The Swell Show

Edition 20 · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

A steady week, but a wet one.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, half of all rentals have guests, about 1,900 people: same as today. It stays like that all week. What changes is the sky: heavy rain from Wednesday to Friday.

Morning, line-up.

Tide alerts

  • Heads up

    The Cambronero bridge reopens tomorrow. Route 1, the road to the Puntarenas ferry, reopens tomorrow, Tuesday, at noon. Let anyone driving in from San José this week know: the trip gets shorter. Source

  • Heads up

    The drought red alert is still on. Cóbano and Paquera remain under a red alert for El Niño since October 22. Even with heavy rain this week, check for leaks and save water.

Today’s story

Three days of rain with the area half full

Today, Monday the 2nd: half of all rentals have guests, about 1,900 people, and 1 in 4 hotels is full. 1.7 m waves and some rain.

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 3rd: the area stays half full. But the forecast shows more than 250 mm between Wednesday the 4th and Friday the 6th; Thursday alone, over 100 mm. Costa Rica's weather service says tropical wave 52 brings rain all week.

People are coming anyway: about 30 hotels are already full for the weekend. For your business: same guests as always, but spending the afternoon indoors. More coffee, more hot food, less beach. And muddy dirt roads for suppliers and staff.

What to do today

Lodging
Message anyone arriving between Wednesday and Friday today. Tell them it will rain hard and the roads are muddy: leave early and allow extra time.
Restaurants
Place this week's big order today: with over 100 mm on Thursday, your supplier may not make it. And have something hot ready for the rainy afternoons.
Shops and services
Set up an indoor plan for Wednesday to Friday: a class, a workshop, a movie or games. People are in the area and will be looking for something to do.

The numbers

28%of hotels are full for Tuesday. A week ago, for the same Tuesday, it was 14%: about 20 more hotels with no room.
US$78is the typical nightly price of what's still open for Saturday. Yesterday, for the same Saturday, it was US$117: what's left for the weekend is being offered for less.
48–52%of the area booked each day, from tomorrow to Monday the 9th: a steady week, with no day that empties out.

By price

Budget rentals have room

For Tuesday, 6 in 10 rentals priced over US$350 have guests. Among those up to US$60, fewer than 4 in 10: yesterday, for Monday, it was almost half. If you rent in that range, a two-night deal can fill this week's gap.

Budgetup to US$60
38%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
45%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
54%
Luxuryover US$350
62%

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

    Tropical wave 52 arrives

    Costa Rica's weather service issued a weather notice on Sunday: rain and storms over the coming days, with isolated gusts of up to 80 km/h. In the South Pacific the ground is already saturated.

    Source: El Observador

  2. Around the world

    From tomorrow, a form to fly to the US

    On flights leaving after 11:59 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday the 3rd, every passenger bound for the United States, including connections, must sign a health declaration. Airlines won't board anyone who doesn't.

    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 2 at 6:00.