Sun and Ski Getaways for the Rich and Not Necessarily Famous

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Winter weather is cranking up just as the holiday season winds down, making now the best time to plan a January vacation.

"I always think that January a great time to get away because it's really the beginning of when I start to tire of cold weather," TripAdvisor.com(TRIP) travel expert Josey Miller says. "I'm in the holiday spirit in December and enjoying the chill -- but by January, I'm starting to think: 'OK, when is spring coming?" "

Super-powdery snow at the Blue Sky Basin in Vail, Colo.

Miller adds that January is a "shoulder season" at some resort destinations, offering lower prices than you'd find either around Christmas or in February when many schools have vacation weeks.

In fact, the only major downside to taking a January vacation is having to choose between a warm tropical beach and a cozy ski resort.

"There's no real right answer," Miller says. "It all depends on your personal preference."

Here are four of Miller's favorite destinations for posh January getaways:

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

This island 4,100 miles southwest of Los Angeles in the South Pacific near Tahiti attracts lots of winter tourists with its white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and scuba and snorkeling spots packed with tropical fish.

"As you fly in, your jaw just drops at the view of this beautiful island," says Miller, who went there for her honeymoon in 2007.

Centered around Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora features resorts with rooms built on stilts right over the water.

Miller recommends a "motu picnic" -- a private feast of local foods that tour operators will serve you in a beach chair set in shallow waters off a motu, or small islet.

She also touts the local snorkeling and scuba diving, where you can swim with rays, reef sharks and Napoleon wrasse, huge tropical fish that look like something out of a cartoon.

"I love the scuba diving, but honestly, you don't have to rush around and feel busy on Bora Bora," Miller says. "You can just find a spot with a view of Mount Otemanu and get lost in the beauty of the place."

The Four Seasons Bora Bora is the five-star hotel the gets the highest user ratings on TripAdvisor.com. Rooms are $884 to $2,448 a night.