Tripadvisor Names Manly Beach #1 in the South Pacific and #9 in the World

Manly Beach has been crowned the best beach in the South Pacific and the ninth best in the world at the 2026 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Beaches Awards. For ICMS students, that stretch of sand is a short walk from class. 

The Best of the Best title is Tripadvisor’s highest honour, going to the places travellers rave about most over a full year. Out of 8 million listings, fewer than 1% ever make the cut. 

Manly earned it with a 4.5 out of 5 rating from more than 7,860 reviews.  

Tripadvisor reviewers highlight the long shoreline walk, the ferry ride across the harbour, the lively town centre, and the easy choice between a surf, a swim, or a lazy afternoon on the sand. 

That puts Manly ahead of every other beach in the South Pacific, including Sydney’s own Bondi Beach. On the world list, it sits alongside Bora Bora’s Plage de Matira and Crete’s Elafonissi Beach. 

A world-class beach on the doorstep

The ICMS Northern Beaches Campus, a heritage building known as the “castle on the hill,” sits on 20 hectares of parkland overlooking Sydney Harbour and the Pacific Ocean.  

Manly Beach is a five to ten minute walk away. 

Students can catch a wave before a morning lecture or unwind on the sand when the day is done.

ICMS also runs its own surfing club, making it easy to get out on the water between classes. 

Nine beaches, one campus

Manly grabs the headlines, but it is not alone. Nine beaches sit within walking distance of campus, each with its own character. 

Shelly Beach is the closest. Part of the Cabbage Tree Bay marine reserve, it is calm and shallow, with marine life that draws snorkellers and divers year-round.

Further north, Freshwater Beach carries a slice of Australian surfing history. Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku famously helped popularise surfing in Australia with his demonstrations at Freshwater in 1915.

For something quieter, Fairlight offers sheltered swimming and harbour views well away from the crowds.

Collins Flat Beach, tucked between North Head and Little Manly Cove, feels remote despite being minutes from campus.  

Manly Cove, Little Manly, Quarantine, and Store beaches round out the nine, with a stretch of coast for every mood. 

Not the first time 

Manly Beach is no stranger to the top of Tripadvisor’s rankings. 

It was named the best beach in Australia in 2018 and 2019, taking the national title two years running.

In 2024, Manly climbed to seventh in the world, before reclaiming the title of Australia’s best beach in 2025 and placing 15th globally. 

Now, in 2026, Manly has gone one better on the regional stage, taking the title of best beach in the South Pacific and landing inside the world’s top ten at number nine. 

For students at the castle on the hill, it is another reminder that one of the world’s most celebrated beaches is just a few minutes from class. 

Sources:

Tripadvisor Best of the Best Beaches – South Pacific 2026 | Tripadvisor Best of the Best Beaches – World 2026 | Tripadvisor – Manly Beach Named Australia’s Top Beach 2018 | Tripadvisor – Manly Beach Named Australia’s #1 Beach for Second Consecutive Year 2019 | Northern Beaches Council – Manly Beach Number One 2025 | ICMS – Tripadvisor Names Manly Beach Best in Australia 2018