The Swell Show

Edition 8 · Thursday, October 22, 2026

Thursday is the peak of the week.

Tomorrow, Thursday, more than half of the rentals have guests, about 2,000 people. It's the most booked day of the week: yesterday, for Wednesday, it was about 1,900. Have the floor and the stock fully covered for tomorrow.

Morning, line-up.

Today’s story

The week now has a peak and a dip

Today, Wednesday the 21st: half of the rentals have guests, about 1,900 people, and almost 1 in 3 hotels is full. Waves of 1.5 m at 16 seconds.

Tomorrow, Thursday the 22nd: the busiest day of the week. Tuesday the 27th is the slowest: about 150 fewer rentals with guests. Yesterday we said Wednesday was beating Saturday; today Thursday beats both.

For your business: from Thursday to Saturday the area is half full and steady. On Monday the 26th and Tuesday the 27th it drops to 4 in 10 rentals. That gap is big enough to buy less on those two days and fill them with a promo.

What to do today

Lodging
If you have Monday the 26th or Tuesday the 27th open, set up a two-night deal today: those are the slowest nights ahead. Thursday to Saturday, don't cut your rate.
Restaurants
Stock up and staff the floor fully for Thursday and Friday, the busiest days. On Tuesday the 27th, same hours, but order less and use the day for a deep clean.
Shops and services
Tomorrow, Thursday, brings the most people of the week and 1.5 m waves: boards, lessons and tours on display from early on.

The numbers

50%of the area is already booked for the weekend. On Monday it was 47%: about 50 more rentals in two days. The weekend is filling slowly, no rush.
56%of the homes for 4 and 6 people have guests on Thursday. Homes for couples, 53%. A few more groups are coming: have big tables and sharing plates ready.
30%of hotels are full for Thursday. For Wednesday the 28th, barely 1 in 10: hotels feel next week's dip too.

By price

Pricey homes fill first

For Thursday, 6 in 10 rentals over US$350 already have guests; among those up to US$60, 4 in 10. Same as yesterday.

Budgetup to US$60
38%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
54%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
56%
Luxuryover US$350
64%

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. Around here

    The Cóbano Run is back in December

    On December 5 and 6 there are 5 and 10 km races from Santa Teresa to Mal País, finishing on the beach, to benefit the Santa Teresa high school. Organizers expect about 300 runners, up from 180 last year.

    Source: Mi Prensa

  2. In Costa Rica

    Tourism slows in the second half of the year

    From April to September, almost the same number of tourists arrived as in 2025. The Tourism Studies Center projects about 3.05 million for 2026, still below 2019.

    Source: El Mundo CR

  3. Around the world

    Fewer flights from the United States

    In September, weekly international flights to the country were 18% below 2025, and San José received fewer visitors. Liberia, the closest gateway to the peninsula, grew 11.8%.

    Source: Travel And Tour World

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 21 at 6:00.