Manly Pacific Hotel in Sydney is a luxurious break by Accor: School holiday budget tips in Australia

The enduring beauty of living in Australia is that for every seasonal negative there is always something positive.

Take Sydney’s mid-winter weather, such as during the school holidays. Yes, it is as cold as early July, but it is also clear and calm, and when the sun is shining and the wind is not, temperatures often reach the early 20s.

There’s no one around either – so no long queues for a coffee or a table at a restaurant for lunch, or problems with parking or booking anything.

I thought of this as I paddled for one last wave and looked back at one of the world’s truly amazing beaches: Manly. There’s a faint, fresh scent of the Norfolk pines that line the coast, and hardly anyone in sight on this Tuesday night.

The view from the rooms overlooking the beach is fantastic

It certainly won’t be like that in December.

I’m here because I had no school vacation plans and my kids fancied a little five-star luxury.

Half of Sydney seems to be in Europe in the winter of 2023, but for reasonably priced airline tickets I completely missed the boat. So instead I decided to take up an offer to see Accor’s newly renovated hotel Manly Pacific hotel for a few nights.

It’s fair to say my kids’ experiences of Aussie holidays so far have been beach houses or campsites and caravan parks, so there was a lot of excitement in packing for this one.

“We’re going to pretend we’re rich and posh,” one said, handing me her suitcase before traveling half an hour across town.

Half of Sydney seems to be in Europe in the winter of 2023, but for reasonably priced airline tickets I completely missed the boat. So instead I decided to take up an offer to see Accor’s newly renovated hotel Male Pacific hotel for a few nights

“We’re going to pretend we’re rich and posh,” one said, handing me her suitcase in anticipation of the half-hour stay across town.

We still packed the wetsuits, roller skates and scooters we’d use for any beach vacation, but we also had some fancy clothes for dining out at the hotel’s two restaurants, Tokyo Joe and Bistro Manly, and enjoying the “mocktails” I was promised at the classy bar, 55 North.

I managed to get the kids out to explore a pleasantly deserted Manly, but it was a struggle as they would have loved to stay in the hotel just as much.

That’s because the Manny Pacific the once-faded 213-room hotel has received a complete overhaul to match its central spot on the boulevard.

The rooms are clean and fresh with modern decor from Coco Republic, which is apparently quite a stylish shop.

Manly was deserted during the winter school holidays

The Manly Pacific has beautiful new rooms (upstairs)

The view from the ocean view rooms is as good as anywhere else, but if you decide to save money and get a room with a view of the courtyard or the corso, don’t worry, there is still an incredible view for all guests on the hotel’s roof. There you will find a heated swimming pool – we used it day and night – as well as Mediterranean style sun loungers and an infrared sauna.

The view from the roof is something to behold, not just over the beach but west all the way to Centrepoint in the CBD.

Most of us Aussies are relatively well traveled and we’ve all been guilty of grumbling to friends about the standard of hospitality in this country compared to others, especially considering how much we pay for the privilege.

Tokyo Joe’s in the Manly Pacific has fantastic food and service

Manly Pacific just had a $30 million renovation completed in January (above)

WHY MANLY BEACH?

Manly was one of Australia’s very first holiday destinations and still holds its own.

The beach has both surf and cove, so it’s perfect for everything from surfing to snorkeling, paddle boarding and scuba diving

The famous ‘Corso’ – which connects the beach to Sydney Harbor – has a wide range of shops and restaurants.

If you want to swim comfortably in winter, why not rent a wetsuit? They are available for just $10 onwards Manly surfboard rental.

If you are visiting Sydney for work why not stay in Manly? It is only 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’ favorite was Amelia at Tokyo Joe’s, the funky Japanese restaurant on the ground floor.

But the staff couldn’t do enough to help, from offering food suggestions at dinner to solutions before checkout, without bothering you unnecessarily. That’s another benefit of staying in a five-star hotel in Australia’s international city: the staff has to be good, otherwise the business guests will go elsewhere. You can’t say that about similar places in popular tourist towns outside of the big smoke.

Rooms at the hotel are priced from $325 a night to $1,000 — but that’s for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom suite that you can squeeze two small families into. Of course there are special offers, and during the midweek winter school holidays it really isn’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 dine. We didn’t stay there, but just looking at it made me think of how nice it would be to host an adult dinner there one day.

Yes, that’s pricey, but it’s much cheaper and more stress-free than a plane ticket anywhere, and close enough to home to guarantee a full table.

The Male Pacific was my very first ‘staycation’. It certainly won’t be my last.

Look for bookings and special offers on the hotel website.

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