We wanted to go to Europe, and had even dreamed of shopping sprees in Paris, open-air meals in Rome, and rainy days in London. Then we thought about the Euro/Dollar exchange rate, and our dream promptly turned into a nightmare.  Instead of torturing yourself with similar scenarios, look into a vacation to St. Martin.  Lying fairly close to the mainland and doing business in dollars, St. Martin is actually a dual territory, with half of the Island belonging to the Dutch, and half to the French.  The Dutch side is typical cheesy vacation garbage, with casinos, chain restaurants and tourist-packed dance clubs.  The French side, on the other hand is quaint, relaxing, and so European that you’ll have to pack your own washcloths.  Just secluded enough to feel like you’re on the edge of the Earth, but within– once you leave the property gates– walking distance of a center of town jam-packed with restaurants is Grand Case Beach Club, set on the edge of ‘The Gourmet Capital’ of the Caribbean.  Your hotel welcome will include a bottle of wine (we, being as fabulous and reckless as we wanted to be, enjoyed ours over french toast and scrambled eggs on our final morning), a comfortable room and free daily breakfast, where we promise, you’ll stare at neighboring Anguilla the whole time.  Rent a car and head to Orient Beach, ‘the Saint Tropez of the Caribbean’, and stop for lunch at a LoLo, a super cheap native restaurant serving more food than you could ever eat for less money than you can imagine.  And, if you must, head over to the Dutch side at night, and mingle with the tourists who stayed on the wrong side.  Rooms from $145; Visit www.grandcasebeachclub.com for more information (photo source).