[mindz]

The pier is sad. The "lighthouse" will be uglier. But to me, the worst news is that Coco Beach will be taken over by a monster hotel. What's that going to mean for those of us who like to hang out there in between snorkeling?

I loved the Playa I discovered eight years ago. Porto Real wasn't built yet, but it was clear that changes were coming: the point was fenced off, and Constituyentes was a ridiculously wide gravel road to nowhere. On that trip, we met an aging hippie who blamed "us" for ruining it, and he said it was so much better when HE first came, many years earlier. I imagine that most visitors thinks it's just right when they first arrive, and hope it doesn't grow and change beyond that stage. But Mega-anything just doesn't seem in character with the central area, does it?