed drink on one hand, and fishing pole in the other. Before the sun set, despite several margaritas, one thought was clearer than the water we were cruising: It was time to find the best hot-spots for anglers and their friends. A tip led me to The Marina at Marina Shores, a boater’s paradise in Virginia Beach described as a “Premier Lifestyle Marina.” I was hooked. Pun intended.

The marina is located on Long Creek just off the Lynnhaven Inlet, and minutes from the Boardwalk on Virginia Beach, so even if you’re without a boat, you should point your sails this way.

Restaurants, Rum, and Relaxation

Hungry water-lovers at The Marina at Marina Shores can start the day off right at 757 Crave with a Red Velvet Belgian Waffle and a mimosa, enjoyed al fresco with a view of the boats floating by. Continue the party into the afternoon by playing barfly at Surf Rider steakhouse until you feel like you’re floating yourself (whether or not your feet are on a deck). If you need to sober up, I highly recommend their famous crab cakes for lunch.

Relaxing is a must when you’re in seaside food-heaven, and the marina’s Pool Club doesn’t require you to buy a boat in order to recline in the water – just a membership.

Invite yourself onto the tanning deck, where drinking in rays of sunshine is required (but full-covered clothing is not). All new patio furniture in coral, daffodil and sea-blue brighten the area surrounding the large pool, which overlooks the Marina. Watch people busy on their boats while you practice the art of doing nothing with your gal-pals, or make conversation with a good-looking pool-goer over a piece of literature you picked up from the on-site book-swap library.

When it’s time to put the books down and get wet, the large pool offers several depths – the deep water covers long enough stretches for lap swimming should you want to show off your breast stroke, and the shallow area encourages wearing a floppy sun hat and shades while cooling off with gossip.

All in all, The Marina at Marina Shores is the sort of place I’d want to gather my girlfriends for weekend sunsets on a handsome captain’s boat with a bottle of wine, and endless afternoons on the pool deck with adult beverages on standby. Virginia Beach is known for resorts, which means tourists…which means partying 24/7. Hit the Marina during the day, and the town at night. Just don’t forget to bring the party with you, wherever you go.

Tammy Levent
CEO of Elite Travel
Tammy@EliteTravelGroup.net
www.EliteTravelGroup.net
An American Express Agency

Filed Under: 2012, November 2012 - Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay, Travel Tagged With: Elite Travel, Florida, Palm Harbor, Tammy Levent, Travel, Travel Agent

Travel

July 18, 2012 By Tammy Levent Leave a Comment

You may have noticed your Facebook news feed has a new theme: summer vacation. Everyone from your distant cousin to your BFF are posting envy-inducing status updates and photos of their fun in the sun. It’s time you stop living vicariously through social media, and update your own status to: Having a Blast. Whether you’re single and looking to mingle, hoping for the most romantic date this side of the Mississippi, or want to thrill your spouse and kids, I’ve got ideas to get you off of your computer and out into the summer heat.

Flying Solo at Atlantis Paradise Island Resort

Being single on vacation shouldn’t make you want to hide under your oversized sunglasses and beach-hat (though doing so would make you look wildly mysterious). Grab a few fabulous friends for a holiday at Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, where you may arrive with a “single” relationship status but leave with “it’s complicated.”

On the beach of Nassau in the Bahamas, this sprawling mega-resort is Vegas meets a water theme-park, and ensures you’re never lacking for ways to let of steam. Floating along the endless lazy river, lounging by one of the 20 unique swimming areas, or shooting down thrilling high-speed water slides – you’ll feel like you’ve entered a world built for your pleasure. And you haven’t even seen Mandara Spa yet (or the duty-free shops).

With enough bars to make a montage of fuzzy memories, and the adults-only Cain at the Cove pool complete with its private cabanas, one week here could turn into your own sexy scavenger hunt.

A Sweetheart’s Desire at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort

If you’ve gone from posting “Someday my prince will come” to “in a relationship” you’ll love spending a few magical summer days at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. Taking a boat to the waterfront resort from Downtown Disney, you’ll pass elegant mansions and massive oaks covered in Spanish Moss, setting the tone of a slower-paced and charming American South. Try the laidback lounges at Port Orleans, or amble to the Disney Port Orleans French Quarter for a more jazz-infused experience.

Date night at Disney might include a romantic carriage ride over cobblestoned paths, a candlelit dinner of Southern specialties by the river, and – fireworks in the bedroom. I’m not making promises about your performance, but the headboards of the Royal Guest Rooms at Port Orleans Resort glitter with fiberoptic lights that create your own personal “fireworks” display.

A Menagerie for the Family – SeaWorld

Imagine this photo on your Facebook wall: your tyke or teen posed with a real dolphin. They’ll have automatic bragging rights when they get back to school. SeaWorld mixes these magical animal moments with enough action to satisfy a brood of adrenaline junkies (yes, that’s an enormous rollercoaster and yes, you’re going on it).

