Chris
Have you thought about Jomtien Beach about 10 mins out of Pattaya which is about an hour and a half from the new airport ??.
We are staying at the Rabbit Resort in Oct/Nov and booked direct with the lovely owner Mrs Rabbit and got great rates... it gets fabulous reviews from trip advisor. The owner Deb is a delight to deal with.
The Rabbit looks and sounds wonderful with lots of restaurants within walking distance if you don't want to go into Pattaya... might be just what you need after sampling the delights of "Brisvegus" as they call it. Hope your going down to Sydney... I think Sydney for a holiday is fabulous. Enjoy...
Cheers Geri