We’ve gotten a huge response to last week’s email from members anxious to find places with availability between Christmas and New Year’s. To help you plan, we canvassed a number of our favorite hotels and resorts around the world and were pleased to find unexpected openings. The good news is, there’s still a lot out there. Here are some of our top picks, organized by Passion Point. Keep an eye out in the next week, as we will be posting destination reports on St. Barth’s and Deer Valley.

ARTS/CULTURE:

• Mexico: Academic Arrangements Abroad is holding ten spots for Indagare members on its cruise around the Yucatan for the Metropolitan Museum, with renowned lecturer Olivier Bernier. Rates from $6,990 for the ten-day trip. For information, call 800-221-1944 or 212-514-8921; www.arrangementsabroad.com.

• Austria: Join the Royal Oak Foundation on a holiday journey to Vienna to celebrate New Year’s Eve at the famous Imperial Ball and various concerts and events. Accommodations at the Sacher Hotel. Rates from $8490 for the week-long trip. For information, call 800-221-1944 or 212-514-8921; www.arrangementsabroad.com.

ACTIVE/ADVENTURE

For skiers, the following resorts still have openings:

• Sun Valley, ID: (rooms and condos): 800-786-8259; www.sunvalley.com.

• Jackson, WY: Snake River Lodge & Spa.

• Colorado & Utah: Mountain Reservations and Resort Quest may still have some private ski homes available. For more information, click here.

• British Columbia: There are rooms available in Whistler at the Fairmont (www.fairmont.com) and Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com ) and the Fairmont hotels in Banff (www.fairmont.com/) and Mont-Tremblant (www.fairmont.com) have openings as well.

• French Alps: VIP Chalets (www.vip-chalets.com) still has a few chalets left in Val d’Isère and Méribel and Snowline (www.snowline.co.uk) has a few in La Plagne.

For adventurers:

• Africa: Micato Safaris has some availability on holiday departures to Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania. 800-MICATO-1 or www.micato.com.

• India: Ananda, the towering Indian spa retreat in the Himalayas, is planning special events for the holiday week and there’s availability for booking one of three new villas with private swimming pools. www.anandaspa.com

• Around the World: Country Walkers offers walking tours, some specifically geared towards families, in such destinations as Morocco, South Africa, Costa Rica, Baja, Peru, New Mexico and Myanmar. For dates and more information, call 800-464-9255 or www.countrywalkers.com.

ESCAPE

For exotic escapes, the following still have openings:

• Bora Bora: Le Méridien Bora Bora, which has a turtle sanctuary in its private lagoon and offers special amenities for children, celebrates the holidays with a diving contest for pearls. www.starwood.com

• Tahiti: Le Méridien Tahiti, which has a sandy bottom swimming pool and lots of water activities, has availability for the holidays. www.starwood.com

• Bali: Ubud Hanging Gardens, an Orient Express property in Bali, has six- and eight-day packages. www.orient-express.com.

• Mexico: The Riviera Maya’s stylish Paraiso de la Bonita resort has limited availability for couples (children under sixteen are not allowed). www.paraisodelabonita.com.

• St. Barth’s: Le Toiny Hotel has a one-bedroom villa suite with private pool from December 23, 2007 to January 2, 2008 (10 nights required; no children under 12). There are also a number of private villas still available for rent on the island. For information, call 800-449-1553; www.wimco.com.

• Anguilla: Cap Juluca Hotel has three luxury rooms available from December 19 to 26; and one junior suite from December 23 for ten nights or more; also, one three-bedroom private pool suite is available from December 19 to 26. For information, call 800-449-1553; www.wimco.com.

• St. Lucia: Some of the Jade Mountain suites, St. Lucia’s most spectacular new accommodations with their own in-room infinity pools, are still available. www.jademountainstlucia.com.

• St. Lucia: Discovery at Marigot Bay, a rejuvenated resort located in St. Lucia’s scenic Marigot Bay, can be booked for the holidays. www.discoverystlucia.com.

For country escapes, the following still have openings:

• England: Cotswold House in Chipping Campden, England is offering a three-night Christmas package, which includes a candlelight dinner on Christmas Eve and traditional midnight services at an ancient English church. www.cotswoldhouse.com.

• New England: Twin Farms, an intimate retreat in Barnard, Vermont that has its own skating rink and ski slope, has only two rooms left for the holiday season. www.twinfarms.com.

• New England: Blantyre, a historic country house hotel in the Berkshires, has some availability. 413-637-3556; www.blantyre.com.

• New England: Ring in the new year with a black tie dinner dance at the Mayflower Inn, an exquisite property in New England. 860-868-9466 or www.mayflowerinn.com.

FAMILY For families, the following resorts still have openings:

• Southern California: The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, which is conveniently located between Los Angeles and San Diego, has a great kids’ program. 800-542-8680 or www.ritzcarlton.com. There’s also availability at the oceanfront Montage Laguna Beach. To read what concierge Carol Leenerts can help arrange, click here. For more information, call 888-715-6700 or visit www.montagelagunabeach.com.

• Southern California: The Biltmore Santa Barbara, a 207-room property housed in a Spanish Colonial mansion. 800-819-5053 or www.fourseasons.com.

• Florida: Three recommended hotels have availability left for the holiday season: In Miami, there’s the Four Seasons Miami (www.fourseasons.com) as well as the Tides, Miami Beach (www.tidessouthbeach.com) , the latter was recently redone by designer Kelly Wearstler. In Palm Beach, the Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com) has rooms left as well.

• St. Thomas: Ritz-Carlton still has rooms available and has recently undergone a $40 million renovation. 800-542-8680 or www.ritzcarlton.com.

• St. Martin: A handful of private luxury villas, ranging from three to five-bedroom, are still available for rent through WIMCO. For information, call 800-449-1553; www.wimco.com.

• Mexico: The Four Seasons Punta Mita is sold out, but it is still possible to rent luxury condos in the Punta Mita enclave. 877-561-2893 or www.mitaresidential.com.

SPA/WELLNESS

• Arizona: The Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona, which includes renowned Mii Amo spa, is offering holiday and renewal packages for the holiday season. Contact 800-826-4180 or visit www.enchantmentresort.com.