This house is just beautiful. If you enjoy natural sandstone, late 1800s/early 1900s buildings with full modern features then this place is the one for you.
My four-year old daughter (and myself supervising her) was kept busy over our three days-and-a-bit stay with the backyard swimming pool, which has a sturdy child-proof fence around it. The pool’s deep end is quite deep as far as residential pools go, and good for practicing duck-dives.
The house has been cleverly and stylishly extended, and as a couple living in a heritage house ourselves & thinking of a renovation/extension, the new features and small decor touches JayJay has added have given my wife & I plenty of inspiration from our short stay.
One in particular is worth noting (as per the photos) - the glass-steel-wood spiral staircase into the attic, which has been converted to a bedroom with wall-mounted tv. Our daughter loved this room (calling it “my princess castle”). Directly next to the stairwell is a well-designed office space, and served perfectly well as a spot for us to do a few hours of remote working while our daughter happily played & slept upstairs (and watched tv).
We were a little worried about the Manly flooding during the week, but as JayJay replied when we asked, the house is high on a hill, and has excellent drainage.
Regarding the area, all I can say is I will be back - having spent most of my time when living in - and visiting - Sydney in the Eastern Suburbs, exploring Fairlight and walking to catch the ferry to Circular Quay with my wife & daughter was a joy. The cafe’s, bakeries & convenience stores up the street on Sydney Road (a 2 min walk) serve up excellent coffee, and carry all the supplies you’d need for a short stay.
I could go on and on about the nice aspects of staying here & the location (including friendly neighbours up the road who even offered to take a break from gardening and lend a hand to carry our bags from the car), but will leave it there…
Many thanks again for letting us stay here JayJay, and for your welcoming, responsive communication throughout : )