Hi I was thinking about booking a stay in the small town of Manarola for 3+ days and I was curious whether anyone knows if there is some kind of beach or access to the water to go swimming there? I am not looking for any sprawling sandy beaches because I know the big one is in Monterosso, but it would be good to know whether or not we could at least take a dip in the sea from within 10-20 mins from our room?

You can swim from the rocks at the base of Manarola. Not a beach, but ladders down to the water -- the rocks are good for sitting and there were usually people swimming during our week stay.

Echoing comments from sprin2

Manarola has lots of big rocks that you can sun on, or you can use the ladders to access the ocean and swim. You can also rent kayaks in Manarola in the peak summer months and you can go up and down the coastline and just stop off at any beach that looks good to you (most of the coastline is cliffs but there are some tiny pebble beaches).

Manarola is not the most convenient place to access swimming as it is below the town and the boats have to be "lowered" into the water from up above. I would almost recommend walking the "Via dell'More" from Manarola to Riomaggiore (20 mins +/-) and using the small harbor area in Riomaggiore, or just beyond the bend, the local beach area.

I must tell you from personal experience, the rocks are slippery and it hurts when you bang into them! I have swum from a boat docked off-shore and had the darnedst time trying to get up on the slippery rocks (and I am a certified life-guard so know how to swim). I think if you stay on the rocks surrounding the perimeter of the swimming area you will be fine.

Also, you might want to go up to Monterosso anyway so you can get more of a "beach" experience.