Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific) - SYD and Great Barrier Reef-end of Dec trip help

Planning my first trip to Australia arriving into SYD on Dec 27th. Planning to stay til around Jan 5th and I have no idea where to stay and snorkal in the Great Barrier Reef...would prefer a SPG or Hyatt or Marriott property so I can use points
Any advice would be great!
thanks

P/S I hear about jellyfish but some areas better than others:confused:

I don't think there are SPG/Hyatt/Marriott properties on the GBR so use these points for Sydney (which is incredibly expensive over NYE, when you plan to be there; PH will be open then and rumored to be $10K minimum room charge for 5 nights min stay NYE 2012 (about double their normal rates). Great use of points though it is hard to use points :)

Jellyfish are worse further north, and are both seasonal and locational (they breed in estuaries, and you are there for high season). Maybe best bet is to stay out on an island in the Whitsundays, but again it is highest of the high seasons so cost a bit more than then rest of the year (often double). Heron Island is "cheap" and cheerful, if you want beauty instead of luxury.

....where to stay and snorkal in the Great Barrier Reef...would prefer a SPG or Hyatt or Marriott property so I can use pointsSheraton Mirage (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=370) in Port Douglas

Sheraton Mirage (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=370) in Port Douglas

+1 I just did a similar (but longer) trip and staying Sheraton Mirage while in Port Douglas using cash+points. I enjoyed this property, it's very tropical, although the decor is slightly outdated by American standards (as you'll see in an threads about it). Flat screen TV, wireless internet in the lobby, nice pools, restaurants are expensive (but everything in Australia is). I had two rooms and got upgrades for both. Also, we snorkled through Calypso Pure Snorkle which is a great trip! Hands down my favorite part of our trip to Australia. I highly recommend them if you're not planning on diving. The boat only takes about 30 people, it's a nice sized boat, good lunch buffet, clean on-board bathrooms.

In SYD for NYE SPG or Hyatt points will take you a long way. PH wasn't open this past NYE, but the SPG properties were all normal points with minimum stays (3 nights). Don't worry about getting a hotel with a view, just be close enough to walk somewhere. We did Observatory Park. It was really nice (and free!) although no alcohol was allowed in the park. They had food for sale and sufficient facilities set up. Got there early with a picnic and a blanket and had a lovely evening hanging out until the 9pm and midnight fireworks. We had a large party and this was the best option for us, if we go back though my fiance and I agree that we would pay to do one of the dinner cruises or to get in somewhere with a view of the Opera House. (You can only see the Harbour Bridge from Observatory Park.)

Enjoy your trip! It's expensive down under, using points helped SO much! :)

P/S I hear about jellyfish but some areas better than others:confused:

If you do decide on PD, or anywhere with stingers, they will give you stinger suits to wear while in the water. They were no bother while we were snorkeling, but maybe we got lucky.

If you do decide on PD, or anywhere with stingers, they will give you stinger suits to wear while in the water. They were no bother while we were snorkeling, but maybe we got lucky.
+1

The marine biologist who led my snorkel trip for Wavelength said that the stingers aren't supposed to be out that far, so if they are, there are bigger issues. The stinger suits also provide great protection from the sun, which I appreciated since I tend to burn to a crisp instantly. Hopefully you'll get to swim with some sharks. We saw two baby gray reef sharks that swam really close to us and a white-tipped reef shark way down below on the floor.

You may find the Australia government site on the Great Barrier Reef useful. It includes recommendations on jumping off points and tour operators

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/choose-a-high-standard-operator/high-standard-tourism-operation

Also, don't forget to check out the Daintree Rainforest while you're in north Queensland. If you also like the idea of an Island getaway to chill on the beaches, I recommend Magnetic Island off of Townsville.