This ’80s Sydney hotel’s $30 million revamp revives seaside suburb

The hotel

Manly Pacific Sydney MGallery Collection

Rooftop pool and beach beyond.

Check-in

Manly is, to be exact, 11.2654 kilometres from Sydney and 1609.34 kilometres from care. Sigh. Somehow the original “seven miles from Sydney…” catchcry in imperial measurements, coined by the Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company, doesn’t quite bear a strict metric conversion – and the claim of it being “Australia’s premier seaside resort” may no longer hold saltwater either. But with the Sydney seaside suburb’s premier 213-room hotel, which dates to the 1980s, going the miles – sorry – kilometres on a drastic and overdue top-to-bottom $30 million refurbishment, Manly is back on the map for a holiday.

The look

The revitalised Manly Pacific Hotel and its beachside facade.

For the makeover, which has elevated the Manly Pacific to, or near enough to, luxury standard, the owners recruited leading Sydney interior designers Coco Republic, who have created an understated contemporary beach-house look. A restrained palette subtly promotes the hotel’s oceanside setting, even extending to the nifty all-white casual staff uniforms. Off the lobby, and offsetting all those soft hues with warmer tones, is 55 North, an inviting lounge and bar space designed by the prodigious Luchetti Krelle.

The room

Muted tones in the new design.

Coco Republic’s minimalist design extends to the various choices of stylish villas, suites and rooms, some with balconies and terraces, with their muted mix of mainly whites, greys and blonde timbers. If you long for vibrant colours, you’d best peer out the window of your room.

The balcony of the lavishly appointed 177-square-metre Infinity Residence.

Unsurprisingly, a view of the ocean, framed by Manly’s famed flank of towering Norfolk pines, comes at a premium, with an entry point standard room overlooking the less salubrious town centre. Notable, and notably expensive, is the 177-square-metre Infinity Residence, one of the most spacious and lavishly appointed hotel digs this side of the Harbour Bridge.

Food and drink

The final element in the Manly Pacific’s transformation is Cibaria, an Italian-themed new beachfront restaurant, cafe and wine bar, set to open for summer. It’ll be the latest outpost of the waterside restaurant group responsible for Ormeggio at the Spit, Chiosco by Ormeggio and a’Mare.

For those who wish to dine casually in-house, there’s the pleasant Bistro Manly, which also faces the beach, as well as a smart rooftop pool and lounge. Beyond the hotel, the nearby network of streets and laneways host a plethora of cafes, a favourite being the Swedish-inspired Fika, which operates both a coffee shop and a separate Nordic bakery close to the Manly Pacific. Elsewhere, tucked away below street level on The Corso, Manly’s pedestrianised mall, is the impressive Norma’s Deli, a Mediterranean-style bakery, grocer, cafe and diner that is busy at weekends.

Out and about

Manly Wharf and village are a stone’s throw away.

Aside from obvious summer aquatic attractions, the network of backstreets, ripe for revitalisation, host weekend markets, while historic Manly Wharf is set for a multimillion-dollar rebirth. Be sure to visit North Head, where two new architecturally lauded sandstone lookouts provide superb views of the ocean and harbour and connect to the spectacular heath-covered clifftop walk.

The verdict

The owners’ considered and extensive makeover has injected a much-needed breath of fresh salty air and handed the iconic seaside suburb a hotel of which it can be proud.

Essentials

Rooms from $297 a night. Manly Pacific Sydney MGallery Collection, 55 North Steyne, Manly, NSW. Phone [phone]. See manlypacific.com.au

Our rating out of five
★★★★

Highlight

The crispness of the interior design promotes an appealing all-year round summer ambience.

Lowlight

Pity we have to wait until summer for the hotel’s boarded-up new restaurant to open.

The writer was a guest of Manly Pacific.