Teddy bear high tea at the Sheraton Grand: A mother-daughter review

This winter school holidays in Sydney, I took on a challenge: three weeks of activities, fully planned, for my five-year-old daughter. I'm documenting the ones worth sharing, the honest experience, the practical details, and what each day quietly built in her. This post: the Teddy Bear High Tea at the Sheraton Grand, and the secret cave that made it unforgettable.

Some school holiday activities are about adventure. This one was about an occasion, a proper mother-and-daughter date, planned with Penelope's best friend and her mum, the four of us dressed up and headed into the city for high tea.

The journey was half the experience

Here's a confession: after a decade of working around Pyrmont and Ultimo and always driving, I'd never really used Sydney's new metro. We took the train from Gordon, changed at Chatswood, and rode the metro to Gadigal station, and I was genuinely surprised. Modern, effortless, and perfectly placed. For the girls, the journey itself was an event: two best friends on a train together, watching the city arrive. By the time we walked into the Sheraton Grand in Hyde Park, the day already felt special, and we hadn't eaten a single scone.

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The high tea

The manager looked after us beautifully from the moment we arrived, the kind of hosting that makes children feel like honoured guests rather than tolerated ones.

The spread was gorgeous: sweets shaped like bunnies and bees, scones to die for, little baskets of tiramisu, and a proper savoury selection. For the girls, the kitchen made chicken nuggets and chips decorated with edible flowers, a detail that delighted them more than any pastry. Everything is all-inclusive, with the hotel's full tea and coffee selection to work through at leisure. We felt thoroughly spoiled.

The teddy bear surprise

I'll be honest about my expectations: I assumed the "teddy bear" would be a basic Sheraton-branded toy handed over at the end. I was wrong!

When the girls were ready, the manager announced he was taking them to a secret cave to build their teddy bears, and led them to a full Build-A-Bear workshop tucked inside the hotel, stocked with bears, hearts, outfits, and characters in every colour. The girls built their bears together, dressed them, and had the whole workshop to themselves, an intimate little ceremony rather than a retail stop. And in one of those small poetries of best-friendship, they chose the same bear without planning to.

Then back to our table, more tea, and home again by metro and train, four of us, two new bears, one memory that will keep.

The practical notes

Cost: We paid $89 per mother-and-daughter pair, booked through Luxury Escapes, includes the full high tea for both and one Build-A-Bear per pair, the experience is regularly valued at $150
Where: Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park
Getting there: The new metro is the way, Gadigal station is a short walk, and the ride itself is an event for children
Food: All-inclusive, with a children's savoury option (those edible-flower chicken nuggets); dietary-friendly sweets and savouries across the stand
The vibe: Dress up a little, it's an occasion, and the children rise to it
Timing: The hotel runs children's experiences regularly on weekends and especially through school holidays
Pair it: You're in the middle of the city, Hyde Park is at the doorstep, and the afternoon extends easily in any direction

Highly recommended as a mother-daughter ritual, and doubly so shared with a best friend and her mum. Some memories are built like teddy bears: chosen, stuffed with care, and carried home on the train.

Field notes from a mother who believes the holidays are never just holidays.

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