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Nothing Fawlty about Manuel Towers

Gemma Nisbet visits a B&B in Shoalwater that's charming to a fault.

Naming your bed and breakfast business Manuel Towers might seem risky, given the inevitable associations with a certain Fawlty establishment and its hapless Spanish waiter. But when Ali and Manuel Nunez opened their B&B in Shoalwater nine years ago, the name was a no-brainer.

"He is a real Manuel and he has always wanted to build a tower," Ali explains of her husband. "So with that combination, we had to call it Manuel Towers."

She adds: "People come in and say 'It's not like Fawlty Towers is it?' And I say 'No, it's worse'. That always gets a laugh."


Manuel and Ali Nunez, proprietors of Manuel Towers. Picture: Gemma Nisbet


Manuel Towers is, of course, nothing like its fictional namesake and the supremely warm and welcoming Ali and Manuel are no Sibyl and Basil Fawlty. The pair met in southern Spain in the mid-1960s - Ali is originally from England and Manuel was born in Morocco to Spanish parents - and moved to Perth in the 1970s, chasing the sun.

The couple lived in Sorrento for many years, raising their family, and were first drawn to this spot, on the beachfront at Shoalwater Bay just south of Rockingham, nearly two decades ago. Manuel recalls his first visit, on a sunny summer day when he found the stretch of white-sand beach practically deserted: "I said 'I've found paradise and we're moving'."

The location is certainly something special, with fantastic views to Cape Peron across Shoalwater Bay, a sheltered stretch of water which the couple say is ideal for families. Standing on the balcony of one of the guest rooms, Ali points out seals on the beach at Seal Island, a short distance across the water, and Penguin Island is also in view. Lake Richmond, with its ancient thrombolites (similar to the famous stromatolites near Shark Bay), is nearby.


A seaward view over Shoalwater Bay towards Cape Peron. Picture: Gemma Nisbet


But what really sets the property apart is the unusual and inventive architecture which combines stone and lots of recycled timber with nautical touches for a rustic, welcoming Mediterranean feel.

Over the course of nine years, Manuel converted the original structure -an old corner shop - into a distinctive building which incorporates the couple's home in the eponymous tower.

He designed and made many of the furnishings and fittings himself, from the wine-barrel stools and tables made from old railway sleepers in the guest lounge, to the balustrades wrought from metal pilings more usually used to reinforce concrete.

There are also picture frames combining recycled timber, old rope and seashells, bathroom cabinets using salvaged wood, and bed-heads incorporating heavy timber doors from India.


The guest rooms incorporate many furnishings made by Manuel himself. Picture: Gemma Nisbet


The numerous mosaic features are also Manuel's creations, while colourful tiles handmade by a friend, Robert Cripwell of Labyrinth Mosaics, are scattered about.

"When I couldn't find what I wanted, I improvised," Manuel explains. This included building a perch in one of the exterior walls for a kestrel which made its home there during construction, and which still returns for a few months each year.

The bed and breakfast now has five guest rooms, sleeping up to 12 people in total. Each room has its own ensuite, plus a television with DVD player, and a fridge. The downstairs room is fitted out for universal access and has an annexe with a single bed (an additional fold-out bed can be added), making it suitable for families or people with disabilities. It also has a private courtyard, while some of the four upstairs rooms have balconies. Each also has tea and coffee- making facilities, including a better-than-average selection of hot drinks, along with homemade biscuits and complimentary port.

The shared spaces are extensive, incorporating a big lounge with an alfresco area shaded by an old boat and woven pieces of multicoloured rope, plus a sheltered courtyard to the rear of the property. In the lounge, guests can relax with a glass of wine and watch the sunset in the evening, and eat their breakfast in the morning. Breakfasts are cooked by Ali in the commercial kitchen, with choices ranging from fresh fruit salad, pancakes, French toast or a fry-up to Popsie's Porridge - Manuel's specialty, cooked with honey, cinnamon, nuts and bananas, and added to the menu at the suggestion of the couple's grandchildren.


Guests can relax in the lounge with a glass of wine. Picture: Gemma Nisbet


Indeed, Ali and Manuel ran a catering business for a time but it's clear they're in their element running a bed and breakfast.

"I've always loved food - I'm a real foodie, a real people person, and Manuel's a real people person too," Ali says. "A girlfriend said to me 'Now you're getting paid for what you love'."

Guests come from all over the world and from around Australia, including a healthy proportion of corporate and business travellers, drawn by the proximity to Kwinana. There are also people from the city looking for a break that's not far away, and locals from just a few streets away who want to celebrate a special occasion - a birthday or wedding anniversary, for example - in this memorable place.

"People come here and say 'I feel like I've been overseas but it's in Perth'," Manuel says.

The couple have even become friends with some of their repeat guests, visiting a few of them on their own travels. "It's a lovely industry," Ali says. Her only regret? "That we didn't do it sooner."

FACT FILE

Manuel Towers is at 32A Arcadia Drive, Shoalwater. Rooms are $220 per night for two ($185 for one), including cooked breakfast. Ali and Manuel also manage several self-contained units, for holiday or corporate rentals, in the area. manueltowers.com.au or 9592 2698.