The enduring beauty of living in Australia is that for every seasonal negative, there’s always a positive.
Take the mid-winter weather in Sydney, falling as it does in the school holidays. Yes, it’s as cold as it gets in early July, but it’s also clear and calm, and when the sun is out and the wind isn’t, temperatures often reach the early 20s.
There’s also no-one around – so no long lines for a coffee or a table at a restaurant for lunch, or problems parking or booking anything.
I was thinking this as I paddled for one last wave looking back onto one of the world’s truly great beachfronts: Manly. There’s a faint, fresh smell from the Norfolk pines that line the shore, and barely a person around on this Tuesday evening.
You wouldn’t expect to find an empty pool in the middle of Manly (above)
The views from the beach view rooms are superb
It certainly won’t be like this come December.
I’m here because I didn’t have any school holiday plans, and my children fancied a little bit of five-star luxury.
Half of Sydney seems to be in Europe for winter 2023, but I completely missed the boat for reasonably priced plane tickets. So instead I decided to take up an offer to check out Accor’s newly-renovated Manly Pacific hotel for a couple of nights.
It’s fair to say my children’s experience of Aussie holidays so far has been either beach homes or campsites and caravan parks, so there was great excitement packing for this one.
‘We’re going to pretend we’re rich and posh,’ one said, handing me her suitcase ahead of the half-an-hour sojourn to the other side of the city.
Half of Sydney seems to be in Europe for winter 2023, but I completely missed the boat for reasonably priced plane tickets. So instead I decided to take up an offer to check out Accor’s newly-renovated Manly Pacific hotel for a couple of nights
‘We’re going to pretend we’re rich and posh,’ one said, handing me her suitcase ahead of the half-an-hour sojourn to the other side of the city
We still packed the wetsuits, roller skates and scooters we would for any beach holiday, but also included some fancy clothes for eating out in the hotel’s two restaurants, Tokyo Joe and Bistro Manly, and for enjoying the ‘mocktails’ I’d promised at the stylish bar, 55 North.
I managed to get the kids out to explore a pleasantly deserted Manly, but it was a struggle, as they would just as happily have stayed inside the hotel.
That’s because the Manly Pacific’s once faded 213-room hotel has been given a complete overhaul befitting its central place on the promenade.
The rooms are clean and fresh, with modern décor from Coco Republic, which is apparently a pretty classy store.
Manly was deserted for the winter school holidays
The Manly Pacific has beautiful new rooms (above)
The view from the ocean-view rooms is as good as any you will find anywhere, but if you decide to save cash and take a courtyard or corso view room, don’t worry, there’s still an incredible view for all guests on the hotel’s rooftop. There you’ll find a heated pool – we used it day and night – as well as Mediterranean-style sun lounges and an infra-red sauna.
The view from the roof is something to behold, not only over the beach, but to the west all the way to Centrepoint in the CBD.
Most of us Aussies are relatively well-travelled and we’ve all been guilty of grumbling to friends about the standard of hospitality service in this country compared to others, especially given how much we pay for the privilege.
Tokyo Joe’s at the Manly Pacific has fantastic food and service
Manly Pacific has just had a $30 million renovation which was finished in January (above)
WHY MANLY BEACH?
Manly was one of Australia’s first-ever holiday spots, and it’s still holds it’s own.
The beach has both surf and bay, so it’s perfect for everything from surfing to snorkeling, paddle boarding and diving
The famous ‘Corso’ – linking the beach to Sydney Harbour – has a great range of shops and restaurants.
If you want to swim comfortably in winter, why don’t you hire a wetsuit? They are available for as little as $10 from Manly Surfboard Rentals.
If you are visiting Sydney for work, why not stay in Manly? It’s just 20 minutes to Circular Quay on the Manly Fast Ferry.
The new bar, 55 North, has a great menu of ‘mocktails’ for kids and non-drinkers
But at the Many Pacific, they couldn’t do enough to help. The kids’ favourite was Amelia in Tokyo Joe’s, the funky Japanese restaurant on the ground floor.
But any staff couldn’t do enough to help, from offering food suggestions at dinner, to check-out solutions, without needlessly troubling you. That’s another benefit of staying in a five-star hotel in Australia’s international city – the staff have to be good, or the business guests will go somewhere else. You can’t say that about similar places in popular tourist towns outside the big smoke.
Rooms at the hotel are priced from $325 a night to $1,000 – but that’s for a two-bedrooms and bathroom suite where you could squeeze in two small families. Of course, there’s specials, and mid-week winter school holidays really aren’t busy.
The most expensive room is the $2,000 presidential suite (of course!) which comes with an incredible terrace with room for eight to have dinner. We didn’t stay there, but just looking at it had me thinking of just how much fun it would be to host an adults-only dinner there sometime.
Yes, that’s pricey, but it’s far cheaper and more stress-free than an airfare anywhere, and close enough to home to guarantee a full table.
The Manly Pacific was my first-ever ‘staycation’. It certainly won’t be my last.
For bookings and special deals check the hotel’s website.
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