No surf - are you kidding? You obviously don't surf! Manly has been host to many a world championship surfing contest... and on many days is the best spot to surf in the Sydney region. It catches the same swell that North Narrabeen gets - a world class break. At the moment its 4ft and perfect! Like all beaches worldwide... more

best beach in sydney - and the world! more

We went to Manly beach for the day on new years day (as opposed to Bondi Beach). The beaches were actually closed that day as the swell was too high but the beach was still packed with people, although not too busy to find ourselves a spot! The ferry from Sydney harbour was lovely and the walk from the ferry... more

I stayed in Manly for a month and every morning i would run down the esplanade and round over to Esplanade park - when the suns coming up over manly cove there is no better run - it's short only about twenty minutes but it always brought a smile to my face - i can still picture the clear sea... more

Nice setting until you realize that its an overated Huntington Beach with no real surf to speak of (not what we went for as we live in Hawaii). Lots of people pretending to be surf folk though and lots of the usual trendy surf shops. Also seems to be choked with youth hostels and lots of young hostel people (no... more

Overrated big time. Just like the Spanish Costas but without the ambience. Bondi wins hands down everytime. more

My husband and I chose Australia as our honeymoon destination and being inexperienced travelers, we ended up in downtown Sydney. We are from a very samll town in Canada and the busy city was far from the relaxed getaway we'd hoped for. Once we'd become familiar with the city, we found Manly and the second we stepped off the ferry,... more

I used to live in Manly while studying English at College. I loved its colors, the friendly people, the magic atmophere expecially in spring and summer. The sunsets are those that anybody can't forget! Autumns are warm, and you can even go to the beach before winds comes from the sea and makes the air chilly. The wharf is so... more

i lived in manly for 4 months and loved every minute of it. it's beautiful beaches and young, trendy nightlife makes it a cut above the rest. forget bondi, if you like sun, surf and sand and wanna relax in chilled out, fresh environment then manly's the place to go. it's just a ferry ride away from circular quay, but... more