Serviced Apartments Manly

Groups staying in Manly around a family wedding or milestone weekend tend to want two things a standard room can't give them: somewhere to cook and space for more than two. Both apartment-style properties listed here sit close to the ocean beach, and the Circular Quay ferry leaves from Manly Wharf, so relatives can spend a free day in the city and be back for dinner. Parking gets tight in summer, which matters if the group is bringing cars.

How the two Manly options compare for a travelling family:

• Group size: Manly Waves Studios & Hotel has a family apartment with a courtyard sleeping six, while the largest layout at Peppers Manly Beach, the Fairy Bower Suite, takes five.
• Cooking: Peppers one-bedroom apartments have a full kitchenette; at Manly Waves the stovetop kitchenettes are in the family studio, beach shack apartment and family apartment, while the queen rooms have a fridge and microwave only.
• Outlook: Peppers faces the ocean from South Steyne, with a city-view one-bedroom as the smaller alternative.
• Cars: parking is free with the Fairy Bower Suite, and limited, charged daily and reserved in advance at Manly Waves.
• Arrival: Peppers has a concierge and porter, whereas Manly Waves reception is staffed 9am to 5pm, so late flights need keys arranged ahead.

For a week spent around the event, Peppers adds a laundromat and dry-cleaning, and Manly Waves gives every room air conditioning, heating and an ensuite. Keep in mind that Manly Waves doesn't permit parties or gatherings in rooms, so a pre-wedding get-together belongs at a restaurant. Both are small operations, Peppers with 22 rooms and Manly Waves a family-run complex, so a family wanting several apartments close together should reserve them as one booking well ahead.