What a welcome to Sydney. There aren't many serviced apartments on the lower north shore, so when we relocated to Sydney in January we decided to splash out on some beachfront summer living, and it was divine.
Surfside actually manages a number of apartments in the area - we stayed in both Bella Vista and Atlantis, which are right on North Steyne opposite the North Steyne Life Saving Club. Front apartments have balconies that overlook the beach - though you do pay a price for the view in some noisy nights at the weekend.
You really can enjoy 24-hour Manly from here - from dawn when the sun rises over the waves, welcomed by the early morning surfers and the endless parade of fitness fanatics on the promenade, to dusk when the shadows of the Norfolk pines stretch over the beach like they're languidly saying goodnight. Once the lights are down, the crowd remains, taking in the moonlight over the water and enjoying the endless range of bars and restaurants.
Sadly, we can only arrive in Sydney once, but anyone after a self-contained getaway close to the centre of the city could hardly ask for more. It only misses out on five stars because occasionally service was harder to come by than it should have been, and not all the Surfside apartment range has quite the amenity of Bella Vista and Atlantis.
Early booking imperative for peak times.. read more