The Swell Show

Edition 5 · Monday, October 19, 2026

Monday is filling up at the last minute.

About 20 more hotels are fully booked for Monday than yesterday. Now 1 in 5 is full; yesterday it was 1 in 10. The slow Monday we saw coming is shrinking.

Morning, line-up.

Today’s story

Monday is no longer the gap

On Saturday we warned that Monday was emptying out. Since Friday, about 60 more places have been booked for Monday: today 45% of the area has guests.

For your business: Monday now looks like any other day. The week is coming in even: every day, between 44% and 49% of the area is booked. No need to buy differently from one day to the next.

What to do today

Lodging
Don't give Monday away. People keep booking until the day before: if you still have it open, hold your rate and accept two-night stays.
Restaurants
Plan Monday as a normal day, with your usual orders and staff. Rain on Monday: have something warm for an afternoon indoors.
Shops and services
Keep your usual stock all week. Monday has good waves: put boards, wax and lessons out front early.

The numbers

22%of hotels are full for Monday. Yesterday it was 10%: about 20 hotels filled up in a single day. Hotels no longer live on the weekend alone.
About 100places are free on Monday but already have guests later in the week. Yesterday it was about 90: people keep arriving midweek.
US$73is the typical nightly price of what's still free for Monday. Yesterday, for the same Monday, it was US$78: if you still have room, you're competing with lower prices.

By price

The pricier the night, the more booked

For Monday, places over US$350 have guests in almost 6 out of 10; those up to US$60, in 1 out of 3. Nothing new: a well-made dinner still has its crowd.

Budgetup to US$60
35%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
45%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
46%
Luxuryover US$350
57%

Share of places booked for tomorrow at each nightly rate. Every place in the area, classified one by one.

What the tide brings in

  1. In Costa Rica

    Tourism asks for reliable power

    On October 17, Costa Rica's National Tourism Chamber asked lawmakers to pass the electricity reform (bill 23,414). It says coastal hotels and restaurants need stable, fairly priced power; passing it would not by itself guarantee lower rates.

    Source: Infobae

  2. In Costa Rica

    Guanacaste grows faster than San José

    So far this year, Guanacaste airport has 769,716 arrivals, 11.9% more than in 2025; San José grew 2.1%. From April to September the country barely grew (0.1%).

    Source: El Mundo CR

  3. Around the world

    Cancún loses flights from the US

    The Mexican Caribbean will have 435,000 fewer airline seats from the US between October and December, down 12.8%. It's a direct high-season competitor: worth watching where those planes go.

    Source: Riviera Maya News

See you in the water.

How we measure · Occupancy = 1 − places free for 3 nights ÷ total inventory. It’s a ceiling: some places block dates without being booked. Sources: the main booking platforms, Open-Meteo and the Central Bank of Costa Rica. Measured October 18 at 6:00.