It's not too early to start making plans for New Year's -- and our Travel-Expert-in-Residence, Rudy Maxa, has a great deal to prove it!

It's from a New York resort called The Sagamore, which is perched on a private island on Lake George in the Adirondacks. It's easily accessible from New York City by train, or a decent drive from almost anywhere in the mid-Atlantic region, New England, or the Quebec or Ontario provinces.

The Savvy Traveler package is 3 nights over New Year's, including your New Year's evening feast, champagne, a breakfast the next morning, and $50 in resort bucks you can use anywhere else on the property. Prices start at $349 per person, based on double occupancy. And, you can work off all the partying by ice-skating or -- if the weather on the East Coast is like it was this week -- cross-country skiing. Plus, the Sagamore will take you to and from nearby Gore Mountain for downhill skiing, as well.

And, don't worry, you won't be roughing it at the Sagamore: this is one of those grand resorts with big white porches and views of water and forests. Just be sure to ask for "The Savvy Traveler New Year's Package."

»Savvy Resources: For information on "The Savvy Traveler New Year's Package" at The Sagamore on Lake George in New York, call 800-358-3585. And, check out the resort's Web site: http://www.thesagamore.com/html/index2.html