Hit rides like the 60 mph Cheetah Hunt and the loop-de-looping Kumba, or treat animal-lovers to a trip into the wild on Rhino Rally and see the 500 different types of feathered friends at Bird Gardens. Another bonus is that this kid-friendly park offers wristbands so parents can write contact info in case you get separated.

Ready to Roll

Don’t be surprised if after your trip is said and done, Facebook friends are popping out of the woodwork to ask for tips and suggestions. If you want to really make your circle of friends jealous – live-Tweet the highlights of your amazing summer vacation. Better yet, don’t. Just enjoy it.

Tammy Levent
CEO of Elite Travel
Tammy@EliteTravelGroup.net
www.EliteTravelGroup.net
An American Express Agency

Filed Under: 2012, July/August 2012 - Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay, Travel Tagged With: Elite Travel, Florida, Palm Harbor, Tammy Levent, Travel, Travel Agent

There’s Only One Tammy Levent…!

January 21, 2012 By Nina Stanley 17 Comments

Tammy Levent

PV: Why did you choose this business or line of work?
Tammy:Because of a series of personal tragedies I experienced in 1995, details in my bio.

PV: What is your primary role or duty in your company?
Tammy: Everything, from marketing, to selling, growing the company and keeping peace at the office and at home at the same time.

PV: What sets you apart from your competition?
Tammy: What Competition?

PV: What would you be doing now if it weren’t for your business, taking money out of the equation?
Tammy: I would travel the world!

PV: What do you do for fun?
Tammy: Travel… lol. And spend time with my family!

PV: Who or what is most important to you, personally or professionally?
Tammy: Personally my partner and best friend Rob, my children and parents, professionally – my customers and strategic partners like you!

PV: A little secret about you that would shock those who don’t know you!
Tammy: Okay Nina tons of secrets!! I never went to college, I graduated high school at 16, and I was the first born here in the USA, with immigrant family from Greece!

PV: What are your personal and professional mottos?
Tammy: Integrity with both!

PV: When you were five, what was your dream to be when you grew up?
Tammy: When I was five I was in kindergarten and telling my mom I wanted to get skipped to first grade and was. I wasn’t thinking that way ahead! Okay, maybe a princess! Now I’m a princess with WHIPS!

PV: Have you achieved all or most of your dreams thus far?
Tammy: Every time I think I do I keep having more freakin dreams!! Thank God they are not nightmares!

Photo: Joel Cocker (left) | Photo: Mark Wemple (right)

Tammy Levent

Entrepreneur, Travel Expert, Author and Renowned Speaker

Imagine that within six months you lost your business and your savings to a violent robbery, then lost your grandmother in a fatal car accident that left your two children, ages nine and two, in the hospital’s intensive care unit. Picture quitting the telemarketing job you took to keep your home so you could sit by your children’s bedsides and wonder if your daughter would ever be able to speak again and if your son would lose his sight. What you would say if a nurse came up to you in the ICU and asked “If it had nothing to do with money, what would you do?”

Tammy Levent didn’t have the energy to think of an intricate answer, so she said the first thing that came to her mind: “I would travel the world.” From that moment, she realized that was her passion and her goal. In 1995, with no assets, she leveraged strategic partnerships to build Elite Travel, which has since skyrocketed into one of the fastest growing, most trusted travel groups in the nation for corporate incentive, leisure, destination wedding and honeymoon travel. Elite Travel has the distinction of being named an American Express agency.

I WHIP IT with Tammy Levent
Levent devotes herself to helping other women discover the power they have to change their lives, no matter what their circumstances. She sums up her mantra of success in the acronym “I WHIP IT” – meaning Incredible Women Have Infinite Power In Themselves. I WHIP IT was born when Tammy held her first whip while sitting at her desk training employees in sales at her telemarketing job. For the first time in years, she felt like she had control. She took that feeling and ran with it.

With her new web show I WHIP IT Out at whipitoutshow.com and her day-long WHIPshops™ that “take the work out of it,” Tammy guides other women – whip in hand – to find their courage, declare their goals, and use strategic partnerships to make those goals happen. Unlike many speakers, Tammy doesn’t stop at motivation; she gives immediately usable step-by-step instruction on how to create a business and lifestyle around your passion. And, with Levent’s travel expertise, you won’t find yourself in a stuffy conference room at one of her retreats unless you get lost on the way to the resort penthouse.

Tammy Levent is the CEO of Elite Travel and single mother of Katie, 25 and Jordan, 20. She is the author of the bestselling book Women Who Mean Business, and lives in Tampa, Florida with her better half, Rob. She owns an impressive collection of whips. For more information on the I Whip it out show and WHIPshops visit
www.whipitoutshow.com and www.TammyLevent.com

Tammy Levent
Tammy@EliteTravelGroup.net
www.EliteTravelGroup.net
www.TammyLevent.com
1-866-726-9090