Hotels go all out for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner and it can pay to book early for some of the best experiences.

Sofitel and MGallery Collection hotels across Australia are inviting families to celebrate the women in their lives on May 10, with offerings ranging from sparkling high teas and leisurely lunches to overnight escapes.

SOFITEL HOTELS

Sofitel's Mother's Day experiences aim to reflect the brand's signature French zest, combining elegant dining and high tea traditions. 

Culinary Experiences

Sofitel Melbourne On Collins – No35 Restaurant Mother's Day Lunch
From $135 per person
Guests can celebrate with a refined share-style three or four-course menu paired with French sparkling wine, while enjoying panoramic views across Melbourne's skyline. .

https://www.sofitel-melbourne.com.au

Sofitel Brisbane Central – Bistro Suzette Mother's Day Lunch
$145 per person
A long lunch at Bistro Suzette is designed for sharing. Begin with a seafood platter featuring Moreton Bay bugs, Hervey Bay scallops, Mooloolaba king prawns and freshly shucked oysters. Then gather around the table for indulgent mains and finish with a trip to the dessert station. Mums will also be invited to mix and match their own favourite flowers into a bouquet to take home.

https://www.sevenrooms.com/experiences/suzette/mothers-day-2026-6188554382524416

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth – Tilda Mother's Day Feast
$85 per person
Indulge at Tilda on Mother's Day with a special three-course menu including nine dishes to choose from. Built on seasonal ingredients with dishes like Wagyu Tartare, dry-aged duck breast, charcoal roasted cod, yellowfin tuna and salted dark chocolate mousse.

https://www.tildasydney.com

High Tea Experience

Sofitel Melbourne On Collins – Sofi's Lounge High Tea
From $110 per person
High tea at Sofi's Lounge includes free-flowing sparkling wine and unlimited tea and barista coffee. Menu highlights include Wagyu beef brisket, rocket and horseradish wraps, cucumber and chive cream cheese on rye, Tasmanian smoked salmon (hopefully not farmed salmon), black pepper, dill and lemon cream smørrebrød, mini quiches and pies, and sweet treats including chocolate & cherry tartlet, madeleines, rose and strawberry pannacotta with macerated strawberries and freshly baked plain and fruit scones along with a chocolate fountain.

https://www.sofitel-melbourne.com.au

 
Accommodation Experience

Sofitel Melbourne On Collins – Little Luxuries, Big Memories
From $1,420 for two nights
Families can enjoy a prestige suite stay including breakfast, children's amenities and thoughtful in-room experiences.

https://www.sofitel-melbourne.com.au

MGALLERY COLLECTION HOTELS

Culinary Experience

Elysium Noosa – Cibaria Mother's Day Long Lunch
$159 per person

Cibaria Noosa chefs have designed a four-course set menu for the table for lunch, featuring a selection of their most-loved dishes. It includes garlic and rosemary pizzetta, buffalo mozzarella, yellowfin tuna, spaghetti aglio with grilled king prawns and Amalfi lemon; Wagyu striploin along with sides to share and dessert of mille foglie, a layered puff pastry with Chantilly cream and mixed berries.

https://www.cibarianoosa.au/whats-on/mothers-day-at-cibaria-9ax6e-dfhyn-edz4t

High Tea Experiences

Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains – Mother's Day High Tea Brunch
From $89 per person

A high tea buffet brunch featuring sparkling wine, live music and Jamison Valley views. All mums will receive a special gift on the day. The brunch will feature a bread station, charcuterie, high tea sandwiches, savoury delights including lobster rolls, salads, a hot station and a spread of desserts.

https://www.fairmontresort.com.au/offers/mothers-day-brunch/

The William Inglis Hotel – Mother's Day High Tea
$79 per person
Hosted in the Garden Pavilion, mum will be welcomed by a glass of sparkling on arrival and enjoy a selection of hand-crafted desserts, freshly baked scones, and finger sandwiches.

https://www.williaminglis.com.au

Accommodation Experience

The Porter House Hotel Sydney – The Signature Sanctuary
Starting from $669 per night

This package includes accommodation in a junior suite, chilled Champagne on arrival, hand-made chocolates and a long soak with a LUSH bath bomb. After a restful sleep, Mum will enjoy an a la carte breakfast in bed plus a late check-out.

https://porterhousehotel.com.au/offers/the-signature-sanctuary/

Kiwi Bunny has chocolate treats for Easter

Are you a chocolate lover who will be in Sydney over the Easter Weekend?

You might fancy a high tea for sweet tooths at Armorica - a collaboration with New Zealand's iconic Whittaker's chocolates.

Over just three days, Armorica will serve ITS limited-time high tea experience with a special menu that is a blend of savoury and sweet treats.

