I don't think there are any other options as the sensor and wire are both encased in the foam against the back wall. The sensor also slides into a little holder which would not be able to pull out without removing the foam.
You don't need a huge hole though, you just need to locate the sensor...
Sorry to post years after the original question was asked but I found myself in the same boat recently and spent hours researching an answer and struggled to find one so to save others the hassle and possibly binning unnecessarily, it's the condenser sensor that needs replacing. If you Google...