The Swell Show

Edition 19 · Monday, November 2, 2026

Monday is no longer the gap.

Tomorrow, Monday, half of places have guests, about 1,900 people. On Friday, for the same Monday, about 70 fewer places were booked. The week ahead looks even from start to finish.

Morning, line-up.

Tide alerts

  • Heads up

    Gas goes up as soon as it's published. Regular goes to ₡808 per liter, ₡89 more than today, the day after it's published in La Gaceta. If you run a work vehicle or transfers, fill up before then. Source

  • Heads up

    Drought red alert still on. Cóbano and Paquera remain on red alert for El Niño, declared on October 22. Check for leaks and go easy on water, even if it rains this week.

  • Heads up

    The Cambronero bridge reopens on Tuesday. Route 1 between San Ramón and Esparza, the way to the Puntarenas ferry, reopens on Tuesday the 3rd at noon. Let anyone driving in from San José this week know. Source

Today’s story

How the week is shaping up

Today, Sunday the 1st: half of places have guests, about 1,900 people, and more than 1 in 4 hotels have no room left tonight.

Tomorrow, Monday the 2nd: on Friday it was the gap of the week, and in two days it filled up. About 70 more places were booked, and full hotels went from 1 in 10 to 1 in 4.

The week looks even: from Monday to Sunday, between 49% and 52% of the area booked. For your business: shop and staff like a normal week. What changes is the weather: it rains Monday to Thursday, and hard on Wednesday.

What to do today

Lodging
Don't slash Monday: about 20 more hotels filled up in a single day. For the week, offer two- or three-night stays; no day drops off.
Restaurants
An even week: usual shopping and staffing. For Wednesday, with heavy rain, have something for an afternoon indoors and fewer beach dishes.
Shops and services
It rains Monday to Thursday: put umbrellas, ponchos and indoor plans on display. The weekend turns dry again: save lessons and tours for Saturday.

The numbers

26%of hotels are full for Monday. Yesterday, for the same Monday, it was 13%: about 20 more hotels with no room in a single day.
US$100is the typical nightly price of what's still open for Monday. Same as yesterday: nobody is slashing.
90places are open on Monday but already have guests later in the week. Yesterday, for Sunday, it was about 70: people keep arriving midweek.

By price

Places over US$350 are the fullest

For Monday, almost 6 in 10 places over US$350 already have guests. Places from US$61 to 150 have guests in less than half: that's what can still fill up.

Budgetup to US$60
46%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
44%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
54%
Luxuryover US$350
59%

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

    A Blue Zone seal for the Nicoya Peninsula

    The government plans an official Blue Zone seal and three wellness tourism products on the peninsula by 2028, with promotion campaigns at home and abroad. CONAPAM leads it and it is still in the paperwork stage.

    Source: The Tico Times

  2. Around the world

    From Tuesday, a form to fly to the United States

    From November 3, every passenger flying to the United States, including connections, must sign a CDC health declaration. Without it, the airline won't let them board.

    Source: The Tico Times

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 November 1 at 6:00.