Savoury delights like Wagyu pastrami with horseradish mayonnaise, Oscietra caviar with buttered leeks, and chicken liver parfait, will be followed by an all-Whittaker’s dessert selection, featuring Hazella scones, Creamy Caramel tarts, Dark Ghana and hazelnut cake, and more.

The menu can be paired with a Whittaker-inspired cocktail, a glass of sparkling, or a refreshing mocktail. Up to you.

The bad news: indulgence does not come cheap. High tea costs $99pp with a choice of one drink or $85pp without a drink.

Available from Good Friday to Easter Sunday from noon-3pm.

A Melbourne hotel where hospitality shines

 

Some hotels are part of the travel industry. Others are part of the hospitality industry. 

The Pullman Melbourne on the Park is definitely on the second side of the ledger, a hotel comfortable in its skin. 

With French management and polyglot staff it delivers old-school service with a smile, something that is not often found nowadays. 

Four examples from my recent stay:

# I arrived extremely early in the morning and asked to leave my bags before returning to check in. "No problem at all. We have your room ready for you now." Welcome news as I had begun my travels at 4am. 

# I sampled the excellent savoury/sweet high tea offering. Perfect for two people, a lot for one. No problem to have the rest of the morsels delivered to my room for later enjoyment.

# The pump action body wash in my room ran empty during my stay. I went to reception to ask for some soap but was gifted a new luxe body wash container and was told I was welcome to take it home.

# I was clearly baffled by the high-tech coffee machine at breakfast but a kind waitress took the time to come and make me a short black - without being asked.   

It is the little things like this that make a hotel a warm and welcoming place. And I'm sure, like me, you've stayed in hotels where everything is a hassle for the overworked staff. 

The Pullman Melbourne on the Park is not a new property. It's been around for decades. I fact. I stayed here regularly around 30 years ago when it was the Hilton on the Park. 

One thing has not changed: the superb location. 

It is right at the edge of Melbourne's city centre but away from the hustle and bustle. 

Opposite the city's sporting hub overlooking the iconic MCG and Rod Laver Arena - my well-equipped room had views of both - and the property is adjacent to the tree-lined paths of the Fitzroy Gardens. 

The hotel is a large one with 419 rooms, including several suites and the luxe William Clarke Sky Villa. 

The rooms are restful and quiet but you are just a 15-minute walk from Flinders St Station and 10 minutes from Chinatown and the many eateries of Flinders Lane. 

There is also a tram that stops directly outside the hotel, linking you to most parts of Melbourne with ease. 

There are the elements you'd expect of a five-star hotel: a swimming pool and fitness centre, the Cliveden Bar and Dining, air con, soundproofing, a pretty spectacular buffet breakfast, good fast wifi, and room service. 

I really had nothing at all to complain about over two excellent nights. 

One suggestion: make sure to try the cross-cultural high tea: it is spectacular. Think the usual delights but with native ingredients and a touch of Asia, accompanied by a glass of Chandon Blanc de Blanc, of course. 

So finger sandwiches, certainly, but also homemade pork and nashi pear sausages with bush tomato relish or maybe a chicken corn empanada with chipotle mayonnaise. And leave room for the sweet treats. Executive chef Mihir Mandal is on top of his game.    

And try to book a room that offers access to the executive lounge on the 18th floor. It is great have somewhere to pop into to read the newspaper and grab a cup of tea, or enjoy some canapes and free-flowing pre-dinner drinks.

Refreshments and light nibbles are served all day should you be peckish at any time.

For more details see https://www.pullmanonthepark.com.au/

# The writer was a guest of Pullman Melbourne on the Park.

How very fashionable: high tea is back in style

Back in the day, what is now the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth was the epitome of chic.

Since the 1960s, iconic brands have used the Wentworth as a backdrop for high-end photo shoots for what was then the cutting edge of fashion.

Today, the hotel has a new and glamorous offering in its High Tea, to be served in the hotel's Velvet Lounge.

To be launched on Saturday, the new High Tea will be very French in style with delicate macarons, a religieuse with a touch of rose and raspberry, Bordeaux-style mandarin-vanilla cannelés, a revisited Opera cake and lemon myrtle meringue petite tarte.

On the savoury side, guests can enjoy a signature mini baguette with slow-roasted truffled beef,  choux and caviar, quiche with smoked duck and porcini, traditional French chicken pithivier and Tasmanian smoked salmon blinis with crème fraiche.

All complemented by a glass of Moet Imperial bubbles or Sofitel's signature cocktail, plus an assortment of premium Silver Jubilee by Dilmah teas.

High Tea will be served every Saturday and Sunday from 1-3pm for a limited time only (from October 22 to November 30), priced at $89 per person.

For details see www.sofitelsydney.com.au/dining/the-couture-high-tea