Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Palm Cove vs. Hayman in January

I am visiting my brother in Sydney in January and will have about five days on my own to explore the Great Barrier Reef. I've narrowed the choices down to Hayman Island or some hotels in Palm Cove. I know what alternatives are out there but these are what I'm focused on. I'm leaning toward Palm Cove because it seems to have a few more alternatives for activities.

I'm interested in some R&R and spending at least one day on the GBR to do some snorkeling. I have looked into both small boat tour operators and chartering a plane or helicopter for snorkeling.

I've read through all the relevant threads on here and done a lot of reading on the climate and weather conditions. It seems to me like the weather may be more bearable for sitting next to the pool on Hayman but that Palm Cove and Port Douglas might offer some better snorkeling additional options in case I get bored and want to go see some wildlife.

Any thoughts on exactly how unberable the humidity might be in mid-January north of Cairns? Heat and humidity are normally an unbearable combination for me, but if it's the case that the coastal weather in the Palm Cove area is mitigated by the ocean breeze or periods of rain that temporarily lower the humidity, then that might be a deciding factor.

Hayman is a lot better, the issue is the much higher price; as you mention chartering a helicopter for snorkeling, price shouldn't be an issue, in which case Hayman is a clear winner. There really is no contest, Hayman is in the "10 special places in the world" class, while Palm Cove is just another resort (one of the "10,000 special places in the world"). There really is that much difference; but Hayman isn't for everyone, I suppose.

The weather in both places will be substantially the same at that time of year. Both will be humid. There us always the possibility of a cyclone at that time of year too, in either place, but realistically that is only a remote possibility. You may get some rain however.

I'd be going for Palm Cove for the following reasons - a better choice of restaurants, a couple of which are very good and better accessibility to other activities (shopping, whitewater rafting, rainforests, native wildlife). There are more things to do if the weather turns out not perfect. Further, unless you are at the very top of the range, dollar for dollar you'll get a much better hotel room in Palm Cove than Hayman. The plus of Hayman is that you can pretend you are a zillionaire, even if you are not. It has that atmosphere.
Be aware that certainly in the early part of January both places will have a lot of kids, it being school holidays.

Having said all that, I'm sure you'll have a good time which ever you pick.

For what it's worth, I was in both Airlie Beach (near Hayman Island) and Cape Tribulation (near Palm Cove) a couple of years ago in early/mid-January. Yes, it's hot, and yes, it's humid, but I didn't think it was nearly as bad as some of the summers I've spent in NYC or Chicago.

Part of it was certainly mental, but I don't think you'll find it oppressive, unless January 2005 happened to be atypical for some reason. If you're on land, there's plenty of shade, and the winds did indeed keep things mostly pleasant.

If you have the money to blow, go to Hayman and have a great five days. If you'd like to be a little more thrifty and explore a bit, pick Palm Cove. As turtlemichael said, you're not going to go wrong either way. I'd personally be worried about getting bored on day 3 or 4 of Hayman Island, particularly if I was traveling alone.