Various room types with the basic type very close to the water and easy access to excellent snorkelling. Staff were pleasant although the resort has changed management a few times over the last 6 years so resort name may change. The food is set menus for all three meals but usually in buffet style so you can satisfy the appetite you develop while diving. Decent wine and drinks list as well with a nice bar overlooking the stunning reef stretching away from the island. It's not infinity style but nice none the less and has a few snacks as well if you get hungry outside of main meal times.

Excellent snorkelling with a great mix of rays (sting, shovel nose plus others) plus white and black tip reef sharks, in the larger marine animal range. Heron has a good turtle conservation mentality with a good mix of education and access to green and loggerhead turtles both laying (late in the year) and hatchlings (Jan - March).

Diving gave us access to numerous sites within 10 minutes from the jetty by boat with great variety and healthy corals and huge range of marine life from nudibranchs and all the species the GBR is famous foreigner up to the larger stuff. From turtles to sharks ( black and white tip reef, bull, grey nurse, and tigers) plus we I got to spend several dives (in March) surrounded by several Mantas.

There is a research centre with the university of Queensland there as well which means plenty of scientific expertise around to help identify what ever you catch on film.

Only downsides are it is in the higher price range and crossing the channel on the 3 hour ferry from Gladstone can hit some pretty rough water. There is always the helicopter option though and it's spectacular in terms of seeing how extensive the Great Barrier Reef really is. The distance is part of what makes it so well preserved as there are no day trippers to mix with. The fairly constant sea breezes make the lack of air conditioning ok but on a hot humid day fans get a workout.